I haven't heard about them going back to the 1911.
MEU Recon personnel have been carrying them since around 1985- first rebuilt WWII Colts, then Kimbers.
FBO DAILY ISSUE OF MARCH 19, 2010 FBO #3037
SOURCES SOUGHT
10 -- M45 MEUSOC Pistol
Notice Date 3/17/2010
Notice Type Sources Sought
NAICS 332994 — Small Arms Manufacturing
Contracting Office M67854 MARINE CORPS SYSTEMS COMMAND Quantico, VA
ZIP Code 00000
Solicitation Number M6785410R1064
Response Due 4/16/2010
Archive Date 4/19/2010
Point of Contact Erik Halverson, Contract Specialist
E-Mail Address
erik.halverson@usmc.mil
(erik.halverson@usmc.mil)
Small Business Set-Aside N/A
Description THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY AND YOUR RESPONSE IS NOT AN OFFER. THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION DOES NOT COMMIT THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY ANY COSTS INCURRED IN PREPARATION OF ANY SUBMISSION TO THIS MARKET SURVEY, OR TO CONTRACT FOR SERVICES. The Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM), Infantry Weapons Systems, Quantico, Virginia, is seeking feedback on the following: The Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) is seeking sources to replenish stocks and meet increased demand for its M45 MEUSOC pistol. There is an interest in a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) pistol. MCSC is also investigating moving to a full or partial Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) model. The pistol's operating environment is characterized by high usage in training, rough handling and environments on deployments, and limited access to repair and maintenance resources during high tempo operations. MCSC may procure up to 4,000 units, of which half will be in heavy use/deployed to combat theaters at any given time.MCSC may be interested in a pistol with the following draft characteristics: Semi-automatic,.45 ACP caliber. Single stack magazine must hold at least 7 rounds. It is desirable that the pistol function with the Marine Corps.45 ACP 7-round magazine (NSN 1005-01-373-2774) used in the current MEUSOC pistol. Pistol must have an accessory rail meeting MIL-STD-1913 specifications to mount accessories. It must have a grip safety and an ambidextrous manual safety which are operable by users wearing cold weather and NBC gloves. It has dull, non reflective surfaces and uses standard military colors. It must lock the slide or bolt to the rear after the last round in the magazine is fired. It has a beveled magazine well to facilitate rapid loading. The pistol has a lanyard loop attachment point. It can hold a five shot group to an average of no more than 4 inches by 4 inches at 25 yards. It should be no more than 9 inches in length and weigh less than 4.5 pounds with empty magazine. It has a consistent trigger pull of 5 1 pounds. The pistol can demonstrate reliability of an average minimum of 300 rounds between stoppages and 5,000 rounds between parts failures. Magazines should remain serviceable for at least 3,000 rounds. The pistol will perform reliably after being subjected to standard MIL SPEC environmental tests, drop tests, and temperature extremes. The pistol must demonstrate "drop in" parts interchangeability, with no milling, filing, or fitting required. There shall be no degradation in performance after parts are exchanged. The pistol is resistant to corrosion and chemicals, and is compatible with current military approved small arms cleaning, lubrication, and preservative and storage agents. The pistol must be marked with an Item Unique Identification (IUID) marking, as defined in MIL-STD-130M. The following are specific questions the Government is seeking responses to: 1. If the to-be-published Request for Proposal requires bid samples (estimated to be seven pistols, 6 magazines per pistol, operator and maintainer manuals), are you willing to provide at no cost to the government? 2.Please provide any test data on the durability, reliability and maintainability of your pistol. Are the results from internal testing or independent organizations? 3.What is your current monthly production rate? What is the maximum monthly rate you could manage and still meet quality requirements? How would you ensure quality is not compromised? How long would it take you to meet the maximum rate? 4.What is the market acceptance of your pistol? How long has it been in production? How many units, by year, have been sold? What agencies use your pistol? 5.If you warranty your pistol, what are the terms? How much warranty work is done on candidate pistols? What are the top four warranty issues? 6.Please provide an estimated price for one system consisting of pistol, 6 magazines, and operator manual, assuming a volume buy of your product. 7.Do you provide training or training support to current customers? Please describe. 8.If the MCSC changed to a Contractor Logistics Support strategy, how would you propose to support your pistol? Could you perform a depot level rebuild of your pistol? If so, how many per month could you process? Do you have an estimated cost range to perform rebuild? All contractors who provide goods/services to the DoD must be registered in the Central Contractor Register (CCR). Online Certifications and Representations at (ORCA),
http://orca.bpn.gov, will also be required. Failure to comply with ORCA registration may make an offeror ineligible for award. This notice is NOT a request for competitive proposals and no solicitation is currently available. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to meet the requirements by providing electronically their commercial/non-developmental brochures or other literature that includes answers to the above-mentioned questions as well as cost and availability data to Erik Halverson at
erik.halverson@usmc.mil no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Friday, 16 April, 2010. Companies that desire to submit by mail should address their above information to Marine Corps Systems Command, Infantry Weapons Systems, Attn: Erik Halverson, 2200 Lester Street -Bldg 2203, Quantico, VA 22134-6050. NO TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Contracting Office Address: M67854 MARINE CORPS SYSTEMS COMMAND Quantico, VA Point of Contact(s): Erik Halverson
