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52 S.W.A.T. DECEMBER 2003 www.swatmag.com

Since 1986, the pistol carried forDirect Action Missions and carriedsolelyby the Marines and Sailors of

the Force Reconnaissance Companiesand Special Operations Training GroupInstructors, has been the Pistol, Caliber.45, MEU (SOC) (1005-01-370-7353). Built

by the MOS 2112 Match armorers at the

Precision Weapons Section (PWS, for-merly the Rifle Team Equipment Shop) atQuantico, Virginia, the MEU (SOC) hasgenerated of late a fair amount of interestamong the shooting public, and pro-pelled the gun to a somewhat mythicalstatus.

The reality is that while the MEU(SOC) is an excellent pistol for the shoot-ers in the Force Reconnaissance commu-nity, it is seventeen years old, and a lot oftechnology has changed since its incep-tion.

Chief among these is the fact that thereis a requirement for a weapon mountedwhite light, and the current MEU (SOC)

pistolusing in-house GI framesdoesnot have an integral rail. While manypundits criticize weapon mounted lights(one calling it a flash in the panapparently his world is seen through anarrowly focused rose colored tint), theability to identify a threat and to success-fully engage that threat in low/no light

situations requires a lightand aweapon mounted light solves a lot ofproblems (note that this doesnt precludecarrying a tertiary handheld light forspecific reasons). The SureFire 952 is onthe M4A1sit only makes sense to haveone on the secondary weapon too.

While there was a requirement in theForce community for a weapon mountedlight, Quantico would not sanction theonly light then available, the SureFire310R, claiming that the addition of acommon light upset the geometry of

the match parts. The PWS stated thatthis would cause barrel link failure onthe match quality drop-in Bar-Sto bar-

rels. The addition of a match quality bar-rel on a weapon that has no accuracystandard was always a questionablepractice, and many links failed withinthe first 500 roundslong before thelight was ever attached to the gun. Thiswas probably because of poor fitting, butthere may have been other causes.

The match pistol/custom gun phi-losophy was often a negative issue. Thetrigger would often deteriorate during awork up or deployment. Partssuch asthe barrel linkmight break. The recoilspring plug would often fail, possibly

because of the twenty-two pound recoilspring used. And once in the hands ofthe Platoon, there was no easy way to getanything fixed. PWS could only build asmall number of pistols each year. If agun went down, it was effectively lostfor the entire deployment. In a case

where disregarding directives was theonly way to keep guns running, deploy-ing platoons took the trusty and ubiqui-

EXCLUSIVE!

MARINES NEWBY PATRICK A. ROGERSFaces of the operators have been intentionally

blurred to protect their identities.

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S.W.A.T. DECEMBER 2003 53www.swatmag.com

tous Brownells catalog on float withthem. There were always one or twoMarines who knew enough about thepistol to change parts, and while theresults were not up to the standards of amatch armorer, they kept the guns run-ning.

In 1998, the C.O. of 1st Force, (then) Lt.

Col. Robert Coates, requested that theMEU (SOC) pistol be upgraded, toinclude internal parts built to higherstandards, having an integral MilStd1913 rail, and eliminating the match bar-rel. The thought was that the pistol couldthen be maintained at the Companylevel, rather than having to send it toQuantico (and thus lost forever to thesystem). That is, it could be worked on

by an MOS 2111 (Small Arms Repairer),rather than the 2112 (Match Armorer).

The head of the PWS at the time,

CWO5 Ken Davis (now retired) respond-ed favorably with a series of pistols uti-lizing the vast numbers of GI frames

already in Marine Corps hands (reliablyreported to be over 10,000), but with eachgroup of pistols using internal parts froma different manufacturer. These pistolswere brought to Camp PendletonsRange 130, and tests were conductedusing a Force Reconnaissance Platoonthen going through the Weapons and

Tactics Package. The pistols had theirtrigger pulls measured daily, were mag-nafluxed at intervals, and each shooterwas required to hand in a detailed ques-tionnaire regarding their observations,experiences and wishes.

PWS experimented with attaching aMilStd 1913 Rail to the dustcover ofexisting frames but, for a variety of rea-sons, was never completely successful.

A number of lights (and some verybulky and unnecessary Laser AimingModulesforced through political influ-

ence) were also tested. The SureFirelights (several models) were head andshoulders above the rest.

While good data was acquired andcontracts let for parts, PWS was stillunable to produce any pistols. Compet-ing projects, including the M40A3 andM82A3 systems, the Designated Marks-man Rifle (DMR) and Squad AdvancedMarksman Rifle (SAM), as well as sup-porting the Rifle and Pistol Teams (some-

thing that should be removed fromWeapons Training Bn and transferred toRecruiting Command) forced the MEU(SOC) pistol onto the back burner.

Eventually acknowledging that theycouldnt continue producing MEU(SOC) pistols, a Request for Proposal(RFP) was let for a commercial variantof the upgraded MEU (SOC) pistol. Asof this writing, the three contendershave pistols being tested at Quantico.This process is still a long way fromcompletion, and longer still to when the

pistols are delivered.When the Marine Corps Special Oper-ations Command Detachment 1 (Det 1)

PISTOL KIMBERS INTERIM CQB PISTOL

The Kimber ICQB Pistol.The grips are prototypeGunner Grips by RobSimonitch. The produc-tion run will be slightlydarker. The ICQB Pistolis uniquely marked witha Det 1 serial numberand USMC.

The Kimber is carried in aunique Safariland 6004-538-521 holster. This pistol stillwears the Pachmayr grips.

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MARINES NEW MCSOCOM PISTOL

stood up on March 3, 2003, it needed toacquire a large amount of unique andsophisticated equipment. There is a fairamount of latitude as to what can be

acquired within the constraints of mis-sion accomplishment. An example of thisis the fact that for only the second time inMarine Corps history, a knife was select-ed by, built for and issued to a specificMarine Corps unitthe Strider MCSOC-COM. The Marine Raiders of the SecondWorld War, from which the Det hastraced its lineage, were the first to have aknife made for them. This was the USMCStiletto, made by Camillus Cutlery, acopy of the Fairburn/Sykes FightingKnife, with 14,370 made. (The second

Raider Bn adopted the Collins #18 Bowieknifea commercial knife not madeespecially for them. Commonly calledthe Gung Ho knife, less than one thou-sand were issued.) The MCSOCCOM is afolder similar in appearance to, but tenpercent larger than the existing SnGknife. It is uniquely marked and num-

bered.When it came to pistols the Det, com-

manded by now Col. Robert Coates,knew exactly what it wantedtheimproved MEU (SOC). However, it was

apparent that none would be available inthe near term. The Marine Corps solu-tion was to suggest M9s, stating that they

would be able to support that pistol butno other.

This was unacceptable. Previous expe-rience with the M9 showed it to be sig-

nificantly less than desirable for theirmission requirements, specifically interms of durability, reliability, ergonom-ics and caliber.

To solve the problem a Special Opera-tions Forces Project Officer at Natick Sol-dier System Center, Jon Laplume, deter-mined that an urgent requirementexisted for an Interim CQB Pistol. It hadto be readily available, the manufacturerhad to be able to deliver it in an extreme-ly short time frame and the quality of thegun had to be sufficiently rugged to

stand up to a high round count underless than ideal conditions. The pistol wasnot meant to replace the MEU (SOC).Instead, it is intended to be an interimgun, used until such time as theimproved MEU (SOC) comes on line.However, considering the inability of theMarine Corps to provide sufficient MEU(SOC) Pistols to the Force Reconnais-sance Community, it had to be a gun thatthe shooters in the Det trusted sufficient-ly to take to war.

The left coast Marines who hone their

warriors skills at the SOTG range facili-ty have a close relationship with theLAPD SWAT cops. Los Angeles adop-

tion of a Kimber last year, and the satis-faction with the function and reliabilityof that pistol, led the Marines to consid-er looking at Kimber for a quick fix to a

long-term problem. Kimber of Americahad in its Classic Custom pistol a modelthat was similar to what was needed,though with some modifications. TheCommercial Off The Shelf (COTS) Clas-sic Custom was thus turned into a Mod-ified Commercial Off The Shelf item.Due to the Urgent and Compellingneed, and the relatively small number ofpistols required, Kimber was grantedSole Source Authorization to producethe pistol, known officially as the Inter-im Close Quarters Combat Pistol (ICQB

Pistol), but commonly as the MCSOC-COM Pistol.Chris Corino, the Law Enforcement

guy at Kimber, stepped up to the plateand worked with the Det to get thingsright. The cooperation was excellent, andKimber had the ability to respond torequests/questions immediately.

The Detachment Armorer is a 2112 andwas formerly in charge of the MEU(SOC) program at PWS. It is his responsi-

bility to keep the Detachments weaponsin good working order. He traveled to

the Kimber factory to ensure that therewere no unresolved issues between theparties. The result was that Kimber

On the line at Range 130, theKimber is getting put throughits paces during the Weaponsand Tactics Package.

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delivered the pistols to the Det in time forthe requisite training to begin.

The specifications for the Interim CQBpistol include the following:Modified 1911 pistol.No requirement for a suppressor.Series 1 pistol. No passive safety is

required.

The slide has front and rear serrations.(There are those who scoff at the frontserrations, but they apparently never dida press check with a weapon mountedlight. In other words, your requirementsmay not be the same as anothers).

Rear sights are Novak Lo Mount.Front sight is dovetailedsights have tri-

tium inserts.Standard length guide rod (we never saw

the need for the full length guide rod).Sights set for M1911 Ball at twenty-five

yards.

The magazine well is beveled.Flat Mainspring housing with lanyard

loop.High beavertail safety with memory pad.Ambidextrous thumb safety. (This is nec-

essary for a gun that may have to beissued to both right and left-hand domi-nant shooters.)

Standard magazine release.Pachmayr GM-45CS grips. (Note that this

has been superseded. The guns will befitted with the Gunner Grips provided byRob Simonitch/Strider Knives, in coyote

brown.)Exterior is manganese phosphate in

accordance with MIL-STD-171.Threshold requirement that a seven-shot

group will not exceed four inches attwenty-five yards with M1911 ball.

Trigger will be free of creep and 5 lbs. +/-1 lb. (That may seem a lot to the purists,

but generally speaking the lighter thetrigger pull the more finite the triggerlife.)

The pistol will withstand the firing of50,000 rounds without overhaul.

Markings will conform to MIL-STD 130,Identification of U.S. Property.The serial numbers will be unique to the

Det.Although much has been saidnegative

and positiveabout Metal Injected Metal(MIM) parts, they are a fact of life in theweapons (and other) industries. The ICQBPistol uses the standard Kimber MIM slidestop, thumb safety, grip safety, disconnec-tor, sear, hammer and strut.

The ICQB Pistol will use the excellentWilson 47 magazine. The Marines and

Sailors in Force have been using this maga-zine since 1986, and are completely satisfiedwith it.
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When the specifications were initiallysubmitted, Kimber was just getting intointegral rails. As there was the urgentand compelling need hanging over thecollective heads, and the fact that theKimber rail gun was relatively new, thedecision was made to forego somethingthat was relatively untested. The excel-

lent Dawson Precision Rail, well knownwithin the community, was substituted.There was already a track record withDawson, and confidence was high thatthe gun/rail interface would work.

This is known in the acquisitionprocess as getting something very goodinto the hands of the trigger-pullers now,rather than waiting for the perfect solu-tion that comes along too late to be ofany use.

The light chosen for the pistol is theSureFire Integrated Military Pistol Light,

a toughened and waterproof 6-volt light.Travis Mitchell and John Standridge, themilitary sales reps at SureFire were, asusual, on top of getting this light to theDet in record time. This light is currentlyavailable only to the U.S. military.

Having a pistol and light is uselesswithout a holster. The Safariland 6004holster is the standard tactical holster

throughout the military special opera-tions community, but Safariland did notmake a 6004 holster for this pistol/lightcombo. However, when told of theurgent requirement, Scott Carnahan atSafariland came through in one day withthe 6004-538-521 (for right-hand domi-nant shooters and the 522 for wrong-

hand shooters).The ICQB is marked Det 1 XXXXX

and U.S. Government Property USMCalong the right side of the frame.

So, what is the ICQB Pistol like toshoot? Deliveries were made in time toequip the Marines and Sailors of the Detduring their initial Weapons and TacticsPackage. The 1911 platform has beenaround in one form or another for a longtime, and there are no surprisesnorwere any expected. Shooters who hadpreviously used the MEU (SOC) had no

problem transitioning to the ICQB. Thosewho used only M9s previously had ashort learning curve. The shooters thengot down to the business of learning theskills necessary to kill people.

The ICQB Pistol is unremarkable inthat it works. It meets the criteria setforth when selecting an ICQB Pistol, andis free from any vices.

The only problems thus far experi-enced were with two pistols that hadextraction/ejection issues. The MarineCorps normally uses seven-round W/Rmagazines for the MEU (SOC) pistols.However, there are a number of eight-round W/R magazines in the system.These pistols would not function reliably

with these eight-round magazines, butwhen seven-rounders were substituted,the guns worked fine. Go figure.

We ran no accuracy tests from a rest, asthat may not be a true representation ofpractical accuracy. The Det chose not toset an unrealistic accuracy standard, asthat generally equals decreased reliabili-ty. Having said that, they possess morethan sufficient practical accuracy to func-tion within the constraints of the missionrequirements. The Kimber ICQB is agood pistol. It is dependable, shoots well,

was delivered on time and meets themission requirements for the Det.

Kimber has cataloged this pistol as theMCP-1. It is not currently available forpublic sales due to the lack of a passivesafety.

When training to be a rock hard pro-fessional, the tools needed to successfullycomplete that job need to be compatible

When the Detachment wasattempting to lock on the per-sonnel and equipment neces-

sary to make it a going concern, the

problem of pistols was just one of manyacquisition issues.Marine Corps Systems Command sent

fifty SpringfieldArmory Profes-sional Model pis-tols to the Det asa stopgap meas-ure. The trainingschedule had to

be executed, andcomplete train-ing could not beaccomplished inan organized

fashion withoutthe pistols.Everyone want-ed to make surethat somethingviable was in theshooters hands.

The Spring-field Armory

Professional Model is the same .45 usedby the FBI Regional SWAT teams forseveral years now, and had been previ-ously tested by 1st Force Reconnaissance

Company in the late 90s. The Bureauwanted a solid performing pistol thatwas held to a very high accuracy stan-

dardtoo high in the minds of many inboth the building and operational end ofthe spectrum. SA met the accuracyrequirement, and with the usual teethingpains associated with any new system,put a reliable pistol into the hands ofthose assigned to SWAT.

The SA pistols received by the Det dif-fered in only two aspects from theBureau gunsa lanyard loop wasadded to the Smith and Alexander mag-azine well, and tritium sights were delet-

ed. This lanyard loop aids in retention ofthe pistola secondary weaponandcan be construed as a good thing. TheGem-Tech TRL provides a method ofconnecting the pistol to the shooter, butprovides a break away to add a measureof safety.

The Professional Model was receivedwithout any input from the Det, and soarrived with something superfluousthe mag wellbut with the Pachmayrgrips used on the MEU (SOC) Pistol. Ithad no tritium sights, something

required on the Improved MEU (SOC)Pistol, but its major omission was theinability to mount a weapon mounted

SPRINGFIELD ARMORYS PROFESSIONAL

The Springfield Armory Professional Model. Note the lanyardloop in the mag well.

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with the user and mission requirements.The man/weapon interface needs to becomplete. Training to meet the standardsrequired to kill an enemy in close combatrequires weapons that are ergonomicallymatched, capable of working in anyenvironment and using a cartridge that isconsistent with the mission.

Remember, though, that the purposeof this pistol is to give the shooter aneasy to use short range weapon in theevent that the primary weapontheM4A1 Carbinegoes down. It is a sec-ondary weapon, and analogous to areserve parachute.

Those associated with this acquisitionwere gratified by the favorable and rapidresponse and cooperation of all of thevendors involve. Everyone went theextra mile to ensure that the shootersreceived what was needed when they

needed it. This cooperation seems to begrowingthose commercial vendorswho participated in the Protective Com-ba t Un ifor m (P CU) proj ec t, th oseinvolved in the FSBE 2 and others have aclear understanding that supportingthose who bring the fight to the enemyhelps all of us.

The original MEU (SOC) Pistol

answered all mission requirements andmore, but needed to be refreshed withmore modern parts and maintainabledown to the user level. Additionally,there were never enough MEU (SOC)Pistols to equip all of the Marines andSailors in the Force ReconnaissanceCompanies. The time and money

(approximately $2000) to build each pis-tol conflicted with other PWS priorities.The manpower/focus of effort necessaryto keep a secondary weapon in the handsof the trigger pullers was not there.

The maker of the Improved MEU(SOC) is as yet to be determined, but theInterim CQB Pistol by Kimber is theproper solution at the right time.

As Col. Coates says The 1911 was thedesign given by God to us through JohnM. Browning that represents the epitomeof what a killing tool needs to be. It was

true in 1911 and it is true now.

SOURCES:KimberDept. S.W.A.T.One Lawton St.Yonkers, NY 10705(800) 880-4218www.kimberamerica.com

Dawson PrecisionDept. S.W.A.T.3585 CR 272 Suite 300Leander, TX 78641(866) 300-1911www.dawsonprecision.com

Safariland

Dept. S.W.A.T.3120 East Mission Blvd.Ontario, CA 91761(909) 923-7300www.safariland.com6004 Tactical Holster

Strider KnivesDept. S.W.A.T.120 N. Pacific St. Unit L7San Marcos, CA 92069(760) 471-8275www.striderknives.com

MCSOCCOM Knife

SureFireDept. S.W.A.T.18300 Mount Baldy CircleFountain Valley, CA 92708(800) 828-8809www.surefire.com

white light. The lack of the rail is a fatalflaw.

When the Company tested the origi-nal FBI gun, it was noted that theextremely tight frame to rail fit mighthave added some degree of intrinsicaccuracy, but that very tight fit alsomade the gun significantly less reliablewhen dirty.

The Bureaus reasoning for settingsuch a strict accuracy standard mystifiedmany not associated with the competi-

tive shooting games. Super match accu-racy is certainly not indicated in a gun-fight, especially when the tool used is apistol. While how well-trained anyone ismay be subject to a lot of chest thump-ing, the fact is that most pistol fights aremeasured in feetand not many ofthem at that. The average out of the boxanything will usually be more accuratethan the human shooting it and reliabili-ty is significantly more important thanshooting paper.

The pistols received by the Det were

pressed into service while awaiting thearrival of the Kimber ICQB. The pistolswere tightso tight that press checks

were difficult to accomplish. The thumbsafety was difficult to engage with thestrong side thumb. The barrel bushingcannot be removed without a wrench.

While the first two issues were moreor less resolved during the Weapons andTactics package, the pistol still needs atool for disassembly.

The pistol was relatively free frommalfunctions, but the only shooting wasdone on a square range. The mag wellcaused the most problems. While loved

by many competitive shooters, it madeseating the W/R magazines extremelydifficult. The magazines used by theMarine Corps use the .350 size buttpads, and while using a longer butt padwould solve that problem in the shortterm, it would be logistically difficult.The mag well is perceived as an unnec-essary addition.

For military use, the lack of a MilStd1913 rail, the addition of the unnecessarymag well and the overall tightnessmakes it viable only as a limited training

tool.The Professional Model Pistol is awell-built and very nice shooting pistol,

but more at home in the hands of aninvestigator than an operator. I wouldnt

be embarrassed to carry one (minus themag well of course) off campus, andthat, after all, is what it was designedfor.

While the Professional Model is agood gun, the Kimber met the specifica-tions of the Detachment for their use.The Force Reconnaissance Companiesare now experiencing a serious shortfallwith their MEU(SOC) Pistols. Testing,

contracting and issue was supposed tobe accomplished by August 2003. As thisis written, it is already mid August, andthe testing has not been completed. TheSA Professional Models have been"donated" to Force. Those fifty gunswon't come close to what is needed, butit is somethingand that is better thanwhat they are getting from the system.

[Pat Rogers is a retired Chief WarrantOfficer of Marines, and a retired NYPDSergeant. He has been a Rangemaster atGunsite since 1993, and is currently the

Owner of E.A.G. Inc, which provides servic-es to various governmental organizations.He can be reached at [email protected].]

MODEL A SUPPLEMENTAL PISTOL FOR MILITARY USE?
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