It's official. Barb Hamby of Marine Corps System Command tells us, "After a detailed and thorough source selection, a contract was awarded last night."
In an email to Marine Corps Times this morning, MARCORSYSCOM says, "Colt Defense LLC, West Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $22,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract July 18, 2012 for production, delivery and logistical support of the Close Quarter Battle Pistol. Work will be performed in West Hartford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by July 2017. No contract funds will expire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition with three offers received. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity."
This confirms what my source at Colt told me this morning. The company made an internal announcement this morning congratulating the team for winning the MARSCOC Close Quarter Battle Pistol contract.
In an effort to get more details on the contract, we've been digging through the recently posted government contracts and can't find anything, though. Contentious contracts are sometimes announced quietly late on a Friday in an attempt to jumpstart the protest clock. So, the decision has been made and the parties notified, though the contract hasn't been made public just yet. We expect the contract to post within 24 hours of signing, so that should be tonight.(Here's the announcement. It posted this afternoon.) But, With MARCORSYSCOM going on the record, it's a done deal. Well done, Colt.
Piggybacking on a few things we previously reported about the winning pistol, we've just learned Colt developed a dual recoil system for the CQBP that's based on the recoil system found in their 10mm models. The modification was made to reduce stresses on the frame and slide and enable the pistol to complete the Corps' required shooting schedule. The .45 caliber pistol also has a series 80 firing pin safety, is entirely Cerakoted tan and has a lanyard loop and night sights. more
The original solicitation outlines some of the features the Corps stipulated, such as a single-stack, 7+ round magazine, drop in parts replacement and accuracy guidelines. It remains to be seen how many of these items made it into the requirements document and the actual pistol, however.
The Close Quarter Battle Pistol is modeled after earlier versions of the semi-automatic 1911 pistol used since the 1980s by Force Reconnaissance units. The contract is for 400 to 12,000 pistols as part of a contract worth up to $22.5 million, according to Marine Corps Systems Command. That means the price per pistol is $1,875. Sources tell us the Marine Corps is ordering 4000 pistols.
Background:
Colt Defense of Hartford, Conn., and Springfield Armory of Geneseo, Ill., sent samples of their latest 1911 pistols to acquisition officers in the fall of 2010, company officials said Jan. 18, 2011 during the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show and Conference, known as SHOT Show, in Las Vegas.
Earlier versions of the pistol were called the MEU (SOC) pistol, short for Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable). Weapons experts at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., have hand-assembled 1911 pistols chambered for .45-caliber Automatic Colt Pistol ammo for years, fielding them primarily to Force Recon and Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.
With both communities growing, however, the Corps has sought out an off-the-shelf option.
Force Recon was brought back in 2008 after a two-year hiatus designed to help the Corps stand up and round out MARSOC. The Corps' special operations command was activated in 2006, and is working to grow to about 2,700 personnel by 2014.
Colt tweaked its 01070RG M1911A1 Rail Gun pistol and sent 10 prototypes to Quantico in the fall of 2010, said Greg Rozon, a product development engineering manager at Colt.
The civilian 1911 rail gun usually has a stainless or carbon steel finish and rosewood grips, but Colt's prototypes for the Corps have a desert-color Cercoat finish, eliminating glare on the weapon and making it less identifiable at a distance. As the name suggests, this model has a section of 1913 Picatinny rail under the barrel to mount accessories such as a light or laser aiming device. They also have more stainless steel internal components to reduce corrosion. They're equipped with a tritium night sight made by Novak of Parkersburg, W.Va..
Springfield Armory sent the Corps six copies of its PX9105ML pistol for evaluation, said Larry Collinson, a production manager with the company. The company calls it the Full-Sized MC Operator, with the "MC" standing for Marine Corps. The pistol has a black slide with a green frame. It also includes tritium night sights and has been sold to the Corps in small quantities before. The Corps also has bought Springfield Armory 1911 slides in the past to use on pistols assembled at Quantico, Collinson said.
Thanks to James Sanborn and Dan Lamothe from Marine Corps Times for helping put the pieces together.
