U.S. Marine Corps Kimber DET-1 1911

Manufactured in the early 2000s, this pistol was one of a small number manufactured by Kimber on contract for the U.S. government which were intended to be issued to the newly formed Marine Corps special operations unit called Detachment One. Detachment One was a pilot program started in 2003 as a program for attaching a permanent Marine Corps unit to the United States Special Operations Command. The unit was only around until 2006 when it was succeeded by United States Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC). Initially, 200 of these pistols were manufactured under contract and issued to the unit for testing. During the testing phase, the pistols didn't perform as well as they needed, leading to the initial 200 pistols being destroyed. Prior to the performance issues in testing, another 150 pistols had been ordered but not issued. After the issues in testing, these 150 pistols were offered for sale to people who had been involved with the unit. It is only these 150 pistols that are still available on the collectors market, making them a U.S. 1911 that is more rare than the ever-desirable Singer. Similar examples can be seen and discussed on pages 146 and 147 in the book "U.S. Military Automatic Pistols 1945-2012", by Scott Meadows. The pistol has the standard Kimber marking on the left of the slide and the standard address on the right of the frame. The right of the frame is also marked with the special serial number "DET1-216" as well as "U.S. MILITARY PROPERTY USMC", with the addition of an ambidextrous thumb safety. Includes a Surefire W117C weapon light, Detachment One patch, and Kimber case

Condition: Excellent overall with 97% original finish, moderate slide retraction and handling marks overall. Mechanically excellent. Case is very fine. A rare opportunity to own a U.S. contract pistol that will be found in only the most extensive U.S. military collections.