Accuracy X, Inc. has launched the M45A2 Battle Pistol, a hand-built tribute to the decommissioned M45A1 CQBP used by U.S. Marine Corps special operations. Limited to 11 collector sets, each engraved with a year symbolizing the M45A1’s service. The .45 ACP pistol combines modern features with historical significance and craftsmanship.
Accuracy X, Inc (AXI), the makers of the world’s proven most accurate pistols, has introduced the M45A2 Battle Pistol, a hand-built tribute to the Colt M45A1 close-quarters battle pistol (CQBP) carried by U.S. Marine Corps special operations units, offered as a numbered collector set strictly limited to 11. The M45A1 CQBP served from 2012 to 2022 – 11 years – and Accuracy X is building one pistol for each of those years, engraving every example with its corresponding year.
Accuracy X conceived the M45A2 Battle Pistol as the successor it believes the M45A1 CQBP deserved. When the M45A1 CQBP was decommissioned in 2022, closing a chapter of 1911 service that began with the U.S. military more than a century ago, the company set out to answer a single question: what should that pistol be today? The result carries the M45A1 CQBP’s legacy forward on a modern platform.
Chambered in .45 ACP, the double-stack M45A2 Battle Pistol pairs the cartridge’s heritage and authority with the capacity, balance, and precision of an Accuracy X build. It features a carbon-composite double-stack grip, a flat dark earth finish with a battle patina, and a blacked-out barrel, trigger, and small parts for a more dramatic look. Sighting is handled by a Tritium front SLOT SIGHT and Accuracy X fiber-optic rear sight of the company’s own design, working with its patented Multi-Sight™ System and SLOT Sight™ System, which let the shooter reconfigure the pistol for red-dot optics and other setups in seconds. An extended Picatinny rail, front and rear serrations, and a lanyard loop in the mainspring housing round out the build.
The M45A2 Battle Pistol also carries markings that echo its predecessor: an Accuracy X shield and three stars in place of the Colt roll mark, an “AXI Government Model” stamp, a “U.S.” mark on the dust cover, and an inspection-style mark reimagined as a QR code that links to accuracyx.com. Every pistol is hand-fitted by AXI’s master craftsmen and made in the USA from American-made components.
Each of the 11 sets arrives as a complete collector’s package: the M45A2 Battle Pistol, an engraved USMC utility fighting knife, a life-size replica of the actual battle map of the Iwo Jima WWII campaign, a military-grade combat compass, a signed five-shot, 25-yard test target, and a branded hard case.
For Accuracy X President Steve Huff, the project is personal. He was raised in a Marine Corps family; his father served with the Corps in Korea, and his brother served after him, and the M45A2 Battle Pistol gave him a way to honor that legacy through the company he built.
“The M45A1 CQBP was the last chapter of the 1911’s service to this country, and we wanted to write the one that should have come next,” said Huff. “Each of these 11 pistols carries a year the M45A1 CQBP served, and each is built to the standard we’re known for, where excellent isn’t good enough. This project is personal for me, and I’m proud of what our craftsmen created.”
KEY DETAILS:
via Accuracy X
- Platform: Double-stack 1911 (1911 HiCAP)
- Caliber: .45 ACP
- Grips: Carbon-composite, double-stack
- Finish: Flat dark earth with battle patina; blacked-out barrel, trigger, and small parts
- Front Sight: SLOT Sight Tritium, in-house design; compatible with the patented Multi-Sight System
- Optic/Sight System: Multi-Sight System accepts red-dot optics and additional fixed fiber optic module
- Rail: Extended Picatinny rail with ball cut
- Slide: Front and rear serrations
- Additional Features: Lanyard loop in the mainspring housing
- Availability: Numbered collector set, strictly limited to 11. Half remain available.
Learn more about Accuracy X: https://accuracyx.com/