Civilian Marksmanship Program 1911 (courtesy grandthumbblog.com)
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Mark Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of the Civilian Marksmanship Program writes:

To all CMP constituents: The CMP Board of Directors has discussed at length how the sales of 1911s would be handled, if the CMP were to ever receive them from the United States Army. Some preliminary decisions:

Decisions concerning the grade and pricing of the 1911s will not be made until inspection has occurred of a substantial quantity which will take an estimated 150 days post receipt. All laws pertaining to the sale of 1911s by CMP will be strictly obeyed. Potential purchasers will have to provide to CMP a new set of documents exhibiting:

1) proof of U.S. Citizenship,
2) proof of membership in a CMP affiliated club,
3) proof of participation in a marksmanship activity,
4) a new form 2A with notary,
5) successful completion of a NICS background check,
6) a signed copy of the 01 Federal Firearms License in which the 1911 will be transferred to.

– The CMP customer will be required to complete a form 4473 in person and successfully complete another NICS check by the recipient FFL holder before the pistol can be transferred.
– Qualified CMP customer will only be allowed to purchase one 1911 per calendar year.
– No 1911s available in the CMP stores, or on line, only mail order sales.
– CMP will set the date in which it will accept orders for the 1911s. The date will be posted to the world.
– Orders will only be accepted via mail order delivery.
– Orders will only be accepted post marked on the date or after, no early orders.
– Once CMP receives 10,000 orders, customer names will be loaded into the Random Number Generator.
– The Random Number Generator will provide a list of names in sequence order through a random picking process to CMP.
– Customers will be contacted in the sequence provided by the Random Number Generator.
– When the customer is contacted a list of 1911 grades and pricing options that are available will be offered for selection of one.
– As CMP proceeds down the sequenced list less grade and pricing options will be available. Again, this done completely random.

Mark Johnson
Chief Operating Officer
Civilian Marksmanship Program
www.thecmp.org

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59 COMMENTS

  1. Well this is dumb. So I can get a C&R 1911 shipped to me except from CMP? Ok… Pass.

    I already have my WWI era US Army Colt 1911. Don’t need another one.

  2. I’ve considered this before but unfortunately all the CMP affiliated places within a rational distance of me are either high school JROTC, clubs that have a long waiting list (years) or clubs that have exorbitant fees.

    In most cases it would be cheaper to just go to a gun store and buy a Garande and a 1911.

    • The Garand Collectors Association has a $25 membership fee, and they’ll even automatically submit your proof of membership to the CMP. I mean, i know everyone has different income levels, and I’ve certainly spent a lot of my life waaaaay down on the lower end of that spectrum…. but is $25 really “exorbitant” to you? I would assume you’ve just not heard of the GCA, except for the fact that its easily the #1 result when searching for which CMP-affiliated organization to join for CMP eligibility.

    • Same here. No CMP affiliates anywhere near me except high school JROTC and maybe an exclusive shooting clubs a few miles away. Guess I might wait to get one off Gunbroker when these guys sell theirs for a premium.

  3. I agree with that. Why would anyone jump through so many hoops. May as well buy a nice 1911 at a store. And mandating that you be affiliated with a club will prohibit many shooters who should be allowed to buy one.

    • The basis of the Civilian MARKSMANSHIP Program is to advance civilian MARKSMANSHIP. The standard of organization membership has existing for a very long time and required to purchase any of the DOD surplus weapons which are sold to civilians for the purposed of advancing civilian MARKSMANSHIP.

      You could make a great case that Appleseed does 10x as much to actually advance civilian MARKSMANSHIP but CMP is yet another long running Fed program.

      • Appleseed does do a lot for marksmanship, teaching the basics.

        But once you’ve learned, how will you practice?

        Maybe by shooting a CMP match after getting a participation form to send into the CMP that your Appleseed instructor was happy to give you?

        Ever notice how the Appleseed course of fire is pretty similar to the usual CMP Garand matches?

        There’s a path, there. It’s kind of on purpose.

      • Last I remember, if you qualify as a rifleman at an Appleseed event, you can become a member of the RWVA for a nominal fee which qualifies you for the CMP. But don’t quote me on that. Do your own research to confirm.

  4. Welcome to the world of ineffective government bureaucracy. They’ve had this military surplus in storage, on the taxpayers dime, for the longest time (30 years?) and I KNEW they would do something like this. Regardless of how much I hated him, Obama wanted these damn things destroyed and I can see why. It’d be easier, cheaper, safer, and better to just pick something off the rack at your local sporting goods outlet.

    • Really, your whining includes a pat on the back for the Kenyan Eunuch? Barry just wanted to destroy these/any firearms and the POS was stopped.

    • I’m FAIRLY certain that Obama didn’t want these destroyed so that people who would otherwise purchase one will instead buy a new handgun at a store.

  5. Each to their own, but I’m not feeling a lot of interest for this one. Good quality 1911’s can be had anywhere, new and used. Probably for not a whole lot more than these will go for. I get the historical/collector angle, but it’s not something that grabs me personally. Again, each to their own.

  6. As much as I may like to buy a gun. There are no affiliated clubs it seems in Florida. I searched their web sight last night and it came back blank for 150 miles of where I live.

    • Well, that let’s me out. Just getting used to my .22 plinker, and a surplus 1911 that would shoot .22 would be great.

      Guess I’ll wait until I grow into a 9mm.

  7. I’m kind of on the fence about this.

    If I could get the one my stepfather carried, sure, absolutely. But the chances of that are slim to none. So is having a piece of history, but not his piece, worth it? I’m leaning towards no.

    Which if the point is to keep a list on demand, I suppose it’s working.

  8. If I could get one that my Dad, Granddad, or Uncle carried, sure, but they never made note of the serial number. With so many good modern 1911 variations available from Smith, Kimber, and Sig, why bother with an overpriced loose gun with poor sights?

  9. I think the big factor here is going to be pricing. I’ve read up on it and heard that they will have some very nice, historically significant and highly collectible stuff, down to heavily used and worn stuff. I read somewhere though that pricing would START at $1000, which would cause me to agree with most that they just arent worth it over a modern gun you can buy off the shelf. I think if they can get the price around $500-600 for a “field” or “service” grade that would be a lot more appealing. But I think what attracts a lot of people to these is the historical pedigree they have. Actual US military issue sidearms in one of the most iconic, and American, pistol designs of all time will be a big selling point for many. I’m sure even the rattletraps would sell out quickly, even if they’re priced at $1000.

    • I heard the same thing from an article quoting some guy from CMP, maybe this Mark guy. They didn’t want them going for cheap (aka market price) because they don’t want them showing up in crimes (which a lot of cheap guns do, but probably not ones someone jumped through a bunch of damn hoops for).

      Part of the point of the CMP was to provide firearms so civilians could work on marksmanship. If you’re having to buy a gun from the program, it will need to be a cheap one.

  10. I will definitely be in line in that first 10000. I wish I could buy two. But I will buy the best quality I can on the first one and refurbish it to the best of my ability. It will then go in the original holster and belt my uncle brought back from the Korean War. And then I will hope that he would accept it as a gift.

  11. You gotta want one of those clapped-out .45s really bad to go through all that horseshit!

    We taxpayers ( or our parents and grandparents) paid for those things through their tax dollars. Why shouldn’t anyone with a valid carry permit just be able to get a shot at one without jumping through all those hoops? In the end, all the FFLs will buy them and sell them for 10 times more than their value.

    • I don’t have a range close to me that’s affiliated.
      BTW, had a great time in Oregon for the eclipse. The traffic jam was horrendous after though.
      Here’s a short video of the spot I picked out
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKVzwdg_qqU
      This was south of Long Creek, OR along 395 and north of Mount Vernon in the Malheur National Forest.

  12. Damn, that’s as bad as standing in line. Ain’t happening. I’ll jump through hoops, but I won’t jump through that many for a 1911.

  13. After WWII my Dad bough a Springfield 1903A3 from the CMP through the NRA. Costs… $5.00 He has it Sporterized by a gunsmith in Missoula, Montana and put on a fine Bishop American Walnut stock, all for $35.00. The peep sight is a wonderful sight. To this day it is one of the most accurate guns in my collection.

  14. I don’t care if or how well it shoots.

    Its history I can put in my kids and grandkids hands to bring a story to life.
    I want one, but I’m not greedy. The problem will be like the Garands, gun stores paying people to buy them up and then hoard them for a later markup to people who don’t know about or don’t want to deal with the CMP route.

    No matter how, I’ll just be glad to get them out there instead of rotting in warehouses not being owned by citizens.

  15. You gotta want one of those clapped-out .45s really bad to go through all that horseshit!

    We taxpayers ( or our parents and grandparents) paid for those things through their tax dollars. Why shouldn’t anyone with a valid carry permit just be able to get a shot at one without jumping through all those hoops? In the end, all the FFLs will buy them and sell them for 10 times more than their value.

  16. Eh I’ve already got a “transition model” 1911 from my grandfather with military property and serial number on the side. I won’t be buying one but it’ll be nice for people to be able to get them just for the historical value.

  17. I’d honestly get one but that seems like a shit ton of hoops to jump through to get one. I live in goddamn America and I should be able to just go buy it off the shelf.

  18. On the bright side, it seems like acquiring one is such a pain in the ass that they might still be available to buy should I decide later on that it’s worth the trouble.

  19. How does one meet the “marksmanship” requirement on that list? It appears to be a requirement separate from membership in an affiliated club.

    • They have a list of qualifiers on their website. I think a hunters education course certificate or a concealed carry license qualify.

  20. Will someone please tell me what the “Form 2A” is?
    I’ve tried looking around, and haven’t been able to figure it out.

  21. I have a nice Remington-Rand from WWII I got from my gun shop. Didn’t have to jump through a ton of hoops, all the parts match & it isn’t a shot-out parts gun. Good to know they’re actually going to sell these, but it’s a damn shame that they’re making it too much of a hassle for most people.

  22. They ought to give you a couple of Ma Duces, a half dozen Bazooka’s, and a Sherman tank for all the crap they want you to go through. Talk about extreme “vetting”.

  23. guess you got to prove your bonifidies multiple times, then once more when you receive it!
    guess these Pistols are so Militarized and deadly that only 50 hoops, with multiple background checks have too be utilized. So why would I want one when I can go too gun shop buy a weapon with out the lottery angle and get my choice! Democrats have taken over the CMP so screw em.

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