How to Buy a U.S. Military Surplus CMP 1911 Pistol

You probably know by now that the CMP has been authorized to distribute U.S. Army surplus 1911 pistols. These were the actual .45 ACP handguns issued to American troops for most of the 20th Century. The first 8,000 pistols have been released from the U.S. Army to the CMP. The very best examples will be auctioned, while the rest will sold in three classes: Service Grade ($1050); Field Grade ($950); and Rack Grade ($850). Interest has been high in these historic 1911 service pistols, with demand expected to exceed supply. Now the CMP has set up the purchase procedure and pricing.

NOTE: The CMP 1911 Order Form Packet can be downloaded from TheCMP.org starting June 4, 2018. Only ONE CMP 1911 Order Form Packet per customer may be submitted.

IMPORTANT: To purchase one of these pistols, you must submit a “hard copy” application, and pass two NICS background tests. Potential purchasers must provide the CMP with a set of documents including: 1) proof of U.S. Citizenship; 2) proof of membership in a CMP-affiliated club; 3) proof of participation in a marksmanship activity; 4) a completed 1911 order form, including a notarized form 2A; 5) a signed copy of the 01, or 02, or 07 Federal Firearms License to which the 1911 will be transferred. All qualifying documents must be included in your order packet.

Designed by J.M. Browning, the M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986. It was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

CMP 1911 Pistol Purchasing Procedure

While the National Defense Authorization Act granted transfer of a maximum of 10,000 1911s per year to the CMP, the Secretary of the Army allowed only 8,000 1911s to be transferred to the CMP for sale and distribution this fiscal year. Some of those are anticipated to be unusual and worthy of being auctioned. The remaining number will be sold based on a computerized Random Number Generator.

Order Packet Availability: CMP 1911 Order Form Packet will be posted on the CMP website on June 4, 2018. Only ONE CMP 1911 order form packet per customer may be submitted. Hand delivered, emailed, and faxed orders will not be accepted. CMP 1911 order form packet must be mailed to the following address: CMP 1911, 1800 Roberts Drive, Anniston, AL 36207.

One-Month Order Window: Orders must be postmarked NOT PRIOR TO 4 September 2018 and NOT AFTER 4 October 2018. Any orders received postmarked prior to September 4 will not be accepted. Hand delivered, emailed, and faxed orders will not be accepted.

CMP 1911 Pistol Pricing

CMP has priced the 1911 type pistols at fair market value in accordance with CMP’s enabling legislation. The shipping cost is included in the price.

Service Grade $1050. Pistol may exhibit minor pitting and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.

Field Grade $950. Pistol may exhibit minor rust, pitting, and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.

Rack Grade $850. Pistol will exhibit rust, pitting, and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips may be incomplete and exhibit cracks. Pistol requires minor work to return to issuable condition.

Auction Grade. The condition of the auction pistol will be described when posted for auction. Note: If you have already purchased a 1911 from CMP you will NOT be allowed to purchase an auction 1911. If you purchase an auction 1911, your name will be pulled from the sequenced list. No repeat purchasers are allowed until all orders received have been filled.

NOTE: CMP 1911 is an FFL-governed operation and is a separate entity from CMP and has its own record-keeping operation with no ties to the existing CMP records. CMP 1911 customer service number is 256-835-8455 extension 461. CMP 1911 customer service email address cmp1911@thecmp.org.

Previous purchases or relationships with CMP create no advantage or disadvantage to the customer. Every applicant will be treated as a new customer to CMP.

Customer names from complete CMP 1911 order form packets will be fed into a computerized Random Number Generator on 5 October 2018. The Random Number Generator will provide a list of names in sequential order through the random picking process. Customers will be contacted in the sequence provided by the Random Number Generator. The CMP 1911 customers will select their grade of pistol (Service, Field or Rack) from available inventory at the time of order notification. Customers with higher numbers may have fewer grades from which to choose. When this year’s allotment of 1911s is exhausted, the remaining orders will be held in the existing sequence for all future allotments of 1911s. The CMP does not know what future allotments might be.

CMP 1911 FFL CONTACT INFORMATION DETAILS:
All 1911s will be shipped to a 01, 02 or 07 Federal Firearms License. Customers MUST provide a signed copy of the 01, 02 or 07 FFL. CMP 1911 dedicated fax number 256-831-2354 for FFL dealers. CMP 1911 dedicated email address cmp1911FFL@thecmp.org to send their FFLs with customer’s name attached.

ADDITIONAL CMP 1911 DETAILS:
Potential purchasers will have to provide CMP with a set of CMP 1911 documents exhibiting: 1) proof of U.S. Citizenship, 2) proof of membership in a CMP affiliated club, 3) proof of participation in a marksmanship activity, 4) a completed 1911 order form, including a new form 2A with notary, 5) a signed copy of the 01, or 02, or 07 Federal Firearms License in which the 1911 will be transferred to. All qualifying documents must be included in your order packet. No qualifying documents, other than the FFL, will be accepted without an order packet. Note: The signed copy of the FFL may be faxed or emailed to CMP 1911 with the customer name attached. CMP Eligibility Requirements for ordering may be viewed on the CMP website.

A NICS background check on each customer will be performed by the FBI to assure the customer is eligible to purchase prior to shipment to the FFL licensed dealer. The customer must receive a “proceed” from NICS prior to shipment of the pistol to the FFL licensed dealer.

The CMP customer will be required to complete a Form 4473 in person at the FFL dealer’s place of business and successfully pass a NICS check, in which the information is provided by the FFL holder to NICS, before the pistol can be transferred. This is a second NICS check performed on the customer. Note: The FFL licensed dealer in which the pistol is retrieved from will have to follow all federal, state, and local laws.

All orders by customers will have to be filled prior to any customer getting the opportunity to purchase a second CMP 1911.

No 1911s will be available in the CMP stores, or online. Only mail order sales will be accepted. All 1911 orders must be delivered via USPS, UPS, Fed EX, etc. to the CMP 1911 address listed above. No in-store or at the door drop off orders will be accepted.

CMP will stop accepting orders at the end of business on 4 October 2018. Customer’s names will be loaded into the Random Number Generator. The sequenced order for customers will be established and each time CMP receives 1911s, customer orders will be filled in the originally established sequence. No one will be allowed to repeat purchase until all orders are filled.

The customer’s sequence number will be sent to the individual via email once such sequence number is established.

Customers will be contacted in the sequence provided by the Random Number Generator.
Pistol grade and payment arrangement will be established when the customer is contacted by CMP sales staff at time of purchase. DO NOT send payment with your 1911 order. Customers will have 5 days to submit payment once notified.

1911s from CMP will be allowed in California because they meet the California definition of Curio and Relic. They will ship to 01, or 02, or 07 FFLs in California. At of the time of this release, only the state of Massachusetts will not allow the sale of the 1911/1911A1 pistol.

All required information is included in this release. If you have questions, please email the address listed above. If you choose to call the number listed, please be prepared for a long wait time.

REASONS FOR THE TWO NICS CHECKS:
First Reason: The first NICS conducted by the FBI for the CMP makes sure the customer can legally possess the 1911 type pistol prior to shipping it to the local 01, or 02, or 07 FFL dealer. The CMP, Congress, and the United States Army do not want the 1911 to have to be returned to CMP 1911 if the purchaser is not legal to possess. The more time the pistol is in transit, the more likely it is that it could be lost or stolen. The second NICS check is performed by the FBI for the local 01, or 02, or 07 FFL in accordance with their standard transfer procedures and all federal, state, and local laws.

Second Reason: CMP’s enabling legislation mandated by Congress specifies that the purchaser “successfully pass a thorough and complete background check”, i.e. NICS. CMP cannot turn any firearm over to the purchaser until it receives a “proceed” from NICS; the local FFL can turn the pistol over after 72 business hours have elapsed if they have not heard back from NICS. Turning the pistol over after 72 hours and not getting a “proceed” does not satisfy CMP’s enabling legislation mandated by Congress. This leaves CMP no choice but to have a NICS check performed by the FBI and to get a “proceed” to satisfy its enabling legislation, before shipping to the local 01, or 02, or 07 FFL dealer.

Note: 1911 type pistols purchased from CMP cannot be transferred to 03 FFL (curio and relic) license holders. CMP’s legislation contained in the 2018 NDAA specifies FFL licensed dealers. BATF and the United States Army prefer the second background check be performed by the FBI on an FFL licensed dealer’s premises.

Similar Posts:

• CMP Announces 2021 Program for Sale of Model 1911 Pistols
• UPDATE: CMP Has Received 8000 Surplus M1911 Pistols
• CMP Custom Now Accepting Work Orders Again
• NSSF Answers Tough Firearms Transfer Questions
• National Background Check System Upgrade on July 16, 2013

Tags: .45 acp, 1911 Order Form, 1911 Pistol, Army Pistols, CMP 1911, J.M. Browning, m1911, Surplus 1911s