[american_ranger]

The Armed Forces have more than nominal firearms training, and some training is with weapons even more powerful than the pistol, hard to imagine but true.

The US Army does jack ____ for firearms training. A few years ago I was involved in reviewing the training syllabus for new Armor Lieutenants; they received more time on sensitivity and homosexual training than they did shooting their pistol. I kid you not.

[RightWhale]

Well, sorry to hear that, and I think you are all correct. I am aware that pistol shooting isn't emphasized in the military generally. I have shot with several military graduates at the municipal range. In fact, I was taught pistol by a military graduate.

Most of them seemed to prefer a 9 mm, and a couple were very good.

But now that you mention it, I recall being told the military doesn't provide much practice ammo for the pistol. It's an officers' weapon, and person to person skills and report writing are probably more important than actual shooting skills at that paygrade. Up to a point.

Military I have seen at the range have been on their own time and using their own ammo, I'm fairly sure.

Rifles should be emphasized; they can't give up that skill, IMHO. Some day the laser pointers will all be out of order and the GPS will be nonfunctional for one reason or another and the planes won't be flying due to weather, and the enemy will choose that moment.