U.S. Army wants a new gun

CNN ^ | Dec. 4, 2014 | Aaron Smith

[Pollster1]

The military (other than perhaps MPs) needs handguns so rarely that the choice is not that important, within reason. They should stick with the 9mm they have to save money, or go back to the .45 ACP 1911 as existing 9mm weapons wear out or are damaged. A “search” for a handgun for soldiers is rather silly.

Now choosing a good combat rifle is a very big deal and is worth the search.

[elcid1970]

When I first qualified with the M1911A1 in 1970, the instructor gripped it with his thumb & forefinger & easily fired it.

IIRC, The Army in the Philippines switched from .38 Colt to .45 Colt revolvers to stop hopped-up Moros. The .45 round’s effectiveness was later incorporated into the .45 ACP.

Anyway, we need to go back to the .45 round. Always thought the H&K USP in .45 ACP was a likely successor to the M9.

[BuffaloJack]

“war fighters” ???
Is that a politically correct term for GI?
Personally, I’d rather be called a GI or even a grunt; “War Fighter” sounds to sissy boy wannabe.

[DCBryan1]

Oh yeah? Hope you and I can team up to stop the next Ferguson rioters. You just pull on the cloth belts to give the 1917 some tension for me will ya? Here they come!

[tumblindice]

"Dang, I can't even start a flame war ... "................... There's no need to fear, Superman is here! If I roll my shoulders, strict isosceles stance and abstain from kryptonite Cheetohs the night before--my CZ 97 is like shooting an airgun.

[Jack Hydrazine]

What we really need is to have our military carrying pistols that can shoot the .50 GI round!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.50_GI

It has similar recoil as a .45 ACP. You can get them anywhere from 185 gr. of weight all the way to 300 gr.!

[JRandomFreeper]

"This side toward enemy" device is what that crowd calls for. Not any kind of firearm.

/johnny

[pallis]

“...people love to cock for dramatic effect.”

I’ve noticed Hollywood is big on having actors cock Glocks.

[Zenjitsuman]

9mm JHP defense rounds are the best out there

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/09/26/fbi-training-division-justifies-9mm-caliber-selection/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2014-09-30&utm_campaign=Weekly+Newsletter

I also have 40s&w pistols, but they have special recoil systems Beretta PX4 Storm has rotary barrel, and H&K P30L has a recoil buffer, both reduce recoil felt by at least 30% making 40S&W almost as easy to hold as 9mm.

I thought of getting a 45acp, but would rather carry 15rounds instead of 8.

[saleman]

I really like Berettas. They are heavy but that makes them very easy to shoot. Pretty much bullet proof. How about an M-9
in .40?

I used to have a Beretta .380, looked like a scaled down version of an M-9. Maybe a “Cougar”. Can’t remember exactly. Lost that one in the “divorce of ‘87”. Heavy as a lot of full sized 9mm but it was a shooter.

[Billthedrill]

I'd love one of those but crikey, three grand for a shootin' arn? Sounds like it hits pretty good, though.

Guncrafter Industries - if any of Santa's little elves are reading this, I've been a very good boy this year. Well, I mean, compared to all the other years. And ignoring June. That wasn't entirely my fault and anyway they told me they deleted the video files.

[Red Badger]

Uzi............................

[DCBryan1]

I carry a Sig 229 most of the time. When not, at Glock 42 pocket rocket.

The most accurate .40 cal I have ever shot was a damn brick. HK P10 I think. The .40 cal version of their awesome, accurate, weird P7 grip-cock pistol. I thought I was shooting all over the target when we realized that I was shooting through the same hole(s). NICE pattern, but was HEAVY, and doubled as a close-combat blunt instrument when you ran out of ammo.

[Dick Bachert]

That .380 would have been the Model 84! Good gun!

[thorvaldr]

“I’ve noticed Hollywood is big on having actors cock Glocks.”

From the amount of Glock cocking you see in the movies, Israeli carry is apparently very popular. I’ve also noticed that very frequently the Foley guy thinks the slide needs to be racked even when the actor doesn’t move his hand off the grip.

[yarddog]

Hollywood loves to do all those things especially rack the pump shotgun for dramatic effect.

I notice it is almost always in a situation where the protagonists would always have a round already chambered for some time. A good example is the bad guys are holding someone at gunpoint. Clearly they would always have a round in the chamber and the hammer cocked.

BTW, I have read somewhere that 9mm is much easier to use some sort of propane device to work the slide and make it appear the gun is firing. That is the reason they use a Star model B instead of a M1911.

It looks like a .45 but is chambered in 9mm. The external extractor is the giveaway. Of course they could just use a 9mm Colt but they must be fairly rare. I once had one.

[pallis]

And after racking that slide, Hollywood likes to show that deadly pinhole of light coming out of the barrel.

[niteowl77]

caliber and ammo loads pale in significance to the ability to hit what you are aiming at with regard to stopping your opponent

So many people who really know handguns have said the same thing for so long that one would hope that it eventually sinks in.

Mr. niteowl77

[CrazyIvan]

Anyway, we need to go back to the .45 round. Always thought the H&K USP in .45 ACP was a likely successor to the M9.

Hadn’t thought about it but I have never fired a .45 other than a 1911. I hear good things about the H&K. I’m a big fan of the .40, but if you’re stuck with ball ammo the .45 makes more sense.

[niteowl77]

Although I don't personally own one, I actually found myself liking the Beretta 92 series, but I'm a civilian. They have been reliable and accurate for me, and I consider them an easy pistol to hit with, especially in the full-size models. I'm not a big fan of slide-mounted safeties/decockers, but a person can train themselves to put up with a great deal; and while I think the 92 is getting long in the tooth, the much more modern Px4 series is not a bad line of pistols.

Mr. niteowl77