It’s been called the greatest handgun ever made, and it has barely changed sine 1911, when the legendary John Browning designed it especially for the U.S. Military. And now, the Colt .45 M1911 is making a big comeback, now that the U.S. Marines have placed a $22.5 million order for the Connecticut-made pistols. The gun, which has been wielded on film by John Wayne and in real life by Sgt. Alvin York and Maj. Audie Murphy, was the standard-issue sidearm in the military for decades, until it was replaced by the Beretta M9 in 1985. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/28/marines-pay-22m-to-go-back-to-their-old-guns-colt-45-caliber-pistols/#ixzz21xd5FDzz Out standing, I love the 1911 and the .45 round, and will be buying another one as my off duty carry gun soon.
Should have never traded it for a fucking nine Millie beretta to begin with. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Negative Ghostrider........... The military never should have changed. The only reason the MC can get away with it is bc there isn't anyone with "small hands" to complain about not being able to shoot. I remember when we changed over. Everyone was pissed. Congarts to the boys !
I'm not complaining about the man-gun, but the Colt Series 80 platform is outdated, and these guns have seen their share of problems. Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
Off Duty, my favorite carry,'nuf said! Mr Browning's design is flawless, the big frame absorbs the recoil, and delivers the most bang for the buck...don't forget his "Ma Deuce" is STILL the preferred mounted heavy machine gun in the armed forces, too bad my pussy mayor won't let me have either one, how bad would a cruiser look with a "50" mounted on the roof! HAHA! Semper Fi bros and enjoy your new martyr making sidearm
TLE II. When I get rid of my La Rocca customized Gold Cup, there will be another Kimber in my house. I want the compact with that melted finish. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We're already doing that. The SAW is being replaced by the full auto HK 416. Better known as the M-27 IAR or Infantry Automatic Rifle.
Thats right I forgot about that. That was a step back in my opinion. Make my machine gun belt fed thank you!!!!!!
I hear that alot. I was issued the IAR and took it to Afghanistan. The advantage it has over the SAW are that its much lighter to carry around, jammed a whole lot less; if it jammed at all due to it being piston operated, more of a precision weapon with amazing accuracy that the SAW can never match, can be turned into a designated marksman weapon on single shot. THe SAW is notorious for jamming constantly and it takes precious time to unfuck. God help you if you have to put a 30 round mag in it. It jams that much more. I for one was glad with the IAR. My biggest issue with it is the lack of a drum mag. There are 100 round drum mags on the civilian market that fit an AR type rifle but the Marine Corps won't get them. I was issued 22 mags and made sure I was good at speed reloads. With a full auto option as opposed to the 3 round burst of the M-16 and M-4's, pressing the trigger and keeping it down was not an option. We were taught to shoot at the sustained rate of about 5 to 8 round bursts. When my unit needed the violence of action that a belt fed machine gun brought to the fight, we had the fine orchestral piece called the M-240.
Sir I don't doubt what you're saying. The SAW is a good weapon and definitely has its place in the infantry squad otherwise it would not have lasted all these yrs in the inventory. While I have used the weapon, I have never carried it in an operational environment. Like I said the lack of a drum mag with its ability to put down a volume of firepower is one complaint all of us IAR gunners had. The jamming issue and Inaccuracy, amongst others, are enough of an issue that the Marine Corps decided to phase it out. There's definitely enough contenders out there to offer an equal replacement to include an improved SAW i heard of once. As to why they were never chosen is way beyond my paycheck. On the switch back to the 45, I think its way overdue. The US military should never have dropped to the 9mm. Is dropping the 5.56mm to return to the 7.62mm the next big change?
Some of the acronyms are foreign to me since I have been out for so long. But anyway, Id love to see the M60 back in action. That thing just tells the enemy, ya done fucked with the wrong people.
What a waste of money on the part of the Marines. While the 1911 is a fine platform(I own 3 of them), there are many more modern designs that are both more reliable and easier to repair. Most parts in an 1911 require hand-fitting, not the most convenient thing for unit armorers. Also some components on the 1911 leave something to be desired, like the weak extractor. The Smith & Wesson M&P .45 or Glock 21 are superior designs, and would certainly be a lot cheaper. Especially for what the military considers a secondary weapon, that it gives very little actual training to the troops with.
My Guard unit still had 1911A1's when we deployed for the Persian Gulf War, and all the active duty people were jealous.....they HATED the Beretta. My 1911A1 was a Remington Rand....the typewriter company, not Remington Firearms.
That probably makes more sense than for general issue; but the article mentioned 12,000 pistols; does the Corps have that many SOCOM types? Also I love how the article implies that this the exact same gun used by your grampa in WWII. The operating system is the same, but certainly the design is a lot more refined than the old WWII warhorse. With a beavertail grip safety, extended safety, stainless match barrel, polished feed ramp, Novak sights, picatinny rail and cerekote exterior, this quite an improvement over a GI 1911!
