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

S
ince 1986, the pistol carried for
Direct Action Missions and carried
solely by the Marines and Sailors of
the Force Reconnaissance Companies
and Special Operations Training Group
Instructors, 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) at
Quantico, Virginia, the MEU (SOC) has
generated of late a fair amount of interest
among the shooting public, and pro-
pelled the gun to a somewhat mythical
status.
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 of
technology has changed since its incep-
tion.
Chief among these is the fact that there
is a requirement for a weapon mounted
white light, and the current MEU (SOC)
pistolusing in-house GI framesdoes
not have an integral rail. While many
pundits criticize weapon mounted lights
(one calling it a flash in the pan
apparently his world is seen through a
narrowly focused rose colored tint), the
ability to identify a threat and to success-
fully engage that threat in low/no light
situations requires a lightand a
weapon mounted light solves a lot of
problems (note that this doesnt preclude
carrying a tertiary handheld light for
specific reasons). The SureFire 952 is on
the M4A1sit only makes sense to have
one on the secondary weapon too.
While there was a requirement in the
Force community for a weapon mounted
light, Quantico would not sanction the
only light then available, the SureFire
310R, claiming that the addition of a
common light upset the geometry of
the match parts. The PWS stated that
this would cause barrel link failure on
the match quality drop-in Bar-Sto bar-
rels. The addition of a match quality bar-
rel on a weapon that has no accuracy
standard was always a questionable
practice, and many links failed within
the first 500 roundslong before the
light was ever attached to the gun. This
was probably because of poor fitting, but
there may have been other causes.
The match pistol/custom gun phi-
losophy was often a negative issue. The
trigger would often deteriorate during a
work up or deployment. Partssuch as
the barrel linkmight break. The recoil
spring plug would often fail, possibly
because of the twenty-two pound recoil
spring used. And once in the hands of
the Platoon, there was no easy way to get
anything fixed. PWS could only build a
small number of pistols each year. If a
gun went down, it was effectively lost
for the entire deployment. In a case
where disregarding directives was the
only way to keep guns running, deploy-
ing platoons took the trusty and ubiqui-
EXCLUSIVE!
MARINES NEW
BY PATRICK A. ROGERS
Faces of the operators have been intentionally
blurred to protect their identities.
S.W.A.T. DECEMBER 2003
53
www.swatmag.com
tous Brownells catalog on float with
them. There were always one or two
Marines who knew enough about the
pistol to change parts, and while the
results were not up to the standards of a
match armorer, they kept the guns run-
ning.
In 1998, the C.O. of 1st Force, (then) Lt.
Col. Robert Coates, requested that the
MEU (SOC) pistol be upgraded, to
include internal parts built to higher
standards, having an integral MilStd
1913 rail, and eliminating the match bar-
rel. The thought was that the pistol could
then be maintained at the Company
level, rather than having to send it to
Quantico (and thus lost forever to the
system). 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 (reliably
reported to be over 10,000), but with each
group of pistols using internal parts from
a different manufacturer. These pistols
were brought to Camp Pendletons
Range 130, and tests were conducted
using a Force Reconnaissance Platoon
then going through the Weapons and
Tactics Package. The pistols had their
trigger pulls measured daily, were mag-
nafluxed at intervals, and each shooter
was required to hand in a detailed ques-
tionnaire regarding their observations,
experiences and wishes.
PWS experimented with attaching a
MilStd 1913 Rail to the dustcover of
existing frames but, for a variety of rea-
sons, was never completely successful.
A number of lights (and some very
bulky and unnecessary Laser Aiming
Modulesforced through political influ-
ence) were also tested. The SureFire
lights (several models) were head and
shoulders above the rest.
While good data was acquired and
contracts let for parts, PWS was still
unable to produce any pistols. Compet-
ing projects, including the M40A3 and
M82A3 systems, the Designated Marks-
man Rifle (DMR) and Squad Advanced
Marksman Rifle (SAM), as well as sup-
porting the Rifle and Pistol Teams (some-
thing that should be removed from
Weapons Training Bn and transferred to
Recruiting Command) forced the MEU
(SOC) pistol onto the back burner.
Eventually acknowledging that they
couldnt continue producing MEU
(SOC) pistols, a Request for Proposal
(RFP) was let for a commercial variant
of the upgraded MEU (SOC) pistol. As
of this writing, the three contenders
have pistols being tested at Quantico.
This process is still a long way from
completion, 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 prototype
Gunner Grips by Rob
Simonitch. The produc-
tion run will be slightly
darker. The ICQB Pistol
is uniquely marked with
a Det 1 serial number
and USMC.
The Kimber is carried in a
unique Safariland 6004-538-
521 holster. This pistol still
wears the Pachmayr grips.
54
S.W.A.T. DECEMBER 2003 www.swatmag.com
MARINES NEW MCSOCOM PISTOL
stood up on March 3, 2003, it needed to
acquire a large amount of unique and
sophisticated equipment. There is a fair
amount of latitude as to what can be
acquired within the constraints of mis-
sion accomplishment. An example of this
is the fact that for only the second time in
Marine Corps history, a knife was select-
ed by, built for and issued to a specific
Marine Corps unitthe Strider MCSOC-
COM. The Marine Raiders of the Second
World War, from which the Det has
traced its lineage, were the first to have a
knife made for them. This was the USMC
Stiletto, made by Camillus Cutlery, a
copy of the Fairburn/Sykes Fighting
Knife, with 14,370 made. (The second
Raider Bn adopted the Collins #18 Bowie
knifea commercial knife not made
especially for them. Commonly called
the Gung Ho knife, less than one thou-
sand were issued.) The MCSOCCOM is a
folder similar in appearance to, but ten
percent larger than the existing SnG
knife. 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 wantedthe
improved MEU (SOC). However, it was
apparent that none would be available in
the near term. The Marine Corps solu-
tion was to suggest M9s, stating that they
would be able to support that pistol but
no other.
This was unacceptable. Previous expe-
rience with the M9 showed it to be sig-
nificantly less than desirable for their
mission requirements, specifically in
terms 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 requirement
existed for an Interim CQB Pistol. It had
to be readily available, the manufacturer
had to be able to deliver it in an extreme-
ly short time frame and the quality of the
gun had to be sufficiently rugged to
stand up to a high round count under
less than ideal conditions. The pistol was
not meant to replace the MEU (SOC).
Instead, it is intended to be an interim
gun, used until such time as the
improved MEU (SOC) comes on line.
However, considering the inability of the
Marine Corps to provide sufficient MEU
(SOC) Pistols to the Force Reconnais-
sance Community, it had to be a gun that
the 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 the
LAPD SWAT cops. Los Angeles adop-
tion of a Kimber last year, and the satis-
faction with the function and reliability
of that pistol, led the Marines to consid-
er looking at Kimber for a quick fix to a
long-term problem. Kimber of America
had in its Classic Custom pistol a model
that was similar to what was needed,
though with some modifications. The
Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) Clas-
sic Custom was thus turned into a Mod-
ified Commercial Off The Shelf item.
Due to the Urgent and Compelling
need, and the relatively small number of
pistols required, Kimber was granted
Sole Source Authorization to produce
the 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 plate
and worked with the Det to get things
right. The cooperation was excellent, and
Kimber had the ability to respond to
requests/questions immediately.
The Detachment Armorer is a 2112 and
was formerly in charge of the MEU
(SOC) program at PWS. It is his responsi-
bility to keep the Detachments weapons
in good working order. He traveled to
the Kimber factory to ensure that there
were no unresolved issues between the
parties. The result was that Kimber
On the line at Range 130, the
Kimber is getting put through
its paces during the Weapons
and Tactics Package.
Precision Metal
Precision Metal
Snap-Caps & Training Rounds
Snap-Caps & Training Rounds
The Safe Solution
for Law Enforcement!
Safe Firearms Training
Weapons Function Check
Teach Fast Loading Skills
Dry Fire with Safety
A-Zoom practice ammo outlasts
standard plastic snapcaps by over
20 times. Precision CNCmachined
from solid aluminum to exact size.
Hard anodized finish provides ultra
smooth functioning. Dead Cap
allows dry firing thousands of times.
"PATENTED"
Rifle Shotgun Pistol or
Revolver
For info contact Pachmayr division of Lyman Products
475 Smith Street, Middletown CT 06457
Phone: 800-423-9704 Fax: (860) 632-1699 www.pachmayr.com
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OVER 100
CALIBERS
MARINES NEW MCSOCOM PISTOL
S.W.A.T. DECEMBER 2003
55
www.swatmag.com
delivered the pistols to the Det in time for
the requisite training to begin.
The specifications for the Interim CQB
pistol 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 front
serrations, but they apparently never did
a press check with a weapon mounted
light. In other words, your requirements
may 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 be
issued 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 be
fitted with the Gunner Grips provided by
Rob 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 at
twenty-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 the
trigger pull the more finite the trigger
life.)
The pistol will withstand the firing of
50,000 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 the
weapons (and other) industries. The ICQB
Pistol uses the standard Kimber MIM slide
stop, thumb safety, grip safety, disconnec-
tor, sear, hammer and strut.
The ICQB Pistol will use the excellent
Wilson 47 magazine. The Marines and
Sailors in Force have been using this maga-
zine since 1986, and are completely satisfied
with it.
56
S.W.A.T. DECEMBER 2003 www.swatmag.com
MARINES NEW MCSOCOM PISTOL
When the specifications were initially
submitted, Kimber was just getting into
integral rails. As there was the urgent
and compelling need hanging over the
collective heads, and the fact that the
Kimber rail gun was relatively new, the
decision was made to forego something
that was relatively untested. The excel-
lent Dawson Precision Rail, well known
within the community, was substituted.
There was already a track record with
Dawson, and confidence was high that
the gun/rail interface would work.
This is known in the acquisition
process as getting something very good
into the hands of the trigger-pullers now,
rather than waiting for the perfect solu-
tion that comes along too late to be of
any use.
The light chosen for the pistol is the
SureFire Integrated Military Pistol Light,
a toughened and waterproof 6-volt light.
Travis Mitchell and John Standridge, the
military sales reps at SureFire were, as
usual, on top of getting this light to the
Det in record time. This light is currently
available only to the U.S. military.
Having a pistol and light is useless
without a holster. The Safariland 6004
holster is the standard tactical holster
throughout the military special opera-
tions community, but Safariland did not
make a 6004 holster for this pistol/light
combo. However, when told of the
urgent requirement, Scott Carnahan at
Safariland came through in one day with
the 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 USMC
along the right side of the frame.
So, what is the ICQB Pistol like to
shoot? Deliveries were made in time to
equip the Marines and Sailors of the Det
during their initial Weapons and Tactics
Package. The 1911 platform has been
around in one form or another for a long
time, and there are no surprisesnor
were any expected. Shooters who had
previously used the MEU (SOC) had no
problem transitioning to the ICQB. Those
who used only M9s previously had a
short learning curve. The shooters then
got down to the business of learning the
skills necessary to kill people.
The ICQB Pistol is unremarkable in
that it works. It meets the criteria set
forth when selecting an ICQB Pistol, and
is free from any vices.
The only problems thus far experi-
enced were with two pistols that had
extraction/ejection issues. The Marine
Corps normally uses seven-round W/R
magazines 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, but
when seven-rounders were substituted,
the guns worked fine. Go figure.
We ran no accuracy tests from a rest, as
that may not be a true representation of
practical accuracy. The Det chose not to
set an unrealistic accuracy standard, as
that generally equals decreased reliabili-
ty. Having said that, they possess more
than sufficient practical accuracy to func-
tion within the constraints of the mission
requirements. The Kimber ICQB is a
good pistol. It is dependable, shoots well,
was delivered on time and meets the
mission requirements for the Det.
Kimber has cataloged this pistol as the
MCP-1. It is not currently available for
public sales due to the lack of a passive
safety.
When training to be a rock hard pro-
fessional, the tools needed to successfully
complete that job need to be compatible
W
hen the Detachment was
attempting to lock on the per-
sonnel and equipment neces-
sary to make it a going concern, the
problem of pistols was just one of many
acquisition issues.
Marine Corps Systems Command sent
fifty Springfield
Armory Profes-
sional Model pis-
tols to the Det as
a stopgap meas-
ure. The training
schedule had to
be executed, and
complete train-
ing could not be
accomplished in
an organized
fashion without
the pistols.
Everyone want-
ed to make sure
that something
viable was in the
shooters hands.
The Spring-
field Armory
Professional Model is the same .45 used
by the FBI Regional SWAT teams for
several years now, and had been previ-
ously tested by 1st Force Reconnaissance
Company in the late 90s. The Bureau
wanted a solid performing pistol that
was held to a very high accuracy stan-
dardtoo high in the minds of many in
both the building and operational end of
the spectrum. SA met the accuracy
requirement, and with the usual teething
pains associated with any new system,
put a reliable pistol into the hands of
those assigned to SWAT.
The SApistols received by the Det dif-
fered in only two aspects from the
Bureau gunsa lanyard loop was
added to the Smith and Alexander mag-
azine well, and tritium sights were delet-
ed. This lanyard loop aids in retention of
the pistola secondary weaponand
can be construed as a good thing. The
Gem-Tech TRL provides a method of
connecting the pistol to the shooter, but
provides a break away to add a measure
of safety.
The Professional Model was received
without any input from the Det, and so
arrived with something superfluous
the mag wellbut with the Pachmayr
grips used on the MEU (SOC) Pistol. It
had no tritium sights, something
required on the Improved MEU (SOC)
Pistol, but its major omission was the
inability to mount a weapon mounted
SPRINGFIELD ARMORYS PROFESSIONAL
The Springfield Armory Professional Model. Note the lanyard
loop in the mag well.
MARINES NEW MCSOCOM PISTOL
S.W.A.T. DECEMBER 2003
57
www.swatmag.com
with the user and mission requirements.
The man/weapon interface needs to be
complete. Training to meet the standards
required to kill an enemy in close combat
requires weapons that are ergonomically
matched, capable of working in any
environment and using a cartridge that is
consistent with the mission.
Remember, though, that the purpose
of this pistol is to give the shooter an
easy to use short range weapon in the
event that the primary weaponthe
M4A1 Carbinegoes down. It is a sec-
ondary weapon, and analogous to a
reserve parachute.
Those associated with this acquisition
were gratified by the favorable and rapid
response and cooperation of all of the
vendors involve. Everyone went the
extra mile to ensure that the shooters
received what was needed when they
needed it. This cooperation seems to be
growingthose commercial vendors
who participated in the Protective Com-
bat Uniform (PCU) project, those
involved in the FSBE 2 and others have a
clear understanding that supporting
those who bring the fight to the enemy
helps all of us.
The original MEU (SOC) Pistol
answered all mission requirements and
more, but needed to be refreshed with
more modern parts and maintainable
down to the user level. Additionally,
there were never enough MEU (SOC)
Pistols to equip all of the Marines and
Sailors in the Force Reconnaissance
Companies. The time and money
(approximately $2000) to build each pis-
tol conflicted with other PWS priorities.
The manpower/focus of effort necessary
to keep a secondary weapon in the hands
of the trigger pullers was not there.
The maker of the Improved MEU
(SOC) is as yet to be determined, but the
Interim CQB Pistol by Kimber is the
proper solution at the right time.
As Col. Coates says The 1911 was the
design given by God to us through John
M. Browning that represents the epitome
of what a killing tool needs to be. It was
true in 1911 and it is true now.
SOURCES:
Kimber
Dept. S.W.A.T.
One Lawton St.
Yonkers, NY 10705
(800) 880-4218
www.kimberamerica.com
Dawson Precision
Dept. S.W.A.T.
3585 CR 272 Suite 300
Leander, TX 78641
(866) 300-1911
www.dawsonprecision.com
Safariland
Dept. S.W.A.T.
3120 East Mission Blvd.
Ontario, CA91761
(909) 923-7300
www.safariland.com
6004 Tactical Holster
Strider Knives
Dept. S.W.A.T.
120 N. Pacific St. Unit L7
San Marcos, CA92069
(760) 471-8275
www.striderknives.com
MCSOCCOM Knife
SureFire
Dept. S.W.A.T.
18300 Mount Baldy Circle
Fountain Valley, CA92708
(800) 828-8809
www.surefire.com
white light. The lack of the rail is a fatal
flaw.
When the Company tested the origi-
nal FBI gun, it was noted that the
extremely tight frame to rail fit might
have added some degree of intrinsic
accuracy, but that very tight fit also
made the gun significantly less reliable
when dirty.
The Bureaus reasoning for setting
such a strict accuracy standard mystified
many 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 a
pistol. While how well-trained anyone is
may be subject to a lot of chest thump-
ing, the fact is that most pistol fights are
measured in feetand not many of
them at that. The average out of the box
anything will usually be more accurate
than the human shooting it and reliabili-
ty is significantly more important than
shooting paper.
The pistols received by the Det were
pressed into service while awaiting the
arrival of the Kimber ICQB. The pistols
were tightso tight that press checks
were difficult to accomplish. The thumb
safety was difficult to engage with the
strong side thumb. The barrel bushing
cannot be removed without a wrench.
While the first two issues were more
or less resolved during the Weapons and
Tactics package, the pistol still needs a
tool for disassembly.
The pistol was relatively free from
malfunctions, but the only shooting was
done on a square range. The mag well
caused the most problems. While loved
by many competitive shooters, it made
seating the W/R magazines extremely
difficult. The magazines used by the
Marine Corps use the .350 size butt
pads, and while using a longer butt pad
would solve that problem in the short
term, it would be logistically difficult.
The mag well is perceived as an unnec-
essary addition.
For military use, the lack of a MilStd
1913 rail, the addition of the unnecessary
mag well and the overall tightness
makes it viable only as a limited training
tool.
The Professional Model Pistol is a
well-built and very nice shooting pistol,
but more at home in the hands of an
investigator than an operator. I wouldnt
be embarrassed to carry one (minus the
mag well of course) off campus, and
that, after all, is what it was designed
for.
While the Professional Model is a
good gun, the Kimber met the specifica-
tions of the Detachment for their use.
The Force Reconnaissance Companies
are now experiencing a serious shortfall
with their MEU(SOC) Pistols. Testing,
contracting and issue was supposed to
be accomplished by August 2003. As this
is written, it is already mid August, and
the testing has not been completed. The
SA Professional Models have been
"donated" to Force. Those fifty guns
won't come close to what is needed, but
it is somethingand that is better than
what they are getting from the system.
[Pat Rogers is a retired Chief Warrant
Officer of Marines, and a retired NYPD
Sergeant. He has been a Rangemaster at
Gunsite 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 patrogers3@juno.com.]
MODEL
A SUPPLEMENTAL PISTOL FOR MILITARY USE?