[D Rider]

...but the discussions also mentioned the difficulty women and “men with small hands” had with using the .45.

Never understood that. I taught my daughters to shoot a handgun with a .45. Both are 5'-2", and they both love the .45. Very, very easy to handle and shoot. Maybe a little noisy.

[Chainmail]

You and I both know that - but the army was looking for any excuse for their inadequate training program.

Anybody can shoot a .45 well with good instruction.