MARCORSYSCOM has issued a Sources Sought Notice for the “M45 MEUSCOC pistol.” Yes, it’s a typo, but a humorous one. Perhaps it will now forever be known as the beloved “Moose Cock” pistol. Also, I’m not real sure where the whole M45 nomenclature came from. There is already an M45 in the system and it is a protective mask. From a logistics point of view it isn’t real smart to give two items the same nomenclature especially when both may be used by the Marine at the same time. This could lead to some real headaches. Also, dear reader, please do not take a look at this story and run to tell your buddies that the Marine Corps is dumping the “crappy” M9 (hey, there’s another example of two arms room items with the same nomenclature but I’m pretty sure the Army screwed that one up) and adopting the .45. That isn’t what is going on here. They are looking at a max of 4,000 pistols. However, one major issue with this Sources Sought is that the Marine Corps is considering transitioning maintenance to the contractor. This is a major sea change for this pistol which has been traditionally worked on at Quantico.
Here are the specs from the sources sought:
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.
Interested parties have until 16 April to answer the Sources Sought Notice. Exact questions and instructions are available at www.fbo.gov.
Thanks to The Firearm Blog for the heads up on this.
