Time to submit your order form to CMP! Don’t dawdle! (Photo: CMP)
Today, Sept. 4, 2018, is the day folks! Ordering for the surplus 1911s from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has begun and will continue until Oct. 4, 2018. You have precisely one month to get your ducks in a row and submit your order form to CMP for the chance to purchase one of the 8,000 available pistols.
How this works is that each submission will be fed into a “computerized Random Number Generator on 5 October 2018,” says CMP. That generator will spit out a list of names in a sequential order and those at the top of the list or with the lowest number will be contacted first to select their grade of pistol. Remember there are three grades of pistols available: Service Grade, Field Grade and Rack Grade.
Per CMP:
- Service Grade $1050. Pistol may exhibit minor pitting and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.
- Field Grade $950. Pistol may exhibit minor rust, pitting, and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.
- Rack Grade $850. Pistol will exhibit rust, pitting, and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips may be incomplete and exhibit cracks. Pistol requires minor work to return to issuable condition.
CMP also has “Auction Grade” 1911s, but those will not be part of the raffle. Those will be up for auction and the market will dictate the price. As CMP says, “Note: If you have already purchased a 1911 from CMP you will not be allowed to purchase an auction 1911. If you purchase an auction 1911, your name will be pulled from the sequenced list. No repeat purchasers are allowed until all orders received have been filled.”
SEE ALSO: Touring the CMP: A Look into the First Batch of M1911s
It’s important to fill out the order packet over the next 30 days because even if you’re not chosen, you’ll be in line already for the next go-around.
“Customers with higher numbers may have fewer grades from which to choose. When this year’s allotment of 1911s is exhausted, the remaining orders will be held in the existing sequence for all future allotments of 1911s. The CMP does not know what future allotments might be,” says CMP.
CMP requires that you fill out all the relevant paperwork, including FFL information, while also providing proof that you are a U.S. Citizen, a member of a CMP-affiliated club and a participant in marksmanship or other firearm-related activity (e.g. a competitive shooter or a licensed concealed carrier). Not a member of a CMP-affiliated club? CMP provides a searchable database of clubs in your area that you can potentially join, some for as cheap as $25.
Here is a link to the complete “fillable” (meaning you can type in your info as opposed to printing it and filling it out by hand) order form along with instructions. Good luck! And remember, the deadline is Oct. 4th, 2018. Don’t dawdle!
For questions or additional information visit TheCMP.org.
I’d like to own one of those worn out .45 cal 1911 pistols for memories sake but I certainly would never Fire the thing.
To insure safety I would remove the Firing Pin from the weapon. I’ve used several of those .45s in Real Life in the USMC & they were badly worn in the late 60s.
And WHY is GOA publishing this stuff from 2018? It is after all 2020 in case GOA is not aware of it!
Thought these government surplus 1911s would be an opportunity to pick up one at a reasonable price. Boy was I naïve. I can get a new Series 70 Government Model 1911 from Colt for $899 with no crazy paperwork.
Does anyone know the process cmp used to set price. Is this pricing a wag.
The greatest generation paid for those guns in hard earned tax dollars. Now you ripping off their kids to repay for them. Are you out of your fucking mind?!
I’d buy two if I could. One to shit on and another to cover it up!
Nuckin Futs!
What a joke heck no what would I do with an old beat to death 1911. No reason the army went with a new gun was the 1911’s were plumb worn out. Now bring back a bunch of M1 carbines sitting overseas and I’ll get out my wallet.
I’d also love to buy one (or two or three)
of those M-1s even if they’re worn ’cause they’ll be physical memories to pass on to family & future generations.
Just why in the world would I, or any body, pay so much for an worn out, rusty old pistol with all the hoops that you have to jump thru, when at local gunshows they have basic, brand new 1911’s from 2 or 3 different manufacturers for $400 or less? Thats just foolish, when they sold surplus firearms 30 years ago they went for $15 OR $20 according to I think it was Larry Kelly who made custom jobs out of them!
I have had a Remington-rand 191212 A1 since my dad got it for me at Christmas about 67 years ago. He paid $25 for it. It still shoots very well. .If you can hold it on target you can shoot 1 hole. I carried it as a deputy in addition to a lightweight Star PD which also shot very well for 24 years!!
Once again the government has proven that if you want to get screwed without even a kiss, deal with them. $1050.00 for a used, pitted 1911? It might have some sentimental value for some, but I do not buy collectors guns. If I can’t shoot it I don’t own it. For well under $ 1,000.00 I can buy a much better shooting Ruger 1911. I have owned Colt, Springfield Armory, and was given Lama 1911 copy. I can not ever remember doing anything to PO off the guy who gave that. Any way, I bought a Ruger 1911, and if my example is the norm would recommend Ruger to anyone. A friend has a custom maker brand 1911 he paid almost 3 grand for, and my Ruger out shot it for both of us. The last I heard from him he has a custom 1911 for sale, and is going to buy a Ruger. Unless you are looking for a safe queen, and want to brag about how much money you wasted, the new 1911s made on computer controlled machinery is a great buy for a carry weapon or for a just plain fun gun save your money for ammo to practice with.
I’ll second the Ruger SR1911. I’ve got the slightly shorter Commander model and it’s a very nicely balanced weapon for less than the cost of the ‘rack grade’. The fit and finish on them is great and I’ve never had issues feeding any type of hollow-point or different bullet weights. It’s probably the most accurate handgun I own, I’d carry it any day without hesitation.
REALLY!!!…???? A $1000 bucks!!… Get your pillow and start dreamin’!
Don’t waste my time with this JUNK.
$1050 for a pitted 45… are you kidding me? For those of us that have been in combat … know that the only action most of these pistols had, was just target practice or shooting at rats. These are outrages price. No thanks I’ll use that money to buy me a brand new colt or kimber”
Just came from the local pawn shop and for the $950 offense oh, sorry offer I can get a Colt civilian issue and a 12ga Stephens and have enough left over for 100 rounds each. I don’t have the $950 for either purchase, but guess which way I’d go if I did?
7800 rattletraps that have been rebuilt at least 3 or more times. And then of course the 200 pilfered from Army museums going to auction that are the only “collectible” pistols in the bunch and will go for much more than the rusted parts guns. I already have a nice collectible Colt in it’s original condition so I will pass. Beside I really wouldn’t want one of the worn out pieces of junk I both carried and worked on as a unit armorer while I was in the Marine Corps.
Overpriced?
For a gun that may have seen “action”?
Uh huh…
Sure.
Seems these are all old and were last made in 1945…
So they’re “antiques”.
And it seems that, like the Nagant M91s, Enfields, and other “World War Two” equipment, there isn’t any more being made, 70 years ago, to sell “for the rock bottom entry level equal in the commercial market” today.
Oh well.
If i had “fun money” I’d bid on a piece of history, but sadly right now my wallet is flat.
These aren’t “shooters”.
I mean, you can, but they’re not something one is going to run a couple thousand rounds of ammo through in a weekend.
Buy, don’t buy, it’s your money, but there are only so many of these that still exist.
GOOD LUCK GETTING THAT FILLABLE DOCUMENT TO PRINT!
I spent 15 minutes and NOTHING I filled out shows up when printed!
I’m confused by all the talk of these being overpriced. I have multiple military marked 1911s and I have paid $1000 plus for all of them. Take a look at the auction sites, go to a gunshow or gun shop and price a military marked 1911. If you find one in the $600 range there is probably something not right about it or it’s a fantastic deal. I think the guns are fairly appropriately priced. Either buy one or don’t but quit whining about it.
Heyyy I got some real good deals on some guns…..A sucker like you dont come around very often!!!
I agree with the others, they can keep ’em at that price. Maybe they’re trying to recover from Clinton’s era of anti’s, rumored to have picked up a full cargo ship load of WWII era firearms that were located in the Philippines. All was US property stored there for decades. They were transported out to sea and (very irresponsibly) dumped overboard in the middle of the ocean somewhere. A boat load of M1’s, 1911’s, Thompson’s, and more.
I’ll keep the Michigan State police commemorative 1911, new in box from 1978, given to my kids by their now deceased grandfather, who was also a Korean war vet. It’s supposedly worth the same money.
It’s really disappointing seeing the CMP corrupt their formerly admirable reputation of offering decent milsurps for a reasonable price to the public to this blatant, greedy corporate themed rip off. These pistols are priced at, at least, double what they should be. Two years ago I bought a very nice M1 Garand from them for $650, which was quite fair since it seems that every other selfish jerk demands at least $1,000+. Sadly it seems like the CMP is now utilizing the model of the shifty re-seller. Very sad situation.
These are not for shooting small groups at the pistol range. It’s for the collector value, martial memorabilia and in my case the sentimental value.
It was the service side arm from WWI through the Vietnam Era. My grandfather was with the 91st Aero Squadron in France in The War to End All Wars. The pilots flew with these pistols. My wife’s uncle was killed and my step-grandfather served in WWII. My father served during the Korean conflict and in Vietnam. Though I never was in combat, I served during the Vietnam Era.
If I’m lucky, I may have a chance to buy one to hand down to my son and grandsons. A durable, sensory and tactile tribute to honor a tradition of service and sacrifice. A heritage that will survive after all the pixels and digital media have turned to dust.
CMP can stick these things where the sun dont shine!!! When the army first approved the sale about a year ago….I was told by TWO very good sources…one in the CMP that they would go for between $400 and $600. Now they decided to gouge the market…and on top of that….jusmp through rediculous hoops…TWO NICS CHECKS???? STICK IT!
LOL….Civillian Marksmanship Program MY ASS!!! Get rich scheme is all this is. Prices are unreasonable. This is pathetic. I hope nobody supports this stupidity. What a great time to live…….thousand dollar shit guns.
This sounds like a joke. Pay that price for a rusty old gun that needs another few hundred bucks to be serviceable. Only a history buff would want these to hang on the wall and tell stories.
Or, for less than $400 you can buy a Rock Island Arms 1911. Sure, it doesn’t have the potential history behind it, but without documentation for provenance, the history of these guns is irrelevant. And you can buy two fully functional, new pistols that are, for all intents and purposes, identical to what the CMP is trying to get for one beater gun that will most likely not fire when you receive it.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Right! And you can even buy a genuine Colt from CDNN for less!
No thanks. Not supporting their get rich quick scheme. CMP used to give good value to keep recreational shooting going for future generations. Now they think they have a cash cow and are trying to squeeze every last cent out of it. I’ll pass.
$850 for a pistol that is, almost, certain to have damaged grips and, as stated, will need repairs to be operational.
I, for one, have no problem with the re-submission of the forms. This has to be done every 3 years, anyway, if you stay registered with the CMP. The only difference I see is an additional background check and providing FFL information.
In my opinion, I think this initial offering is overpriced, but will sell out quickly. If not, the price could be adjusted and future offerings could be priced more reasonably.
These pistols were stored for 50/60years, I guess a few more wouldn’t hurt.
That’s my thought exactly. I’d love to have an actual GI issue 1911, but I feel like if I wanted a collector piece with some historical provenance that I’d be better off finding one from a private collector for a little more money and a lot less paperwork. Otherwise, for random, loose, pieced-together-by-an-armorer surplus 1911s, I’d rather wait for the price to stabilize first.
I second all the above comments. I had heard about this program and did not pay a lot of attention. When I saw the GA blast I immediately clicked thinking I need the info so I can get on that list. But when I saw the prices, NO THANKS! I have a worn out, rattle trap acquired gov’t surplus in the 80’s. It is accurate as a brick, lives up the name “rattle trap” and on my absolute best day I could get enough money for it to pay for a decent trigger installation and maybe new sights on another 1911. I can but better quality and new in the box guns and still have enough left to pay a range fees, feed it for an hour or two, and take the wife and kid to a decent dinner on the town (tax, tip, and a good glass of scotch included).
Junk guns. Unreasonable pricing for worn out rusted, busted, crapola. Not to mention the process. Who’s getting rich on government surplus?
I agree with the previous posts, and will not be jumping through all of the little hoops, and paying about 2x what they are worth (to me).
Three cheers to those that want them and are willing to pay the price and deal with the unreasonable process. I get email from the CMP, so it will be interesting to see if they sell out their first batch of 8000. We will know in a month.
Unfortunately, gone are the days of reasonably priced surplus firearms from the DCM, now CMP. Talladega marksmanship palaces aren’t cheap, and need to be funded somehow.
Why did the CMP not offer the whole lot of 10000? Waiting to see the results of the first offering? Looking ahead for a possible price adjustment?
Any ideas on this?
““While the National Defense Authorization Act granted transfer of a maximum of 10,000 1911s per year to the CMP, the Secretary of the Army allowed only 8,000 1911s to be transferred to the CMP for sale and distribution this fiscal year,” said the CMP’s Mark Johnson.” – from the article link above, also note prior CMP 1911 discussions floating around.
These pistols are way overpriced!
Or… you could go down to your local gun shop and pick up a brand new Springfield loaded model. It will be way more accurate and cost you less money then what CMP is offering.
I’ll pass on one of these rattletraps. I’d rather have a new Springfield armory milspec.
$850 for a rust bucket, worn out 1911? Not a chance, they can keep them.