Force Recon | M45A1 Close Quarters Battle Pistol

A Marine with the 31st MEU's Force Reconnaissance Platoon (FRP) fires a M45A1 Close Quarters Battle Pistol (CQBP) during a live fire exercise aboard amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard.

The M45A1 CQBP is based on the Colt O1980RG (Rail Gun), a variant of the XSE line of 1911 .

45 ACP pistol.

Upgrades to the original pistol design include a dual recoil spring system, solid aluminum trigger, 5-inch national match barrel, 3-dot tritium night sights, G10 grips, ambidextrous safety and a Mil Standard 1913 picatinny rail for mounting accessories such as lights and laser pointing devices.

As can be seen here, the M45 comes in a protective desert tan finish.

Note the coiled lanyard attaching the pistol to the Marine's webbing.

Such devices are often used by maritime forces to avoid losing the weapon during VBSS operations.

The M45A1 features a lanyard loop as part of its design.

The M45A1 CQBP is designed for use by USMC special operations units such as MARSOC and Force Recon.

The pistol replaces the M45 MEU(SOC) pistol, a 1911 variant USMC SOF previously used.