I think the old MEU pistols are great lookin pistols but ya'll sure go to great lengths to build a sloppy gun.

I'd rather have a clone of a Springfield built one that they bought off the shelf.

Can you expand on your opinion?

An U.S. Marine assigned to the Force Reconnaissance Platoon (FRP), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU), fires an M-1911 pistol during a live-fire exercise aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Aug 21, 2013, in the Coral Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Edward Guttierrez III/Released)

Here some more up close pics of an authentic M45 CQBP.  The latest variant that was made .  She is "Ready For Issue"  Enjoy !  :)

I do believe I just found my new wallpaper sir!

Same here!!!

Talked with Rob at Alchemy today.  They are working on cutting down my .312 front sight and stamping the serial number on my parts this week then the pistol will be ready to refinish.

I understand stamping the serial number on the undersides of the thumb safety and grip safety may be the "correct" way, but we decided to have it show.  Its more fun that way.  

Also, reshaping my front sight to .225 from .312 may or may not have it shoot POA/POI with the new PWS rear sight.  We may have to go lower on the front sight.  Not a deal breaker for me either way, I want it to shoot like a match gun but have the old school parts.  It'll be home soon enough and Im itchin to hit the range!

Someone say Clark Grip Safety and Kings 201a???

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=392950940

The height of the front sight determines your POA/POI.  When we build a match gun or a combat gun we collimate the sights to give a solid zero for the shooter to start with.  The height for the front sight should be 010"-.020" lower than the rear sight.  Whether you start at 225, 312, or 500 the height is cut down to the appropriate point relative to the rear sight.  .225 front sights are actually a bit too short to make this requirement, which is why i like to start with a 312 and cut it down.  Im not sure why your smith is telling you that a 312 may not shoot POA/POI, the start height doesnt matter.  Just something to chew on.  Hopefully I didnt pee in your cheerios.

What finish is used on the barrel?

That's a question better directed towards PWS2112.  Maybe he will chime in here and describe the process PWS uses.

No worries at all... I have faith that Rob will make it shoot straight. He just informed me that to make it shoot properly, id have to be open to the height being a different height than the "standard" .225 height. I told him to do what he must.  I appreciate your feedback however... Keep it coming!

I made a post on page 51 about 1/4 of the way down talking about our different bluing processes.  For barrels we use the stainless blackening proccess.  The post gives more detail.

Ben

Thanks buddy. Very interesting and I may have to read this thread all the way from the beginning instead of just popping in to look at pics

Something I did not see anywhere in the thread was a discussion of lanyard options for a correct build. Anyone have info on those? Thanks for some great info.

They use old surplus G.I. A1 mainspring housing that they mill down to flat and serrate.  Huge PITA.

They later use Capsian serrated mainspring housing with lanyard loop for M45 build. Call Caspian see if they still have some of those for sale. I bought 2 couple of years ago. It's not listed on their web store. Need to call and specify serrated MSH with landyard loop.

Does the Caspian have the relief cut under the lanyard loop?

Mine does not.

no mine ,but right now on ebay if you type in the words beavertail safety/ there are 2 clark beavertail safetys, also 1 millett serrated singlestake front sight and on the ee someone is selling a kings 201a ambi thumb safety in ss   hope this helps someone with their meusoc build

No relieve cut on Caspian MSH. FYI, my MEUSOC build use Colt MSH and Springfield added the lanyard loop with relieve cut on the bottom.

WOW! Over $200 for 201a.

More progress!!!

DGI, nice pics!  It's coming along nicely. Your beavertail fit is top notch.  Are you doing that yourself?

Here are some progress pics of mine.  Last I posted I mentioned that it was damn near impossible for me to stamp the left side thumb safety.  It's considerably harder than the right side lever, or any of the other parts to include the slide.  The only thing I could think was that it's heat treated, and I took a gamble on that.  I have an old frame I use strictly for grip making, is it came in handy to place the safety on for stamping.  It makes for a nice, hard platform to transfer energy from the stamp strike into the safety.  Though I did this for the initial attempt, I realized I was going to have to try something different.

I originally decided I would anneal the metal with heat, but that would mean I was destroying any heat treat that would have been there to keep the sear block hard.  I can't confirm for sure that King's heat treated the left side safety body, but if they didn't, mine is a fluke.  Anyway, knowing heat treat doesn't go that deep into the metal, and also needing to get rid of my previous stamping effort, I decided to simply file and sand off the original stamps, and hopefully get through the heat treat in the process.  It worked.  First, filing with a new and sharp file confirmed how hard the surface was.  Once I got down a thousandth or so, the metal softened up a bit and my file ran a lot easier.  My second stamping attempt went much  deeper into the metal.  

Here it is the first time around:



Here it is now, but without being bead blasted:



I also wanted to redo my mainspring housing.  My first attempt was a WWII MSH, and one thing I forgot is that no two metal checkering files are a exactly alike.  I discovered this years ago touching up factory 20 line per inch checkering on a mainspring housing.  My first attempt resulted in non even spacing and crooked lines.  I ordered a WWII MSH off of GunBroker for $23.  It had some damage to the serrations near the bottom, but who cares.  I was going to grind them off anyway.  A couple pages back I described a method for serrating on after grinding it.  I didn't follow my own description exactly, as it was easier just to go at it.  

So here's what I did.  I placed it in my beater frame.  I ground it flat on a belt sander.  I did this at 90 degrees, and only went deep enough to get rid of almost all the serrations:





I then started rounding the edges on the belt sander.  It's just a matter of standing over your work and following the original contours of the bottom of the MSH:




After that I inked it up (Sharpie, as it's cleaner than lay out fluid), and started my serrations.  The biggest thing to be aware of for those who haven't done this is to note that the file is wider than the are that needs to be serrated, usually by one row.  If you're not careful to start at the edges you'll run over and serrate one too many lines.  Serrated GI MSHs have the last row on both sides uncut.  The other thing is to start your file at an angle instead of laying it flat so that you can start serrating in your old grooves.  Not doing so will result in the file wanting to walk easily.  Start your filing at about a 30 degree angle and start to lower it until it's flat.  If you do this from both top and bottom, you'll eventually meet in the middle and complete your first row or two of serrations, and hopefully be running straight.





Eventually the whole thing was done and I installed an old beat up lanyard loop:





Like a lot of in progress pics, some of these parts look pretty rough.  I haven't gotten around to blasting the parts, so the mainspring housing and the thumb safety don't have a finished look.  Also, I still need to go back and clean up the bottom radius or bevel of the MSH.  Next on my list of things to do is bevel the magwell and install the BarSto barrel.  I had already gotten around to fitting a BarSto to this gun, except for the final fitting of the knee area of the barrel feet and the link.  A buddy of mone just had to have that barrel for his gun since he blew his up, so I ordered another for mine and that BarSto is gone.  

In the meantime, I finished stamping things today, including the inside of the beavertail and the mainspring housing. Stamping the beavertail was interesting.  I placed it in my bench vise supported on the underside by a large block of cocobolo.  Worked like a charm:






Well, there you have it.  My project is inching along.  I would have had it done had I kept that barrel, except for refinishing.  Now I have to wait 16 weeks for a barrel.  

Lookin' good!

Not sure if you ordered from Bar-Sto yet, but Midway has them in stock. You'd have it within a week rather than 16.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/168798/bar-sto-match-target-barrel-1911-government-45-acp-1-in-16-twist-5-stainless-steel?cm_vc=ProductFinding

Figures.  I ordered a few days ago.  That blows.  Thanks though.

I have one that I won't be fitting for at least 17 weeks (got it in last Monday from Midway, hasn't been altered at all). If you pay for shipping, I'd send it to you, and you can send me yours when it comes in (or call Bar-sto, and just have Bar-sto ship straight to me.)

Eventually there will be a MEU(SOC) clone get together, and we will reenact this picture




Here's some more I've come across on the internet

Interesting pics...



ICQB?  With Pachmayrs instead of Gunner Grips?

I found that to be very interesting.  All the ICQBs I saw at Pendleton had the Gunners, as well as Ed Brown grip safeties.  Looks like this one has the Kimber grip safety.  I wonder if that's one that made it back to the MEUs.  Any ideas Ben?

This is beyond my scope.  I fall back on my standard answer:  when the money is tight or gone, you use whatever you can to get the gun operational.  That is the best I can do with this one.

Ben

Hell yes! I'd be in on that.



m

PWS2112, do you ever do any side work, or just for your buddies?

The last 2 pieces of the puzzle finally arrived.  ;)

A brand new, never used, Springfield slide that was not a takeoff.....

And yes, I bought an entire pistol to get a Kings 201a.  Thanks Hobbs for the tip on this one....!

Let the building begin.....

Holy Shit Hobbs! That build is rockin!!! Looking good brother!

Im having Rob at Alchemy Custom perform my assembly. The pistol should be home by mid March sometime (maybe sooner)

Very cool!  Let me know how the chemical strip works.  Even though it's hard chrome, I've had good luck with Brownells room temp nickel stripper after leaving it overnight.  Stuff is expensive though, so the other methods I e-mailed you about should be a better solution.  I didn't have any chromed safeties, but I do have some stock stainless Colts if you need it.  By the way, did you get that slide on eBay?  If so, sorry but it was me that bid against you.  I didn't know.  I owe you a beer or three.

I look forward to your build.  Ben, if you do the build, and you're not too busy, share some progress pics.

Cool.  So are those progress pics from Rob?  If so, that's what I call customer service, sharing progress pics.  A lot of smiths are hesitant to do that because of how bad the gun can look before final cleanup and refinishing.  Did you go with a stainless grip safety?  

On a side note, I hope someone here won the two grip safeties on eBay.  I was so close to making an obscene bid on those, but I have some already.  Hope they go to a MEU(SOC) build.

do they use paint marker or what ? on marking rack number on grips ?

Awesome Jeff!

I'm sure your MEUSOC build will be perfect like your M45!

There has been talk here about the Ed Brown grip safety, it was used on the MUE(SOC) pistol from late 2003 until they changed the name to the M45.  At the same time the slide was changed, front and rear sights, and the hammer, sear and disconnector.

Shoe is an excellent source for Meusoc information.  He teaches the new 2112's at PWS and has been there a long time :)    

I hope nobody minds me posting too many pictures on this thread.  I forgot I had this Surefire 610R in my MEU(SOC) box that stays in my safe.  I bought it new a couple years ago.  I can only imagine how old it is.  I never opened it until tonight.  I expected to find the sliding switch on the body, which I believe was an update over the rocker switch.  I discovered it had the rocker switch, and I also made a few other interesting observations.  First, there was plastic wrap on the outside when I got it, and not a mark on the box.  I expected a pristine light, and was surprised to find lots of marks on the body of the light.  Of course, every one I owned back in the day was scuffed, in contrast to the perfection that comes out of Surefire boxes nowadays.  I also noticed that the battery had not leaked.  I have to think this light is 15 to 20 years old.  Finally, it came with two entirely different grip screws, along with an extra set screw for tensioning the body of the light to the trigger guard.  Just odd observations.







I was curious if the light was going to work with the ancient batteries.  The light mounted up nice.  The switch that wraps around the grips is nothing like the modern X200/X300 switches.  It's thin and not nearly as durable.  I can also tell that the grip screws, whether I use the originals or the Surefire grip screws, will back out without some thread locker.  You can't fully tighten the screws without squishing the rubber grips and bending the body of the "tape switch".  The light mounted up without any issues other than the loose grip screws (which I'll remedy with some blue Loctite), and sure enough, the light came on.  It was actually pretty bright all things considered.






Here's a size comparison between the MEU(SOC) clone and the ICQB with a Surefire IMPL light.  The IMPL is just plain huge.





Well, there you have it.  No more pictures of the MEU(SOC) clone until I get the BarSto in for fitting, and get the gun refinished.  Range report to follow a few months down the road.

now that is a dream collection!!!!!!!!  will one of  the new colts be joining the family down the road?

Hard to say.  Initially I wanted to build a "Variant 1", a "Variant 3", a "Variant 4", and have a Colt M45A1.  I thought that would be a very nice collection, and I wasn't too interested in a "Variant 2" as there is next to no difference between it and the "Variant 1".  Unfortunately, the price of building authentic clones is high.  The cost of an M45A1 is currently far too high for what you get.  I've completely lost the desire to put together the collection I initially intended to do.  As a matter of fact, I have a good feeling I'll probably sell both my Variant 1 and my ICQB one of these days.  I wanted to keep them for my young sons, and will probably wait until they are in their late teens, but if they don't join the Corps, I'll ditch the pistols.

Pachmayr American Legend Grips
http://www.marsoc.marines.mil/Photos.aspx?igphoto=28834

Parabellum,

nice find... I wonder if shoe or PWS2112 can shed some light on that... my experience, at least in big army, they frown when you mod your gat. My M9 went back to reset in AFG with some aftermarket alumagrips on it, came back with the grips rubber banded in a baggy on the gun with a new set of army plastic ones on it with the serviceable tag on it and a note stating "unauthorized grips"

I didn't see what the big deal was, but maybe the MEU and MARSOC guys can do what they want, a la American legend grips and Surefire MR07 Rails... and take them off when the gun goes to reset or inspection

I'm going to guess t that Ben or Shoe won't know anything about those grips other than they didn't leave PWS like that.  What happens at the user end lever is out of their control.  Although, they might be able to tell some stories of pistols that come back with weird parts on them.

That would be fantastic!

I was wondering if anybody knows where to find a pdf or hard copy of the Weapon Record Book that apparently was issued with these pistols along with the 7 magazines and shok buffs. The Technical manual for the MEU(SOC) references it, but I haven't been able to find one. Any help would be much appreciated!

Tom

not mine but on ebay there is another clark beavertail safety listed ebay# 380844792391

That beavertail looks pretty beat.  Im sure a 'Smith can make use of it though.

Hobbs: Yes, Rob at Alchemy is supplying the pics.  He is top notch.  His facebook page has logs of most of the pistols he works on (at least the neat ones).  

Great looking 610R!!! i was looking for a 310R for the longest time.  Stopped looking after I bought one for my Beretta and realized it was for a 92F not FS.  Wasnt too crazy about the size of the light after playing with one.  What kind of Kimber is that? Does it use a Dawson Rail?  I was always a fan of the way they did their weak side ambi safeties on some of their models (that one included).  Originally wanted a TLE RL but bought a TRP instead and have been on a Springfield kick ever since.  Might have to try to get my hands on one to see how they compare.

Next project in the works.



Finding a smith who's willing to tackle to project hasn't been easy thus far. Patience is king.

I also have been unable to locate a copy of TM 00526A-10/1, or the Weapon Record Book.

Any other MEUSOC clone junkies find them?