I
am not talking about nuking Iran or moving the fleet. But I am
very interested in the new military handgun selection process.
The news that the establishment may adopt a new handgun has been
met with intense interest. More than a few makers have tooled up
for a special model for the military tests. Heckler and Koch
and Glock are reportedly developing new versions of
existing pistols. I admit to a certain excitement because after
all I am a handgunner above all else. My police and life
experience indicates the pistol can be a very important
defensive weapon, although it is less important to the military.
When teaching military men and women to handle the handgun, I
stress that using the handgun should be avoided. Always use the
rifle or a grenade if possible, but if caught with nothing but
the pistol then we go with what we know.
Whether
I regard the issue pistols as the best or the worst available,
my advice is the same - rely upon the long gun and master the
pistol as best you can. Just the same - if you need a handgun,
you need it badly. At issue is the caliber of the handgun
presently used. I have little use for the 9mm cartridge for
personal defense. With ball (non-expanding) ammunition, the best
reports are that 9mm ball produces a one shot stop about half of
the time, or fifty per cent effective in common vernacular. The Police
Marksman’s Association conducted a respectable survey over
a decade ago that many felt was more realistic than any other
ever attempted. The PMA found that 9mm and .38 Special ball were
effective in stopping a felon about one time in four - for
twenty five per cent effectiveness. Couple this with a design
hard to use well, and we have a serious deficit in combat
effectiveness.
The
caliber is one issue, but the double action first shot of the
service pistol is also a problem. I have trained peace officers
who qualify four times a year. They have a difficult time
mastering the Beretta’s double action first shot. (So
do officers issued the Smith and Wesson and to a lesser
extent, the SIG.) Double action pistols often produce a
sympathetic reaction in the lower fingers that makes a good grip
and good first shot accuracy very difficult. The double action
first shot pistol is a triumph of the technical over the
tactical. First shot hit probability, coupled with once a year
qualification, is a poor recipe for success.
I
doubt any type of double action first shot pistol will be
adopted by the military again. While Heckler and Koch and SIG
have offerings, the new pistol will probably be either a safe
action or a single action. SIG has a P 220 single action
converted pistol. The frame is of the type designed to
accommodate a double action trigger. The finger lies above the
trigger guard and arcs down to move the trigger to the rear in a
double action. The single action P 220 features a single action
only trigger and a safety that does not lock the slide. While
now a single action the pistol maintains the high bore axis that
allows greater muzzle flip than the 1911. This lash up simply
takes a good double action type and makes it a very much also
ran in the single action game. While it is a .45 and SIG is a
reliable action this pistol is far from ideal. A locked slide is
a great advantage when the pistol is being holstered.
HK
has hedged their bests with pistols that have a "cocked and
locked" feature. This is fine as far as it goes, but the
pistol lacks the ergonomics of a true single action pistol. This
leaves us with the Glock or a 1911.
There are variations on either theme. The single action
handling and slide lock and grip safety of the 1911 are
advantages in hard use, but the Glock’s simplicity is also an
advantage. Either type features only one trigger action to
learn. Each has rapid trigger reset. Each type has a low bore
axis that makes for little muzzle flip. The pistols have proven
reliable. I had rather have the 1911, but the Glock requires
less maintenance. The Glock features a very simple manual of
arms. Load, holster, draw, fire. The pistol requires very little
maintenance. The Glock is perceived as the more modern handgun.
The Glock is not as compatible with small hands as the 1911, but
there are advances in Glock frame design that may address this
problem. And the .45 Glock is a high capacity pistol.
I
am a 1911 man through and through, but respect the Glock. The
1911 is the handgun for a professional whose primary weapon is
the handgun. For those who primary weapon is the rifle, the
Glock looks good. Tactical doctrine states that the simpler a
backup weapon is the better. There should be a minimum of action
required to get the piece into action.
That was the original criteria set forth by German
national police that gave us the SIG P 220 double action pistol.
There are no external safeties with the SIG, only safety
features. The Glock is even simpler.
The
features we need in a combat pistol are subject to some
discussion, but some attributes are not debatable. Reliability
is foremost. Ergonomics and human engineering are vital. But the
ability to stop a determined attack with a minimum of well
placed shots is most important, and the present service handgun
is lacking in this regard. The present service handgun is also
among the most difficult of handguns to use well quickly under
stress. Despite this on many occasions our young warriors have
performed beyond all expectation.
But our warriors deserve a pistol worthy of their
courage. They need a .45 automatic. If the pistol chosen is a
high quality modern 1911 that would be fine. The pistol should
have a modern Teflon based finish to handle maintenance and
lubrication issues - it need not be lubricated at all with such
a finish. The Bearcoat finish used by so many of us here
in America, including those on special teams, has given the
author excellent service. If we are not to have a 1911, then
good work can be done with the Glock. The new small receiver
Glock 21 may solve the hand size problem, and the piece is
reliable and accurate. In my experience the Glock 21 is the most
accurate of all Glocks, and a relatively soft kicking .45
automatic.
Only
time will tell...but these are my thoughts.
Postscript
-
There
have been reports of the Glock 22 .40 in action in Iraq and they
seem to be true, however, this is simply the result of select
budget teams ordering what they wish. I admit the thought is
interesting. The .40 should be much more effective than the 9mm
and the .40 has excellent tactical penetration - more so than
the .45. But the chances of a pistol being adopted using
ammunition not already in the pipeline is slim to none. The 6.8
rifle program seems for all intents and purposes dead on the
vine and the .45 program seems prone to fits and starts. Time
will tell.
Military
Ammunition -
Military
ammunition must have high quality, a sealed and crimped primer,
consistency in all climatic conditions, and above all
reliability. It is no surprise that much of the ammunition I
test is not suitable for military issue. I think that a shining
example of top quality ammunition is Black Hills. They
have acquired several contracts for match grade rifle ammunition
and the ammunition - including the now legendary 5.56mm 77 grain
open tip - has performed splendidly in every battle.
Twenty
years or so ago the military looked at Hornady’s 124
grain flat point 9mm and conducted a general test of an old
concept. The Luger was originally designed to feed a truncated
cone bullet and today Hornady carries on with a similar flat
point design. Colonel Jeff
Cooper’s first choice in a load for his 1911 was the
Hornady 230 grain flat point .45. Would the 9mm perform better
on animate targets with the Hornady flat point? Of course it
would. But if we adopt a new .45 there is no reason to adopt the
old round nose load. I vote for the Hornady 230 grain FP. Of
course, we are fighting terrorists, not soldiers, and the
degenerates we now face are not protected by the Geneva
Convention as far as the use of hollow point bullets goes. I
think that the XTP might be a good choice. But I am simply
commenting on choices, just give our boys and girls a good .45
and good ball ammo.
R.K. Campbell
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