“It’s a total system replacement — new gun, new ammo, new holster, everything,”
Does this mean NEW to the military,
or NEW, not invented yet?
Oh Oh, we’re going to end up with some ‘green’ ammo, in a caliber unavailable outside the military, while the old familiar stuff, hard to get now, will get even more scarce.
No conspiracy here, folks.
Didn’t we learn this lesson a little over 100 years ago?
“America’s Military Decline began when the switched from a round designed to kill her enemies, to one designed to piss them off. . . “
- John Ringo, “Under a Graveyard Sky”
They could do a lot worse than my Remington 1911 R1, and, they have!
Where's this money coming from???
And I thought Hussein loathed war....Why do we even need guns???
What's wrong with the nine mm??
The problem is not the 9mm pistol, but the 9mm ball ammo that they are required to use under the Geneva Convention.
I knew a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima. He said that he saw Japanese soldiers shot with .45’s and .357 magnums. He preferred the .357.
In my tales from the hood as a police officer I saw people shot and killed with .45 (one shot) .357 (one shot) and .22 long rifle (one shot), all chest shots. All were very close range. With the .45 and .357 death was nearly instantaneous. The .22 nicked the bad guys heart and he bled out in about 5 to 10 minutes after running about 2 blocks.
Also was at the scene when a woman stacked 3 of her sleeping kids on top of each other, put a Glock .40 (stolen) to the top kids chest and pulled the trigger. Went through and killed all 3.
My worthless 2 cent contribution. I prefer the .357.
Marine M45 pistols 80,000 rounds during pre-deployment training and deployment. At the end of the deployment, they are returned to the armorers of Quantico’s Precision Weapons Section for a complete checkout and overhaul as necessary. (One WW2 produced M1911A1 pistol frame has lasted through over more than 500,000 rounds.)
In recent years the Marines have evaluated commercial equivalents of the M1911A1. Discovering that the Los Angeles Police Department was pleased with their special Kimber-made M1911 pistols, a single source request was issued to Kimber Manufacturing for a similarly built pistol. Kimber produced a limited number of the Interim Close Quarters Battle pistol (ICQB). Maintaining the simple recoil assembly, 5-inch barrel (though using a stainless steel match grade barrel), and internal extractor, the ICQB is not much different from Browning's original design. The final units as issued to MCSOCOM Det-1 are the Kimber ICQBs with SureFire Integrated Military Pistol Light, a Dawson precision rail, a Gemtech Tactical Retention Lanyards, modified Safariland 6004 holsters, Simonich G10 Gunner Grips, and Wilson Combat's 8-round magazines. Tritium Novak LoMount sights replaced the originals which were made in-house by the Marines.
Due to wear and tear of the MEU(SOC) pistols and increasing numbers of Marine personnel in Marine Force Recon and MARSOC, the U.S. Marines are looking commercially for replacements. Marine Corps Systems Command announced February 17, 2005, that it was going to purchase 150 Springfield Armory Professional Model pistols for use as MEU(SOC) pistols. This is the same pistol used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation SWAT and Hostage Rescue Teams; however, it had previously been rejected for adoption as the ICQB.
Despite the planned purchase of the commercial pistols, Marine Corps Systems Command has continued to solicit parts to build additional MEU(SOC) pistols. In 2010, requirements were once more issued for an off-the-shelf system to replace the custom-built pistols. Three pistols were offered to the USMC as a replacement for current M45 Pistols. Colt offered a modified version of their O1980RG (Rail Gun) pistol, which is derived from their existing XSE line of 1911-style pistols with a desert sand-colored surface treatment and Novak night sights. Springfield Armory entered a variant of the full-sized Loaded MC Operator M1911A1 pistol with a military-standard 1913 rail, tritium night sights and finished with a two-tone black slide with an olive-drab green frame. The third entry from Karl Lippard Designs, a Colorado Springs-based arms maker, was called the Close Quarter Battle Pistol: an M1911A1-style pistol, built using S7 tool steel and a large number of proprietary components including accessory rail, grip safety, and sights.
On July 20, 2012, the Colt 1911 Rail Gun was selected and won a contract to initially deliver 4,000 pistols for MARSOC and MEU (SOC) forces. The pistol was re-designated the M45A1 Close Quarter Battle Pistol (CQBP) and up to 12,000 will be delivered. The Colt design is considered an upgrade of the previous pistol, not an entirely new design.
Active Duty ping.
Here's what you need to do to turn a so-so G.I. pistol into a fighting weapon.
1. The issue sights must go. Replace them with 3-dot or Millet white outline high visibility sights. Tritium sights are nice, if you can afford them, but not mandatory.
2. Get a trigger job that produces a crisp 3.5-4.5 pound pull.
3. Replace the sloppy, G.I. stamped short trigger with a National Match type that has an over travel stop screw. Trigger over travel after the sear disengages the hammer is probably the biggest contributor to inaccuracy in a .45. The NM trigger paired with a good trigger job does wonders for your shooting and builds confidence.
4. Replace the standard M1911 ejector with the extended Combat Commander ejector. Ejection jams, including stovepipes, will become extinct.
5. Replace the G.I. plastic or wooden grips with Pachmayr “Classic” neoprene grips. The pistol will no longer squirm about in your lands due to skin oil and sweat.
6. Check your pistil for a good barrel-slide lockup. Install a barrel that locks positively into the slide. You may have to do some fitting and change the barrel link. Do NOT use a bulged muzzle that requires a collet-type barrel bushing. (You've introduced two non-standard parts — the collet barrel bushing and bulged muzzle barrel — if you add these parts.)
7. If you must refinish the pistol, never blue the parts. At minimum get it manganese phosphated (”Parkerized’). Alternatively, a baked-on epoxy coating will stand lots of abuse. Metacol III, Gunkote, Duracoat, or CeraKote are examples of these spray-on and bake coatings.
8. Install a Wolff spring kit so all your springs will be refreshed with new ones.
Once your G.I. .45 has gotten this tune-up, you'll have a real “go to war” pistol.
Hmmm, a harder hitting, proven combat pistol for putting down crazy muzzie warriors.
If I keep thinking, I’ll get it. It sounds familiar....
The 9 mil Beretta is a post Cold War sidearm. We (Army) were still being issued M1911s into the mid 90s.
The odd thing is Special Forces and Chopper pilots would never rely on that boat anchor alone. The MP 5 is a good primary and the .45 is always a good deterrent.
An Israel officer and combat veteran of many campaigns was asked what he thought about the Americans switch from the .45 ACP to the 9x19 Parabellum round. The Israel thought a moment and replied:
“The 9mm is adequate for the job; it only takes four hits on the bad guy to put him down.” [Unsaid was the .45 ACP got the job done more efficiently and with fewer hits.]
Yep, .45acp ping. Although I prefer the Sig P-220, I like the .45acp. Truth be known, I like the .45 Colt just as much.
Nothing beats the 1911 .45 cal. One shot, end of story.