Posted on 01/29/2006 11:14:04 AM PST by John Jorsett
After two decades of use, the U.S. Department of Defense is getting rid of its Beretta M9 9mm pistol, and going back to the 11.4mm (.45 caliber) weapon. There have been constant complaints about the lesser (compared to the .45) hitting power of the 9mm. And in the last few years, SOCOM (Special Operations Command) and the marines have officially adopted .45 caliber pistols as “official alternatives” to the M9 Beretta. But now SOCOM has been given the task of finding a design that will be suitable as the JCP (Joint Combat Pistol). Various designs are being evaluated, but all must be .45 caliber and have a eight round magazine (at least), and high capacity mags holding up to 15. The new .45 will also have a rail up top for attachments, and be able to take a silencer. Length must be no more than 9.65 inches, and width no more than 1.53 inches.
The M1911 .45 caliber pistol that the 9mm Beretta replaced in 1985, was, as its nomenclature implied, an old design. There are several modern designs out there for .45 caliber pistols that are lighter, carry more ammo and are easier to maintain than the pre-World War I M1911 (which is actually about a century old, as a design). The Department of Defense plans to buy 645,000 JCPs.
SOCOM will, with input from other branches, handle the evaluation and final selection. This will take place this year, and if the military moves with unaccustomed alacrity, troops could start getting their JCPs next year. But don’t hold your breath.
Smartest move they have made in years!
Just change the bullet to a hollow point and the 9mm would do the trick.
Would not trade my M1911 .45 for another gun, period.
Are they going to sell the old nines?
Last time I fired an M1911 .45 I couldn't have killed myself with a shot to the temple it was so inaccurate. I'd keep the Beretta, unless they're coming out with an new/accurate .45 design.
Uh oh. A camel is a horse designed by committee.
Yeah, but the 9mm would still have a problem going through multiple layers of clothing, unless maybe it were a 357Sig cartidge.
'Bout damn time!
Seems to me that a .357 SIG or .40 would be better.
Lighter ammo, higher capacity, and heck of a punch.
Flatter shooting, too.
Your gun must have been a piece of garbage. My Kimber .45 is extremely accurate.
For what you paid for it, it better be. ;-)
I wouldn't give a dime for one of those 9mm Berettas. I owned one and couldn't hit the side of the barn and they have no stopping power. I'd rather use a 22.
It was a standard issue M1911 .45 out of the armory. Maybe just a bad pistol, but man was I unimpressed, compared to a Beretta 9mm I've fired and hit small targets 25 meters away.
As I understand it, the Geneva Convention prohibits the use of hollow points.
The use of hollowpoints is banned in international warfare by the Hague Convention of 1899.
Maybe...
Glock makes a .45. If they'd add on the stuff the military is asking for, I'd think that would be the gun of choice. Glocks are nearly indestructable unless you decide to run them through a bandsaw or something.
You dont have to be a gun expert to know what gun you would trust in a fight after youve fired a 45 and then a 9mm.
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