Beretta Backers Beat Down the .45 Revival

September 24, 2006: Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Defense began a search for a new .45 caliber combat pistol. Now that search has been mysteriously called off. The Department of Defense has announced, without any explanation, that is no longer looking for a new combat pistol.

Last January, after two decades of use, the U.S. Department of Defense appeared to be 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, as well as reliability problems with the Beretta. 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.

Back in January, SOCOM was given the task of finding a design that will be suitable as the JCP (Joint Combat Pistol). Various designs were to be evaluated, but all had to be .45 caliber and have a eight round magazine (at least), and high capacity mags holding up to 15. The new .45 was also to have a rail up top for attachments, and be able to take a silencer. Length was to 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 planned to buy 645,000 JCPs. But now, the troops are being told to keep their 9mm Berettas, and all the complaints they have about those weapons.

Conur.

Good to hear of the reliability you are experiencing with your 950.

They were really handy with the longer barrel, too. I'd be tempted to change to the longer barrel. A very handy package, for all sorts of utilitarian purposes.

Paco Kelly sells a .22 cal bullet swager which enhances accuracy and other performance. One is a tool which creates a shallow hollow point, the other creates a post/hollow point. I plan to try the shallow type with CB Shorts. Reports I have been given rave about how well these tools work.

I suspect that Militec-1 lubricant would aid reliable extraction too, once it hardened the metal, and was cleaned off...the surface dried. It hardens the metal 17x, and works after the oil transport medium is long gone...a dry lubricant, a metal conditioner.

I suspect that Militec-1 lubricant would aid reliable extraction too,

Good idea Muttly, I want to try that. Even a good semiauto pistol needs all the help it can get in the reliability department IMHO.

But it's only natural for me to think that way since I'm a revolver man at heart. My old S&W model 10 has been with me almost as long as I can remember, and it has never once failed to function perfectly in all the many thousands of rounds of handloads and factory ammo I've run through it. I have owned a lot of semiauto pistols and fired thousands of rounds through them also, and I can't say that about any of them.

Isn't the 9mm Kurz AKA .380 ACP?

Also IIRC it was a Browning design. "Browning Short"

You are correct.

Despite what many think of this caliber, it's a reasonable compromise for carry protection; especially under a suit jacket.

I have two Sigs. One is the P226 in 9mm Parabellum, and a P232 in 9mm Kurz (.380).

I have twin Ruger Vaquero .357 Blackhawks for SASS shooting (.38 spl. loads only) and will take one on camping/hunting trips loaded with .357.

Regardless, they are not my choice for carry or bedside.

Isn't the 9mm Kurz AKA .380 ACP?

Also IIRC it was a Browning design. "Browning Short"

You are correct.

Despite what many think of this caliber, it's a reasonable compromise for carry protection; especially under a suit jacket.

I have two Sigs. One is the P226 in 9mm Parabellum, and a P232 in 9mm Kurz (.380).

I have twin Ruger Vaquero .357 Blackhawks for SASS shooting (.38 spl. loads only) and will take one on camping/hunting trips loaded with .357.

Regardless, they are not my choice for carry or bedside.

Glad to be of some assistance!

I simply concluded that the binding of metal on metal of the ctg. rim on the breechface would be lessened if the gunmetal were very slick. Militec-1 works on plating too and is just the thing on Stainless Steel, which has very large pores which cause a LOT of friction. Amazing stuff. The ultimate DRY lubricant, because it can be removed completely, once it has hardened the metal, which then needs little or no additional lubricant. I use it in car/truck engines too.

The Model 10 is great. I have read that in the entire history of the NYPD a revolver has NEVER failed to fire. If you are familiar with the condition of some officers' handguns through the years there, it is an incredible statement. Even if a round fails to fire, just squeeze again. I have known several LE armorers who refused to recommend a d.a. semiauto pistol that does not have "second strike" ability, since most failures are attributable to dirt around the firing pin, and a second hit usually clears it, avoiding the tap-rack-bang proceedure, which briefly disables the gun.

A NY detective I knew was devoted to his M10, especially because of the thick trigger guard, which may stand up to the time-honored and sometimes last ditch "Buffalo" technique....hitting the subject over the head with it. He cringed at the prospect of having a Mod. 36 in hand. He had one jam in this way once, during a rooftop situation. It disabled the still loaded gun, an M10. How inconvenient. He did of course reiterate the SOP advice to never, ever, if it can be avoided at all, hit sideways against the cylinder, but always straight down, on the barrel and cylinder pin shroud. This was always a weak point of several Colt revolvers, which have unshrouded pins.

May this information always be theory for you...that you never have to recall it, or test it yourself.

Another useful piece of practical advice has come to my attention of late. Of course it is well known to most if not all of our posters here, but surprisingly may be unknown to even regular users of revolvers.

Know which direction your cylinder rotates in!

Last weekend an experienced shooter friend even asked why that would be important! Well.....what if you have only one or a few rounds left, and want to be sure that they are NEXT. What if you wish to load different kinds of rounds in a particular order....a very useful ability of revolvers....as in having your Snake Loads up first, then perhaps hollow point soft lead, then once you are in THAT deep, the heavier, faster bricks, to make the boldest statement while there is still ammunition in there.

Makes sense to me.

Colts and copies rotate CLOCKWISE, Smith & Wessons and Ruger d.a.s COUNTER-CLOCKWISE.

I post a LOT of information for novice shooters, or those who would like to try. I believe that the more sound information one has, the more sound and successful their experience will be, for sport or saving one's life in several practical ways...self defense, food gathering, pest control......

I never mean to low-ball or boast during a post to an experienced shooter. Never. I am aware that many non-shooters read these threads, and I have found that there is a LOT of questionable information out here, and even experienced people hold to several bogus or unsupportable views, due mostly to the influence of "gun writers" who have to publish SOMETHING. I deeply enjoy this field of mechanical/physical engineering, and have had illustrated to me in no uncertain terms that it is also very serious business, as well as a great hobby on many levels.

Misinformation can cause truly tragic results, not your usual hobby failure outcome. So, I risk taking unfair advantage of the public nature of our discussions.

I have been in a little bit of danger from time to time in my life, and later found how tenuous was my grasp of the actual realities of my situation, and how untrue many of my expectations of equipment performance was. So now I may seem to be a "crank," but if it helps nice people to survive a potentially lethal encounter with man or beast or conditions, I'll take the deal.

I honestly mean no person harm, but if situations dictate forceful steps for the protection of the innocent while they are under geievous attack, good information can only help them. Also, shooting can be a dangerous activity so it is wise and good behavior to know as much as you can about what is happening going in. Obvious, but worth repeating. I am well known for being a very peaceful and loving and tolerant person. I try to keep calm when threatened, and try to avoid any damage or violence if there is another way. I have also learned that some times it is unavoidable, and had better be done as well as can be done. Be Prepared, as I was taught.
Well, end of soapbox statement.

So back to business....why do you think they call it "Muttly?!" It's not just a name, it's an adjective!

(an adverb, verb, and evidently an epithet too!)

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