May 17, 2003
AR15.COM Forums thread: USMC after-action gear assessment
Thanks to my friend Steve Pegram for passing along this incredibly interesting thread on the AR15.com Forums: "USMC after-action gear assessment". Pay particular attention to the reports on the adequacy of 5.56mm vs 7.62mm carbine/rifle ammunition, and the spectacular satisfaction of operators with their M16 & (especially) M4 carbines.
Especially interesting is a point I've known all along: a lot of issue military gear quickly gets replaced with individually selected commercial "sporting goods" equivalents, e.g. Panoptx goggles replacing the awful issue crap.
Another interesting point: the M9 pistol still sucks. It should be replaced with the Glock or whatever the individual soldier wishes to otherwise carry.
Posted by Russell Whitaker at May 17, 2003 11:16 AM | TrackBackI'll address the point about the individual soldier later (I'm getting ready to run out now), but as for the 9mm thing, I can't disagree more... why? The .40S&W is a vastly superior, now widely-available American replacement for the obsolete 9mm.
It's interesting to note that individual operators, when they have a choice, usually drop the M9 like a hot rock and field a 1911 or a Glock... .45ACP or .40S&W.
Posted by: Russell Whitaker on May 19, 2003 08:57 AMooo rah
Posted by: USMC Force Recon Detach-6 on February 15, 2004 10:28 AMI agree about the M9. I can't for the life of me understand why the military would EVER empoy a 9mm in combat situations. Sure, some people make the argument that the M1911 was too old and feeling its age, but still. I mean, Law Enforcement stateside are often outgunned with their measly 9mm's, can you imagine in a warzone, when a soldier is forced to use this BB Gun of a pistol? Against enemies wielding AK's and God knows what else? It's ludicrous.
At least The Navy had the sense to issue the HK Mark 23 Socom .45 as it's standard-issue sidearm.
I know I'd feel a lot more comfortable carrying a gun that can drop a man with a single slug to the chest, rather than one that'll take 8-9 shots to down my enemy.
