Army Delays Handgun Solicitation
BY Herschel Smith
9 years, 10 months ago
The Army on Wednesday formally pushed back release of a final solicitation to produce its new handgun.
Originally projected for a Jan. 2 release, the Army decided to delay the Request for Proposals beyond January “to allow for improvements to the RFP as a result of feedback received from Industry,” according to a notice posted on the government solicitation website FedBizOpps.
No date for future action was proposed, other than to say it would not occur in January. Despite the delay, the notice also reiterated commitment to the pending competition to produce the Modular Handgun System, which will include ammo and a holster as well as a pistol.
“The Army remains committed to the MHS program and ensuring that it is executed using full and open competition,” the notice said.
Uh oh. What political machinations underlie this delay? Is Smith & Wesson not the frontrunner as they thought? To all firearms manufacturers – the military is a fickle mistress. She will break your heart.
As for polymer frame pistols, I won’t buy any more. I like the balance and slender (single stack) profile of the 1911 too much (here we all pause in respect to John Moses Browning). Furthermore, when I think about my plastic pistols I think about machines, utilitarian pieces of equipment that rattle too much and have that crappy, cheap feel but usually perform their intended function.
When I think about 1911s I think about works of art. Even more than 1911s, revolvers (finely made) are works of art, pieces of craftsmanship, something I would be proud to turn over to my children as a heritage. I’ve searched in vain, but I cannot find a picture of anyone actually carrying a wheel gun in either the Iraq or Afghanistan theaters. Kudos to anyone who can find such a treasure. Please send it our way.
And if you carried a revolver in any theater of war, you are a man among men. I want to know you.
On January 26, 2015 at 10:30 am, Ned Weatherby said:
Colts Manufacturing is an example of a manufacturer who put all their eggs in the government basket, eschewing doing business with non-“Only Ones.” They don’t even build or sell their DA revolvers anymore. And their near bankruptcy. Besides, their contempt for mere citizens caused many to abandon the brand. Yup. She’s a fickle mistress, alright.
On January 26, 2015 at 10:44 am, Pat Hines said:
Colt did win a contract to produce new M1911s for the US Marine Corps.
On January 26, 2015 at 10:50 am, Herschel Smith said:
Yea it’s a nice looking weapon. I’d like to have one. But as a viable manufacturer, I think Colt is pretty close to dead.
On January 26, 2015 at 10:56 am, Pat Hines said:
Selling for at least $1600.00 per copy is another drawback, too.
On January 27, 2015 at 12:28 am, Ned Weatherby said:
I noticed that after post. Hope that sustains them. Seems that’s all they want – military contracts.
On January 26, 2015 at 10:43 am, Pat Hines said:
I like M1911s, but won’t carry one any longer. I have SIG, which owe some of their mechanical design to John M. Browning, certainly, but have a more modern function. No safeties to switch on or off, just a post operation decocking lever. Available in single stack or double stack, depending on preference, and in calibers up to and including .45 ACP. The SIG short reset trigger has to be experienced to appreciate fully, my preferred model is the SAS. The frames are all hard coated alloy, the slides are stainless steel in the white or black coated.
The sole drawback to SIGs is they’re not cheap.
On January 30, 2015 at 8:04 am, Kaleiokalani J. Barela said:
Yeah. I love my 1911, but the P227 is a wonderful weapon. Oh, and not plastic. Like the 1911 it feels like it has more soul than the plastic ones.
On January 27, 2015 at 7:28 am, Anonymous said:
Colt is owned by one Donald Zilkha, who was a big-money donor to both Clinton and Obama, and who gives millions to the Democratic Party. He has made numerous public statements expressing his contempt for the people outside the government who purchase his products and compares the American firearms industry and gun culture to “cancer.”
It’s a goddamned shame. Colt’s 1911s since 2005 are the best they’ve made since before the Series 70.