Which cartridge?

[GBullet]

We've been debating the U.S. Army's pistol cartridge. Which cartridge should they use?

[Half elf]

IIRC the Israelis dont even issue a pistol, preffering to use that weight for a couple of grenades, or a extra cantenn. The pistol is a back up, and with the new M-4 and the PDW's they have it is almost a anachronism. My pref for the 9mm is due to the higher mag capacity involved as well as lower recoil which is a consideration when most recruits now a days get introduced to firearms at basic and that is the total of their shooting experiences.

[andy]

The pistol has such a tiny role in military that the 9mm will do just fine. Also, in ball format, there's little if any difference in performance in 9mm or .45, and the .40 would no do better, and just bust up the guns that much sooner. 10mm is out of the question, for the same reason that the FBI dropped it. 357 Sig is little, if any better than the 10mm, for the same reasons. Hard on guns and shooters, little, if any performance increase with ball ammo

[RIKA]

I would go back to the 45acp. The Marines and Spec Op units have a good reason for choosing that cartridge over the others. I actually prefer the recoil of the 45acp over the 9mm because it isn't as sharp.

RIKA

[84 C4]

IIRC the Israelis dont even issue a pistol, preffering to use that weight for a couple of grenades, or a extra cantenn. The pistol is a back up, and with the new M-4 and the PDW's they have it is almost a anachronism. My pref for the 9mm is due to the higher mag capacity involved as well as lower recoil which is a consideration when most recruits now a days get introduced to firearms at basic and that is the total of their shooting experiences.


I'd have to disagree, the new carbines and PDWs are great but situations can still arise where a pistol would be handy. Such as if the main firearm becomes disabled, becomes lost after a cuncussion from an explosive, and a few others. I personally believe that having more guns is better, besides, a pistol with around 3 or 4 mags doesn't weigh too much.

[stevenms2008]

i prefer 9mm but .45 for SF

[andy]

depending upon the pistol and the ammo, 4 mags, pouches, and holster can mean 5 lbs, WAY too much. If you need more than 15 rds out of your pistol, onlyluck is going to save you. if you need more than 8 rds without a reload (ie, having cover) only luck can save you. You are either missing too often, or you have too many enemies, or both.

[brass hammer]

i think this is a kick-ass thread you started brother G-BULLET!

i voted on the 'new wave' and went with the 5.7x28 as for[1] it is a ****in' sizzlier' and a hole is a hole![shot placement]
another, is AMMO capacity/amount [1] 'leg' could field


i love LIGHT/FAST

i love SLOW/HEAVY

my, god! i'm truly greatful i'm NOT CONFUSED! :D

[glynn]

The high velocity doesn't do a thing for extending your effective range. The limiting factor is the shooter's inability to adeauately hold and control the trigger, not the gun's lack of grouping ability or the rd's trajectory. nobody has ever proven the abilty to reliably do better than hitting the 10" chest circle at 25 yds (while actually being shot at) and missing the chest at 5 yds is abysmally commonplace. This is true even amongst guys with proven ability to hit the chest at 50 yds, in slowfire practice, using ear protection. Combat type shooting, without ear protection, is far, far more difficult. Guys kid themselves about it a lot, but that's all they are doing, fantasizing. When it's for real, if you can keep 90%+ of your shots on the chest, at 10 lousy yds, you will be among the utmost elite of handgunners. That's a fact, jack.

[Abominable No-Man]

.40 S&W - best of both worlds.

[glynn]

how you figure? It lacks the velocity of the 90 gr 9mm, and without a jhp, it will do less than .45 ball, in flesh. it's got the handicap of both worlds, without the jhp. The military won't use the jhp, ya know. The 9 wins, bascially, cause at least it's lighter and more compact, and does just as "well" as .45 in ball configuration. .45 ball hit to chest wont reliably stop even a housecat, no bs. try it, you'll see.