The CMP Is Back In The 1911 Sales Game

Most shooters around the country who have heard of the Civilian Marksmanship Program—formerly the Director of Civilian Marksmanship or DCM and the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice—probably knew of CMP’s sales program for M1 Garand rifles.

But fewer may be aware that CMP also sells M1911A1 pistols. Sales began in 2018, were halted in 2021, and have resumed this year.

More than 2.5 million M1911s were purchased by Uncle Sam from Colt and a wide variety of secondary manufacturers during wartime. Production of U.S. M1911s ended in 1945, and war-used pistols were rebuilt and refinished by government arsenals after each conflict so they’d be ready for the next one.

CMP has received 10,000 M1911A1 pistols long in storage from the Dept. of the Army. Of these, 98 percent are “mix-masters”—meaning slides, frames and other parts are mixed; almost all may have commercial parts. Upon receiving a batch, the CMP sorts them by condition into five grades, and prices them at fair market value as defined by CMP’s enabling legislation.

Offerings

For general sale, the best one, Service Grade, costs $1,300. According to the CMP, this grade of pistol “may exhibit minor pitting and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition. Pistols may contain commercial parts.”

• Field Grade guns ($1,200) are listed as those that may have “minor rust, pitting, and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.”
• Range Grade pistols ($1,150) are shooters, not collectibles, because they’ve all been modified in some way, and they may have commercial parts. As such, no two Range Grade guns are alike, and modifications could include many popular late 20th century modifications. This grade is currently sold out.
• The lowest grade is Rack Grade ($1,100). These guns will have rust, pitting and wear, and the grips may not be whole or have cracks. You’ll have to do some work to restore it to as-issued condition, but it will be functional.

CMP also has auction pistols, and you can visit the organizations’s auction web page for information on those. And last but certainly not least, CMP offers brand new Turkish-built Tisas 1911s for $459.

All CMP 1911 sales are online now at TheCMP.org, and there are a few hoops to jump through. After filling out the online form you have to provide the following:

• Proof of U.S. citizenship—birth certificate, passport, proof of naturalization or an official government document that shows U.S. birth or states that you’re a citizen. Driver’s licenses are no longer accepted for this particular requirement.
• Proof of age. If not covered by the documents above, a driver’s license is acceptable.
• Proof of membership in a CMP-affiliated club. There are many in every state, and CMP offers a finder on its website. If the club doesn’t issue membership cards, there’s a certification form you can fill out. There are also special affiliates that can qualify you as well. See CMP’s website for those details.
• Proof of participation in a marksmanship activity. There are many ways to satisfy this requirement. Again, see the CMP website.
• A copy of your current driver’s license.

Your 1911 must be sent to a current FFL dealer for local completion in 49 states. Only Massachusetts disallows sales of these pistols currently, and the CMP can’t ship to U.S. territories. The FBI will perform an initial NICS background check to clear the shipment of your gun, and you’ll still have to fill out a Form 4473 in person at your chosen FFL once the gun arrives.

Orders are filled in order received. Once your number comes up, CMP will contact you to select the pistol’s grade and arrange payment. You can only select from the grades available at that time. If you decline the selection available, you’ll have to apply again. You’ll have five days to submit payment and a copy of your local FFL once notified.

Back in 2020, I managed to get into the last round of the original CMP M1911 sales. I was hoping for a higher grade, but only Rack Grades were available when my number was called. I bit, since the price was substantially less than the going rate for similar GI 1911s online. If it needed parts, they would be readily available.

When it comes to the actual gun, it’s all luck of the draw, and I lucked out. CMP sent a 1943-made Remington Rand with slide, frame and most of its unique parts intact.

It Has Character

The finish is quite thin, giving the pistol some flavor. More recently it was given a new barrel and magazine identified by its long, contemporary part numbers. As per the CMP classification, the pistol does exhibit pitting here and there, as well as the nicks and dings associated with a well-used war weapon. Happily, it required nothing more than the clean-and-oil I give all new guns.

Remington Rand was a maker of typewriters and business machines; it wasn’t affiliated with Remington Arms. The hammer, trigger and mainspring housing are still Remington Rand, and putting on the magnifiers, I could see what appear to be twin Lend-Lease marks struck out on the right side of the frame. That means this pistol went to Britain.

It also went to Rock Island Arsenal, and has its faint crossed-cannons mark. The left side of the frame bears the mark “FJA” for Army inspector Col. Frank J. Atwood and “AA” for Augusta Arsenal, so it saw attention at two arsenals tasked with rebuilding war arms.

I’ve shot a few boxes through it, and accuracy is fine, with 25-yard groups in the three- to four-inch range. The trigger pull is reasonably crisp and breaks at 5.75 pounds. I find the small safety tab fumble free in operation, and it had been changed during one of the rebuilds. This is a “shoot on Sunday” fun gun, and over 250 or more rounds it has proven utterly reliable. More potential treasures await at CMP for those who are interested.

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