Air Force purchasing their own handgun

[ChuckMK23]

The Air Force has announced it won't wait for any sort of joint service handgun initiative to replace the M9 series 9mm weapons - instead it released an RFP specifying a bulk purchase of a commercial handgun with a base caliber of .45.

This will be interesting - and I wonder if other services will follow suit.

You can read the whole story here:

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/04/airforce_handgun_request_070419w/

 

[VetteMuscle427]

This will be interesting. Anyone want to take bets that they will screw it up?

 

[snake020]

Great, another handgun they won't give us range time on.

 

[A4sForever]

Good for the AF ... won't be the first time they've done this .... and who could know??? The AF ????

Curtis LeMay had an affinity for his "own" brand of S&W .38 "airweights" marked for AF use (VERY valuable and collectible today) and the AR-15 might not have progressed had he not blessed it for SAC security force use in 1960 ...

 

[Single Seat]

Now if they could just figure out a way to secure an AR to the side of an ejection seat. Sig P226 we carry aint bad, wish we had 45's though.

 

[statesman]

Sig P226 we carry aint bad, wish we had 45's though.

I was under the impression that aviators carried M9s...


Also I hope the AF decides to move towards a pistol based on the Browning action... or something that has a favorable service record. My personal opinion of the M9 is not high at all. My vote would be for an HK, but I guess thats because Im somewhat of an HK fan boy.

 

[Pugs]

I was under the impression that aviators carried M9s...

At least ejection seat types carry the M11 aka the Sig P226. A heck of a lot better than the five shot .38 we were once "issued". For the most part in ODS most of us carried our own (with wink wink nudge nudge blessing of leadership). With the Sig I felt no need to tote my own again.

 

[Skeet]

Good move by the Air Farce. Special ops already carry the weapon.

And I don't f*uck with the joes.

 

[NozeMan]

The military's M11 pistol is actually a Sig P228, not a 226. It is the more compact version of the 226 with a slightly shorter barrel and shorter height, hence the 13-rd capacity vs. the 226's 15. For those of use who own/have owned the P229, it is very similar to the 228/M11 except it is a bit wider and designed to fire .40/.357 sig as well.

It's interesting to see a branch going it's own way in terms of caliber....but as far as outfitting all units who need pistols, HK would be ridiculous. They are way freaking over priced. It'd be neat if they bought Sig 220s, though, a nice weapon. Glock makes quality .45s as well.

With regards to the Browing action....not every quality .45 is based on the 1911. Sig and Glock, hell, even Springfield Armory have proven that.

 

[A4sForever]

What's REALLY "interesting" to me is seeing all the U.S. services lusting after a ".45 ACP anything" ... it's especially sweet when one considers our decades long dalliance, NATO/Euro-trash inspired, wandering in the "wonder-nine" wilderness of pistols.

I (and many others) could say "I told you so" ... but I won't.

Ahhhhh ..... The more things change ....

 

[corvairdroptop]

I did a qual with the M11 and believe I would have done better with the Beretta (that's my story, sticking to it). I was told that the police on base were using them, which surprised me. I didn't think they had much of a need for such a compact weapon.

With regards to the Browing action....not every quality .45 is based on the 1911. Sig and Glock, hell, even Springfield Armory have proven that.

How many of the 1911 clones are actually based on the original Colt design? Plenty of companies make one that is referred to as a 1911...but are they made under license? Are the close enough to have interchangeable parts or do they simply call it a 1911 because it incorporates design similarities?

...and what's the deal with that Super Hornet...

 

[HueyCobra8151]

I don't think the military will be jumping up and down to pick up a Glock pistol anytime soon - they have big hangups about external safety switches.

 

[VetteMuscle427]

How many of the 1911 clones are actually based on the original Colt design? Plenty of companies make one that is referred to as a 1911...but are they made under license? Are the close enough to have interchangeable parts or do they simply call it a 1911 because it incorporates design similarities?

For the most part everything is interchangable. There are some small differences in brands... like internal safeties <if they are present> etc. But I recently pulled out the ILS from my Springfield 1911 and replaced it with Kimber parts.

 

[Single Seat]

I don't think the military will be jumping up and down to pick up a Glock pistol anytime soon - they have big hangups about external safety switches.

Interesting. Seeing as how the Sigs we carry don't have a safety.

I did a qual with the M11 and believe I would have done better with the Beretta (that's my story, sticking to it). I was told that the police on base were using them, which surprised me. I didn't think they had much of a need for such a compact weapon.

It's not the arrows, it's the indian. I actually shot better with the M11 than I did with that crappy Beretta. 374 out of 400 as opposed to 322.

 

[statesman]

How many of the 1911 clones are actually based on the original Colt design? Plenty of companies make one that is referred to as a 1911...but are they made under license? Are the close enough to have interchangeable parts or do they simply call it a 1911 because it incorporates design similarities?

It is my understanding, and someone correct me if I am wrong, but they don't need to be produced under license because the patent ran out on them a couple of years back. And by a couple I mean around 1918.