Specifications of the MEU (SOC) Pistol
Primary function: Modified .45 caliber pistol
Builder: Specially trained armorers at the Rifle Team Equipment (RTE) Shop, MCB Quantico, Virginia
Length: 8.625 inches (21.91 centimeters)
Length of barrel: 5.03 inches (12.78 centimeters)
Weight:
Magazine empty: 2.5 pounds (1.14 kilograms)
Magazine loaded: 3.0 pounds (1.36 kilograms)
Bore diameter: .45 caliber
Maximum effective range: 164 feet (50 meters) for specially-trained user
Muzzle velocity: 830 feet/252 meters/second
Magazine capacity: 7 rounds
Unit Replacement Cost: $600
Features: This weapon is a modified M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol sometimes referred to as "near match" or "combat accuratized."
The MEU(SOC) Pistol is the designated "backup weapon" of Marines armed with the 9mm MP5-N Close Quarters Battle
weapon. The M1911A1 was chosen for this role (and its modifications generated) because of its inherent reliability and lethality,
and because the MEU(SOC) modifications make the M1911A1 design more "user friendly."
The unique characteristics of the MEU(SOC) pistol are: commercial/competition grade ambidextrous safety, precision barrel,
precise trigger, and rubber coated grips, rounded hammer spur, high profile combat sights, and an extra-wide grip safety for
increased comfort and controllability (which aids in a quick follow-up second shot). The issue magazines are replaced with
stainless steel competition-grade magazines with rounded plastic follower and extended floor plate.
Inventory: 500
Background: The weapon modifications were designed in 1986 to meet the requirements of the MEU(SOC). Each pistol is
hand-built by specially trained armorers at the Rifle Team Equipment (RTE) shop, Quantico, Virginia.
The USMC has almost a reverence for the old M1911 Colt .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Its stopping power is legendary: It
was designed to take down charging machete-wielding Filipino insurgents. The original M1911 was replced by the M1911A1 in
1925, and nearly all existing weapons in Federal armories were upgraded to the new configuration. After that, the Colt became
such a fixture that when the Department of Defense decided to issue the M9/92F in 1985, many Colt .45 users considered it just
short of treason. Despite the .45's reputation for kicking like a mule and having the accuracy of a blunderbuss, it was loved by
generations of American fighting men, particularly Marines. Thus, in 1986 there was general delight when the USMC decided to
bring back a special version of the Colt, the MEU (SOC) Pistol. The MEU (SOC) is a rebuilt and modified M1911A1 Colt .45,
issued as a backup weapon to reconnaissance units equipped with the MP-5N. It was selected over pistols for it's inherent
reliability and the greater lethality of the .45-caliber projectile, which weighs about twice as much as a 9mm bullet. Despite the
limited inventory of five hundred units maintained by the Corps, the almost spiritual attachment of Marines to the M1911A1
guarantees support for this weapon.
The MEU (SOC) pistols are manufactured from existing Colt M1911A1 .45-caliber pistols (there are thousands in storage). They
are rebuilt at Quantico by the armorers of Colonel Nance's Weapons Training Battalion. After each M1911A1 frame is stripped
and checked for structural soundness, the following modifications are made:
A commercial competition-grade ambidextrous safety.
A precision barrel and trigger assembly.
Extra wide, rubber-coated safety grips.
Rounded hammer spur.
High-profile combat sights.
Stainless-steel seven-round competition-grade magazines with a rounded plastic follower and an extended floor plate.
These improvements make the MEU (SOC) pistol more "user friendly." They also make the MEU (SOC) pistol one of the most
comfortable and accurate hand guns I have ever fired.
I was given the chance to fire one of the MEU (SOC) pistols at the same distance and target as the Beretta. I've fired my share of
.45-caliber pistols before, and the M1911A1 has always been a beast. Even with my size and weight, the M1911A1 always left
me bruised and battered, with little damage to the targets. The MEU (SOC) pistol is different. Using the same grip and sighting
technique as I used on the Beretta, I got a string of hits on my first magazine. A single-action trigger makes it smoother to fire than
the Beretta, and the reduced recoil is easy on even small-handed shooters.
Excerpted from Small Arms.
