For those who like/collect US MILSURP M1911A1s

"On Wednesday, November 25, the President signed S. 1356, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 into law. "

"Rounding out the list of provisions is section 1087, which restores authorization to the Secretary of Defense to transfer to the Civilian Marksmanship Program surplus M1911 and M1911A1 .45 ACP pistols for sale to the public."

There's no firm timeline for this to happen and details are yet to be worked out, but there are somewhere between 100,000 and 300,000 of these pistols potentially to be transferred and I've seen a number of about 10,000 per year potentially to be made available. More rare ones will go for auction but the remainder are expected to be sold per normal CMP sales procedures.

If you are eligible or can become eligible to purchase through CMP, this is a great way to obtain a historically important handgun that will still be fully functional.

 

Depending on the price, I will probably pick one up for the historical value. I'm sure there are some in great shape, but the ones our unit still had in inventory in the late 80s were quite wore out and in need of work. If I get one I'll keep it as is and not try to make it anything other than what it is.

 

I plan on grabbing two, if possible. One for me and one for my son. The ones I carried in the late 70's and early 80's were a mixed bag. Some had so much slide and barrel slop you could barely qualify with them. Others, though, were in pretty decent shape. I've got a '45 Remington Rand in excellent condition. I hope to grab a Colt or an Ithaca from CMP.