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from the next-time-it-will-be-a-light-sabre dept.
The U.S. Army will likely replace its standard-issue sidearm with a Sig Sauer P320 pistol (with undisclosed modifications):
After a long and much-criticized search, the US Army has chosen Sig Sauer to produce its next generation of handgun, eventually replacing the current standard issue sidearm, the Beretta M9 pistol. "Following a thorough operational test, fielding of the modular handgun is expected to begin in 2017," the Army said in a statement announcing the decision Thursday.
The M9's three decades of service since 1985 has occasionally made it the subject of derision among members of the armed forces. "The joke that we had in the military was that sometimes the most effective use of an M9 is to simply throw it at your adversary," Sen. Joni Ernst, a former officer in the Iowa Army National Guard, said last week during the confirmation hearings for Ret. Marine Gen. James Mattis to be secretary of defense. [...] "The Army's effort to buy a new handgun has already taken 10 years and produced nothing but a more than 350-page requirements document micromanaging extremely small unimportant details," Senate Armed Services committee chairman John McCain wrote in a 2015 report on the program's problems.
The Army awarded Sig Sauer Inc. with a $580,217,000 contract. Also at Washington Post, Popular Mechanics, and RT.
More about the Modular Handgun System.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @04:11AM
My experience with handguns goes back decades.
As you stated, a .45's recoil takes some time to expend itself; it's not that it's harsh. I can get off more shots with a 9mm Glock than a 1911 .45 for this reason. If I had larger hands, I could probably bring the 1911's barrel down quicker for that second shot, but I don't. I also dispute your claim that a woman with small hands can more easily hold a 1911 -- the frame is large in other dimensions besides the grip width. A compact pistol like the stubby Glock 9mm with single stack magazine would be even better for smaller hands. A single stack of 9mm is almost always going to be smaller than a single .45 stack magazine.
As for +P ammo, I am not a big fan, but I mentioned them because they are an option for those that want more power from a smaller caliber. Take it to the extreme and you get a .357 Magnum. No thanks. Ouch. But talk about stopping power...
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @08:03AM
If I had larger hands, I could probably bring the 1911's barrel down quicker for that second shot, but I don't.
And this is why the Army cannot go back to the 1911 .45 ACP, The President's hands are too small to take the recoil.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @03:13PM
The joke is lame. Certainly not "Informative." Please do your job, mods, and at least change the categorization.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @05:55PM
Just as a third opinion, the joke did make me laugh, so at least not lame for all audiences.
Although, "informative" does seem like a bad choice for a mod. (Pretty much everyone knows about T's physical, mental and emotional short-comings already).