MEU(SOC) pistol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pistol, Caliber .45, MEU(SOC)(1005-01-370-7353) | |
|---|---|
 MEU(SOC)pistol with weapon light |
|
| Type | Pistol |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2.437 lb (1,105 g) empty, w/ magazine (FM 23–35, 1940) |
| Length | 8.25 in (210 mm) |
| Barrel length | 5.03 in (127 mm) |
|
|
|
| Cartridge | .45 ACP |
| Caliber | .45 in (11.43 mm) |
| Action | Recoil-operated, closed bolt |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Muzzle velocity | 800 ft/s (244 m/s) |
| Effective range | 75 yd (62 m) (FM 23–35 of 1940) |
| Feed system | 8 rounds (standard-capacity magazine), +1 in chamber |
The MEU(SOC) pistol is a single-action, semiautomatic handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It is based on the original M1911 design by John Browning, and has been the standard-issue side arm for the Force Recon Element of theUnited States Marine Corps' Marine Expeditionary Units from 1985 to 2007. It's official designation in the US Arsenal is Pistol, Caliber .45, MEU(SOC)(1005-01-370-7353).
Contents |
[edit] Specifications
Original pistols were hand-selected standard government issued Colt M1911A1's that were gutted, deburred, and prepared for additional use by the USMC Precision Weapon Section (PWS) in Quantico, VA.[1] They were then assembled with after-market grip safeties, a rounded hammer, ambidextrous thumb safeties, lighter triggers made by Videcki, improved high-visibility sights, accurized match-grade barrels made by Bar-Sto, Pachmayr rubber grips, front cocking-serrations, and improved stainless steel magazines made by Wilson Combat.[2][1][3]
A Marine operator may shoot as many as 80,000 rounds from this pistol durring a training-cycle and subsequent deployment.[4] However, it is more common for a Marine to return the pistol to the PWS at Quantico for a rebuild after 10,000 rounds have been fired.[5] A rebuild entails discarding almost all of the gun's parts except for the frame, which prior to 2003 was a U.S. Government frame last manufactured in 1945.[4] The frame is inspected and reused again if it is still within military specifications.[4][5] There are frames in the USMC inventory that have had as many as 500,000 rounds fired through them.[4]
The Officer In Command of the Precision Weapons Shop in 2001, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ken Davis, stated that the M1911 is "the only pistol that can stand up to this use".[4]
[edit] History
In the late 1980s, USMC Colonel Robert Young laid out a series of specifications and improvements to make Browning's design ready for 21st century combat, many of which have been included in MEU(SOC) pistol designs. [6][1]
However, as the U.S. Marine Corps began its process of hand selecting members from its Force Recon to be submitted to USSOCOM as Marine Corps Special Operations Command, Detachment One (MCSOCOM Det-1), the selection of a .45 ACP M1911A1-based pistol meant roughly 150 units would be needed, quicker than the PWS could produce as they were already backlogged with producing DMRs, USMC SAM-Rs, and updating M40A1s to M40A3s, so DET-1 began the search for COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) surrogates to use.[2]
Discovering that the Los Angeles Police Department was well pleased with their special Kimber-made M1911 pistols, a single source request was issued to Kimber Manufacturing for a similarly built pistol, despite the imminent release of their TLE/RLII models.[2] Kimber shortly began producing a limited number of what would be later termed the Interim Close Quarters Battle pistol (ICQB). Maintaining the simple recoil assembly, 5-inch barrel (though using a stainless steel match grade barrel), and internal extractor, the ICQB is not much different from Browning's original design.[5]
The final units as issued to MCSOCOM Det-1 are the Kimber ICQBs with SureFire Integrated Military Pistol Light (IMPL), Dawson Precision rail, Tritium Novak LoMount sights replaced the originals made in-house by the Marines, Gemtech TRL Tactical Retention Lanyards based upon the jury-rigged telephone cord versions, modified Safariland 6004 holsters, Simonich G-10 Gunner Grips manufactured by Simonich Knives and Strider Knives replaced the original Pachmayr rubber grips, and Wilson Combat's '47D' 8-round magazines.[2][4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Clancy, Tom (1996). Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (in English). Berkeley, California: Berkeley Trade, 64,79-80. ISBN 978-0425154540.
- ^ a b c d Rogers, Patrick A.(2003)"Marines New SOCOM Pistol", SWAT Magazine, December 2003, 52-57
- ^ Oliva, Mark. "Some MEU's Still Carry Proven M1911 .45's", Stars and Stripes European and Pacific Edition, Stars and Stripes, 08/05/2002. Retrieved on 03/04/2007. (in English)
- ^ a b c d e f Rogers, Patrick A (05/01/2001), "Strong Men Armed: The Marine Corps 1st Force Reconnaissance Company Part III Section 2", The Accurate Rifle 4 (4): 47, DOI:03/04/2007
- ^ a b c Brown, R.E. (07/01/2004), "MEU 1911 .45: the Legend Lives in the Hands of Today's Marines", American Handgunner (no. July/August 2004), DOI:03/04/2007
- ^ Johnston, Gary Paul.(2004)"One Good Pistol", Soldier of Fortune Magazine, December 2004, 62-67
