Posted on 01/05/2006 6:42:39 PM PST by strategofr
American troops in Iraq are discovering, through combat experience, that more changes are needed in the type of weapons they should carry. As the U.S. Army Special Forces have discovered, if you are well trained and know what you are doing, you should carry a pistol, in addition to your rifle. But not the official issue 9mm pistol, but something with a bit more stopping power. The Special Forces prefer a new model .45 caliber (11.43mm) pistol, although 10mm weapons are also popular. The reason for this is that you are most likely to be using the pistol indoors, where your target is going to be really close. You want to knock him down quickly, before he can get at you with a knife, or even his hands. Many troops are getting their own pistols, and most commanders have been lenient on this issue. The same applies to shotguns. Although the army and marines have bought a lot of them (the Benelli M4 Combat Shotgun is a particular favorite), there never seem to be enough of them for some units (that spend a lot of time raiding buildings in hostile neighborhoods.)
Some troops also buy high tech electronic sights, when the army or marines has not gotten enough good stuff to equip everyone. Combat troops have also found it useful to learn how to use the AK-47, whose larger bullet has more punch at close range, and is more useful when firing through ceilings and interior walls. Some units collect captured AK-47s, select the ones in the best shape, clean them up and keep them handy for some types of operations. But just knowing the basics of operating an AK-47 is useful knowledge, which you’ll never know when you’ll need.
The troops also appreciated the getting the most realistic urban combat training possible. This included the use of modified (to fire slower bullets that sting, but don’t break the skin) pistols and rifles in “kill houses.” Here, training can be carried out with live ammo. Kill houses are also equipped with vidcams, and the troops particularly like to watch the vids of their performances. Seeing your mistakes apparently makes it easier to correct them.
All of this stuff is old news to the Special Forces, which have been doing all of this for years. But the army and marine grunts are smarter, better trained and better led than at any time in the past. That’s always been the description of the Special Forces, so it’s not surprising that the better quality “regular infantry” are starting to adopt Special Forces techniques.
What a long way we've come from when RA types saw SF as a career-backwater haven for knuckle-dragging cretins who liked to play with knives.
Ithaca used to make a nice 10 guage.
Smart commanders, who care primarily about the well-being of their troops, have always been "lenient" about non-reg weapons. In Southeast Asia, a lot of guys recognized that conditions weren't the best for semi-automatic pistols so a lot of revolvers were more or less smuggled in. I've heard it was best to put in in your bag where the customs guy would find the bottle of liquor first and take that without going any further.
Quality 1911's I'm told. Also HK's, Glocks and Sigs. Heard one guy say he saw a lot of CZ's and liked 'em. I know Ruger just got a military contract for traditional DA's. They're good bang for the buck and made in the USA.
better quality “regular infantry”
Murtha wouldn't fit in here.
Interesting. I believe the .45 became standard issue after the US Army discovered it needed more stopping power to deal with Muslim insurgents in the Phillipines -- about 100 years ago!
Here's a great forum for 1911 discussion. Recommended for anyone thinking about acquiring one. I used it to narrow down and select mine.
http://forum.m1911.org/index.php?
Just curious, but what time frame would that have been?
" Combat troops have also found it useful to learn how to use the AK-47, whose larger bullet has more punch at close range, and is more useful when firing through ceilings and interior walls"
Yea, that's good training, "firing through ceilings and walls". Somehow I thought it was a good idea to be sure of your target.
Benelli... shots 5 shots of any type of 12 gauge ammo less than 1 second.
oops... SHOOTS 5 shots ...
Benelli M4 is a short barrel semi auto. Mossberg 590 is a 21" pipe, 9 shot, already available Parkerized. The DOD issues it for security. Both are alloy receivers, but the Benelli is sold with a pistol grip stock, I recall. On the Mossberg, it is an add on. Plus, the guys are willing to trade magazine capacity for maneuverability.
As far as I'm concerned, as long as I'm paying for it, they can have Benellis if they want.
Yeah. Now they're "COOL" knuckle-dragging cretins who like to play with knives.
Springfield Armory has recently released a XD pistol chambered in .45ACP and .45GAP. Word has it they are pretty sweet and have a 13 + 1 capacity.
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