​Military Armament Corp JSCOC 1911

Military Armament Corp JSCOC 1911

If you were a Delta operator in December of 1989, riding on the skid of an MH-6 Little Bird through Panama City on the way to break out an American citizen held hostage in Panama City’s notorious Cárcel Modelo prison, you would have had a 1911 like the MAC JSOC strapped to your gear.

Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, Delta and other Special Forces units carried modified 1911’s into harms way during operations like Operation Just Cause, Gothic Serpent, Urgent Fury, and countless other thankless insertions into the dark and dangerous places of Central and South America, North Africa, and the Middle East. These guns were initially pulled from government armories, leftovers from World War 2 and rebuilt dozens of times since. Re-worked by unit armorers and custom gunsmiths, these old warhorses entered the next phase of combat pistol evolution featuring some of the better modifications adopted from the competition circuits of the day.

Magwells were added to facilitate faster reloads, and front straps checkered for a positive grip. Improved sights were added for better visibility, whether fixed or an adjustable rear seated into the slide for protection (Bo-Mar style). Match barrels and bushings were installed to improve accuracy, and better grips sourced from Pachmayer or other period sources.

Put it all together and tune it to work by someone who knows their business, and SOF operators had an effective CQB method of projecting US power abroad, 230 grains at a time.

The MAC JSOC recreates the SF 1911’s from this era, before night sights, optic cuts and polymer became the norm. Starting with a hammer forged frame and slide treated with a rugged QPQ finish, the JSOC adds a magwell with flat mainspring housing checkered to match the front strap of the frame. The ambi safety is larger but suited for carry. A stainless match barrel and bushing fill out the slide, cut with a lowered and flared ejection port to better pass the brass. Period sights top it all off, with a high-visibility brass bead front and a Bo-Mar-style adjustable rear set into the slide to protect the sight blade. MAC added magwell-cut grips on their rendition, despite the originals sporting standard grips. There are no MIM parts in the JSOC, it is cut from steel and wood in its entirety.

This was the high-water mark for a Gunfighter rocking a .45 ACP in the late 80’s and 90’s, and it remains relevant to this day. Like its predecessors, the JSOC has a minimum of modifications that were specifically chosen to enhance performance in the field – accuracy, reliability, and speed of employment. It is not a match or competition gun, nor is it particularly eye catching. The JSOC is like the A-10 Warthog of 1911’s – built to do the hard things in hard places and bring the operator home. If performance based on hard-earned lessons piques your interest, then you should take a closer look at the MAC JSOC (MH-6 Little Bird not included).