10/17/2022
HISTORY OF THE MCSOCOM DET-1 1911
The ICQB pistol for DET-1. As received from Kimber, came with Novak LoMount Night Sights, a flat, checkered main-spring housing with lanyard ring, a standard recoil spring system, no firing pin safety, a conventional extractor, Kimber's black, checkered rubber grips and magazine. It was also marked “U.S. MILITARY PROPERTY USMC” which hadn’t been done on a 1911 since the Singer pistols in WWII. Also unique to the pistol was the serial number “ DET 1 - ###”
DET-1 then installed an Ed Brown Memory Grip Safety, replaced the magazine with a Wilson 7-shot magazine, and replaced the Kimber grips with the excellent Simonich "Gunner" Grips in coyote brown. The pistol was then shipped to Dawson Precision for installation of the Dawson Rail.
Semi-permanently mounted to the frame's dust cover by three hardened Allen screws, the steel Dawson Rail is both narrower and thinner than M1913 frame rails, and is far less obtrusive, but requires a light with a matching bracket. DET-1 selected SureFire's Integrated Military Pistol Light (IMPL). Used on previous MEU (SOC) 1911's, this MIL-SPEC tactical light is waterproof, hard-anodized OD green.
With its SureFire light mounted, the Kimber ICQB pistol rides securely in a unique holster designed for it by Safariland in desert camouflage.
Because of its small size, the Dawson Rail is compatible with most standard holsters with the light removed, but this doesn't apply to normal use by DET-1, as the gun is carried with the IMPL mounted. To accommodate this combination, Safariland built a new version of its 6004 Tactical Holster.
With the holster, Gemtech's Tactical Retention Lanyard (TRL) was also adopted by DET-1 in Coyote Brown. Attached to the gun's lanyard ring, the GTRL has a coiled line leading to a quick release attached to a nylon belt-loop.
