Watchman1982
Registered User
what is the standard issue for sidearms? and who carries them? also, do you get to choose an alternate sidearm?
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Sidearms
- Thread starter Watchman1982
- Start date
Generally it's the M11 Sig 228, but there are also some M9 Beretta 92Fs floating around, mostly in the Army. For aviators, you'll carry one when you're flying over indian country and if you're deployed to a hostile fire/combat zone like Iraq or Afghanistan. I've heard sea stories about people having their own weapons, but I've never seen it myself. There's really no reason or much room in your gear to carry anything more.Watchman1982 said:
Brett
There was good reason in 90/91 but once the Sig's came in and the .38's
went away no reason at all to do so. About half of VAQ-141 carried their own during ODS (with the blessing of our CAG "Fox" Fallon). Rick Morgan wrote a pretty funny story about it in Hook a couple years later. For my part I carried a Browning Hi-Power, my pilot carried a .40 cal Glock, another ECMO the .38 and the other ECMO (our token jg) the .38 but he wouldn't load it because "loaded guns are dangerous"
went away no reason at all to do so. About half of VAQ-141 carried their own during ODS (with the blessing of our CAG "Fox" Fallon). Rick Morgan wrote a pretty funny story about it in Hook a couple years later. For my part I carried a Browning Hi-Power, my pilot carried a .40 cal Glock, another ECMO the .38 and the other ECMO (our token jg) the .38 but he wouldn't load it because "loaded guns are dangerous"
We learned on snub nose .38s (late 80s) ..we were issued .45s (early 90's)....then we went to Beretta 92FS' (later in 90's).
We did a squadron buy of guns prior to Gulf War 1 with an LT who had a FFL. I got a Glock 19 which I flew with and a Beretta 92SB Type M. Still got both of them.
We used our own weapons until our first port call in the gulf at which time we had to lock them in a lock boax for the armory to store...So of course Navy armorers are all gun nuts. They crack open the boax and start playing with everyones guns...then they saw our ammo..Black Talon, hollow points, etc... The sh!t hit the fan.
We ended up not being able to use any of our own weapons as we would have had to have ball ammo only. Damn it.
So we carried the .45s. Our armorers would only let us load 5 rounds in the clip. Wouldn't want to "wear out the springs" they cost 10 cents. Holy crap. I'd check out a pistol and 4 magazines of 5 and reload the mags in the paraloft the way I wanted them.
"Wouldn't want to wear out the springs." YGTBSM
We did a squadron buy of guns prior to Gulf War 1 with an LT who had a FFL. I got a Glock 19 which I flew with and a Beretta 92SB Type M. Still got both of them.
We used our own weapons until our first port call in the gulf at which time we had to lock them in a lock boax for the armory to store...So of course Navy armorers are all gun nuts. They crack open the boax and start playing with everyones guns...then they saw our ammo..Black Talon, hollow points, etc... The sh!t hit the fan.
We ended up not being able to use any of our own weapons as we would have had to have ball ammo only. Damn it.
So we carried the .45s. Our armorers would only let us load 5 rounds in the clip. Wouldn't want to "wear out the springs" they cost 10 cents. Holy crap. I'd check out a pistol and 4 magazines of 5 and reload the mags in the paraloft the way I wanted them.
"Wouldn't want to wear out the springs." YGTBSM
B
Blutonski816
Guest
Brett327 said:
nobody's perfect...
hahaha....
Well, to further the story on that cruise we had an 0-4 show up with his wife's pistol and ammo she gave him. Night one of ODS we're getting ready to walk and he ask's "Pugs why won't this ammo go in the magazine?" Well Thumper it's because your wife's pistol is a .380 and she gave you 9mm ammo. Think she's trying to tell ya something? For background his wife was a lot younger and lot cuter than any middle age guy deserved.
I think in general Naval Aviation is getting more formal about defensive sidearms for crews. Finally. The practical merits lean more towards force protection than towards the escape and evade scenario. During ODS I insisted that out det pilots and aircrew fly armed anywhere in theatre. The scenario being you land somewhere remotely in an Arab country and some nut sees the stars and bars on your airplane and wants to hurt you or your aircraft. It was comforting at the mnimum.
1911's with 5 magazines at issue. Condition 3 - magazine in weapon, no round in the chamber. Worked great. Seal Team 2 on the USNS Joshua Humphreys was all 9mm and they gave us pallets of .45 to practice with in exchange for helping them "acquire" some nomex gear through the sneaky efforts of our trusty det AK1.
We had letters in our NATOPS jackets authorizing carrying of sidearms anywhere in CENTCOM AOR and I cc'd the ships armory so everyone knew the rules. worked like a charm. That said if we were in the heart of Egypt and some nut case local tried to commandeer our aircraft and said nut case found himself shot , we were covered.
1911's with 5 magazines at issue. Condition 3 - magazine in weapon, no round in the chamber. Worked great. Seal Team 2 on the USNS Joshua Humphreys was all 9mm and they gave us pallets of .45 to practice with in exchange for helping them "acquire" some nomex gear through the sneaky efforts of our trusty det AK1.
We had letters in our NATOPS jackets authorizing carrying of sidearms anywhere in CENTCOM AOR and I cc'd the ships armory so everyone knew the rules. worked like a charm. That said if we were in the heart of Egypt and some nut case local tried to commandeer our aircraft and said nut case found himself shot , we were covered.
