An Open Letter To Members of Congress from Col. David Hackworth

WorldNewsDaily.com ^ | July 9, 2002 | Col. David Hackworth

[jjm2111]

I personally don't go for the caliber flame wars. SOME people are two small to handle the recoil of the .45. Some people just don't like the way the caliber handles. Me I get along w/ both just fine. I feel shoot the biggest you can control.

[Shooter 2.5]

One of the stories I read was about a soldier in WW1 who experienced true "knockdown power" with a luger.
He had found a dead German officer and removed his gunbelt. When he did so, another German jumped and startled him. He swung the gun belt and hit the soldier upside the head, knocking him out.

[300winmag]

As far as standardizing with NATO, screw it. These are American, not French, troops we're talking about.

Just about all the elite troops in NATO, except for the Fr*nch, who don't have any elite, have access to some form of .45ACP handgun or another. They know what works best.

Most handguns issued in the military are either a badge of rank, or something that is only used as a last-ditch defensive weapon. Most 9mms will never be fired in combat. Rangers, SEALS, SF, etc. go looking for trouble, and know the .45 gives them the best chance of coming back.

Not every .45 is right for everyone, but there are so many fine handguns in .45 out there that at least one has got to be right. For me, the Glock in .45 is more comfortable and shoots better than a M1911 type. The slicked-up Kimbers, etc, are works of art, and I might buy one for target shooting. For serious work, the Glock is all I need. Your mileage may vary.

While we're talking close-up killing, what's the status on shotguns? .45 is fine, but nothing beats #4 buckshot from a 12GA. I'd rather have one guy with a Mossberg back me up than two with even the elegant MP5.

Issue the Berettas to female MPs, and give everyone else a modern .45.

[harpseal]

There is a Geneva Convention that limits the use of fragmenting ammunition in rifles and pistols. I am unsure of the exact protocol. Thus our troops are restricted to using ball ammunition. I for one would be very happy to see the US military adopt a new .45acp design or re-adopt the model 1911A1 for its standard sidearm.

Stay well - Stay safe - stay armed - Yorktown

[norton]

Oddly enough,
Me too,
and
I'm a 1911/.45 freak.
But
when I grab something to take along,
it's that old, cheap, heavy barrel, Ruger

[invenire]

"be following in the footsteps of a legend? "

True enough,it's been said a 9mm is a .45 set on stun!

If you gotta have one and only one handgun,let it be the .45acp.

Granted, it might not feel right in effeminate hands,and another possible reason for the switch, it is the best.

Once saw a picture of an obese fellow shot 32 times with 9mm before being neutralized.

Check HERE

[Joe Brower]

I've heard firearms referred to as the simplest for of internal combustion engine, with the bullet acting as the piston. Just like engines, "there is no replacement for displacement".

When limited by rules of engagement to hardball ammo only, this rule is especially true.

I've also heard it said, and I agree with it, that "a 9mm is a .45 set on stun".

[harpseal]

I always liked the following description of 9mm.

Three eighty long.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Shooter 2.5]

"SOME people are two small to handle the recoil of the .45. Some people just don't like the way the caliber handles.

Urban legend. I instructed some Boy Scouts a couple of weeks ago and the average age was thirteen. With full house loads they were only getting a two inch muzzle flip and hitting or coming darn close. There was only one boy that was having trouble and I noticed he didn't listen to a thing I said.

[RISU]

I have used the 45 in combat, and during my one opportunity for glory during an up close and personal event, the weapon jammed by closing on an ejecting brass shell casing and functioned no more. (I didn't "notice" it had stopped going off, and proceeded to get myself laced with 29 holes until someone with a real gun showed up to save me!)

I do agree that the pistol has more impact than one of those pretty pistols like the walther, barreta, etc. but it is easy to jam up, especially when the spring in the magazine clip is weakened my constant compression as you carry it in the feild.

Besides which, you can't hit a damn thing with it unless you are really expert and constantly on the range, and no one in combat has the itme for that stuff.

The opportunities to use a pistol in combat are very few. When it gets that "close" you are already is serious doodoo one way or another.

So, if I had it to do over again (and I wouldn't go there knowing what I know about that stuff!) I would carry a revolver. You really only need a shot or two when you need to pop your sidearm, and the revolver is easier to maintain and much easier to shoot accurately.

I think a new "US ARMY 45 cal revolver" would be just about right about 90% of the time.

[Gargantua]

The 1911/.45 is my second choice. It'll never jam if you're using quality rounds, and you can practically clear a forest with one. But I like a gun with a cylinder, and no "safety."

For some (quite possibly perverse) reason, I just feel safer.

[FreedomPoster]

I've got a Glock 9mm -- should I buy the .22 conversion kit for it and get a real gun? I've read good articles about the 1911 .45.

The military is limited to ball ammo. You aren't. 9mm is a reasonably good stopper with good quality hollow points. A .45 is probably better, but you've narrowed the gap considerably. It's probably more important that you be confident you can hit that at which you aim. The stopping power of a miss is exactly zero, a fact that often gets forgotten in caliber flame wars.

[Joe Brower]

"Three eighty long."

Hah-hah! I'll have to remember that one!

[danneskjold]

I actually prefer the Glock 9 to the .45. Both are excellent handguns.

[blau993]

Your late wife had good taste. Elegant simplicity and all the power needed to make the bad guy FDGB.

The SAs are fun to blast away with, but the one I want in my hand when it is for real is my nice, low tech 357.

[donozark]

Give the Brits back the FN FAL (instead of that "Edsel," the SA-80). Give GIs back the venerable .45, or at least a reliable niner. Then call the Engineers...

[andy_card]

Just about all the elite troops in NATO, except for the Fr*nch, who don't have any elite, have access to some form of .45ACP handgun or another. They know what works best.

Actually, the French have one of the very best elite forces in the world, the GIGN. According to their website they use a "Manurhin MR-73 8' en calibre 44 magnum." You shouldn't need any help with the translation. The GIGN are the guys who succesfully stormed the Air France plane back in 1996, after they discovered that the terrorists who had hijacked it were planning on flying it into the Eiffel Tower.

[bandleader]

I have e-mailed Col.Hackworth about re-instating the 1911 .45acp as"The Sidearm"for our military.The response that I got wasn't all that positive.He indicated to me that he really didn't like the venerable 1911 all that much!!Which is it Hack??????????/

[bandleader]

Hey,You don't have to tell me,I've got 3 .45ACP's.Two 1911's and a Colt Defender.

[harpseal]

I used to kid her that she had exellent taste, which was true, so how did she wind up with a broken down old frog instead of a handsome price.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown