Here is a post from a friend of mine "Elton at Large".
When adopted as the US Armed Forces official sidearm in 1985, the “M9” as it’s known in military parlance was considered by some to be a major improvement over the venerable M1911 .45 ACP. For starters, with a 15-round magazine fully loaded with 9mm Parabellum, (plus one “in the pipe”) the Beretta packs twice the capacity of the old .45 single-stack meaning half as many time-consuming reloads are needed when blasting away at the baddies. While debates rage on over the stopping power (and perceived manliness) of lightweight high velocity rounds versus big lumbering lead slugs, the average 9x19mm packs essentially the same kinetic energy as a .45 and is one of the most widely used military rounds in existence today.
I spent last summer shooting a Beretta 92 FS during a 3-day Basic Pistol course at the Blackwater North training center and during a subsequent USPSA shooting competition. The Beretta is truly an outstanding weapon (see Dan’s previous post).
When adopted as the US Armed Forces official sidearm in 1985, the “M9” as it’s known in military parlance was considered by some to be a major improvement over the venerable M1911 .45 ACP. For starters, with a 15-round magazine fully loaded with 9mm Parabellum, (plus one “in the pipe”) the Beretta packs twice the capacity of the old .45 single-stack meaning half as many time-consuming reloads are needed when blasting away at the baddies. While debates rage on over the stopping power (and perceived manliness) of lightweight high velocity rounds versus big lumbering lead slugs, the average 9x19mm packs essentially the same kinetic energy as a .45 and is one of the most widely used military rounds in existence today.
In addition, the M9’s double action design obviated the need to make a tough individual decision on how to carry your weapon in combat. Because the 1911 is single-action-only, the user faces an ugly choice: 1) Carry your sidearm in a fully loaded “cocked-and-locked” condition with the hammer back and rely on mechanical safeties to prevent an accidental bump or impact from blasting your metatarsals into the frontline turf, or 2) pack the gun in a “safe” mode with an empty chamber and hope you have the wherewithal, time, and free-hand to draw and rack the weapon before the other guy blows your head off.
The Beretta can be carried safely with hammer-down on a loaded chamber (the firing pin is actually rotated up and disengaged when the safety is on) and operates in both double and single-action modes – a design embodied and popularized by the 1931 release of the Walther PPK. The double-action trigger draws back the hammer for the first shot so it can also be presented and fired with one hand in the heat of the action. Problem solved… sort of. While subsequent shots are of the lighter and crisper single-action variety, the pull on that first round can be hard and heavy. And while mod kits are available to lighten the effort by replacing or clipping the standard mainspring, there is always a tangible difference between the first and second shot which takes getting used to.
While the Beretta design was pretty much the best available compromise between safety and speed for some time, the 1980’s ushered in the next generation of handgun technology as Glock pioneered the striker-fired “Safe-Action” pistol. These wildly popular hammerless handguns and their many cousins can be packed safely loaded with a round chambered while presenting a consistent trigger pull on every shot from first to last. Due to their simplicity, light-weight, reliability, and consistency, they’re carried widely by law enforcement and military units worldwide.
Next up: the search for the perfect polymer pistol…
3 comments:
The 1911 is actually quite safe if you're reasonably competent. It will not discharge unless you release the thumb safety, press the grip safety and press the trigger. When you finish shooting, you put the thumb safety back on, holster the gun and that's it. If you carry the gun on an empty chamber it will be slower to use, and then when you are done shooting, how do you get the gun back into the empty-chamber configuration it was in when you were carrying it? I think you will find the manipulations needed to do this are cumbersome and, because at some point you have to lower the hammer, dangerous. (Same is true for carrying with the hammer down on a loaded chamber: too easy for the hammer to slip when you are cocking or decocking it.)
DA autos like the Beretta are meant to be decocked after you are done shooting. That's OK but it's a complication.
Revolvers and (in recent years) Glocks are popular in part because they don't require any special handling after you finish shooting - you just holster the gun. DAO autos, including DAO Berettas, are popular for the same reason.
I am a big revolver guy for reasons you put here Jonathan. Extremely simple to use and a no brainer in a stressful situation - no racking slides, annoying safeties, etc. My Beretta 92fs is just too big to conceal - I may also consider a smaller version of it in 9mm or even .380 as long as my first pull of the trigger can be DA.
I will probably carry a small .38 special revolver when they get conceal carry passed here in Wisco.
Dan, I used to carry a 5-shot .38 special in a pancake holster back when I was legal in Indiana. It was lightweight, uber-concealable and I felt like I had good ultra-reliable power at my disposal. My only beef was capacity... is 5 shots enough when the lead starts flying?
If I'm ever back in a right-to-carry state (not holding my breath for the People's Republic of Illinois) I'm going to look at a Walther PPK 380 auto. Slim, sexy, with James Bond panache - and I figure with +P hollowpoints I'm probably on par with the .38 revolver... with a couple of extra rounds to spare.
But I really want to test drive the new Walther PPS. Marketed under a "Think Thin" slogan, it can pack up to 8+1 rounds of 9mm in roughly the same sized package as the PPK. I need to shoot it first, but it'll be on my short list of regular carry options in the future...
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