I wonder what makes it more lethal? Must be the color, 'cause it ain't the caliber lol.

I have zero qualms with the M9 as an issued pistol, but it's nice to see an actual decision made and fielded instead of endless rounds of "testing".

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
I wonder what makes it more lethal? Must be the color, 'cause it ain't the caliber lol.

Could be the new JHP ammo.

I know some JHP were authorized for PMO and such, but standard issue is still ball correct?

While in 25 years ervice I can say rifle marksmanship and training was fair/ mediocre but did lend itself to having a trooper capable of returning accurate fire and handle the rifle/carbine competently, pistol “training” was a total joke. For example prior to deployments we would get lots of blank fire cqb and regular range work most troops had about 500 rounds of shooting. Pistol was an afterthought and usually was a 10-15 round mag for “familiarization”. Then 4 mags of ten rounds each to fire a 40 shot qualification which required only 23 out of forty hits to qualify.
There was essentially zero effort made ( unless someone like myself into pistols did it independently ) to train competent handling. I have often said the best pistol investment the military could make was to keep existing pistols authorize every one assigned a pistol 1000 rounds of ammo and a five day stay at gunsite or thunder ranch.

Navy pistol training was a joke as well (aside from the NSW guys, at least I hope theirs wasn't a joke).

IIRC, the course of fire was 50 rds - they would take those in need of qualification (aviators in our case), let us shoot the qual once as a 'fam', then you would shoot it a second time if you wanted to / needed to. So 100rds right before deployment, with a re-qual on deployment if you passed the 7 month mark - 50 rds there if needed.

If you weren't horrible, they would simply count the misses on paper and deduct from the max score. You could completely pull a couple of shots and they'd never notice. I know because I did it and still got the max score (not hard to do if you are remotely competent shot).

I noticed something really weird.

How come the ejected empties don't bounce off the shooter's face?

Wow.....

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
I know some JHP were authorized for PMO and such, but standard issue is still ball correct?

The new M1153 JHP is/was part of the M17 project. We'll see if Big Army will get the rounds. Given the current CoC, I think we are in the best position to get them then we ever have been.

Here are some interesting articles on it:
Link.

American Rifleman article.

quote:

Originally posted by CD228:
Here are some interesting articles on it:

Thank you; some good, clear discussion of the matter.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/20...s-latest-pistol.html

US soldiers set to receive new holster as Army deploys its latest pistol

Safariland’s commercially available tan 7TS holster will be used with the Army's new sidearm.

The Safariland 7TS holsters are lightweight, but rugged. Made from called DuPont nylon blend called SafariSeven, they can even perform in ultra-challenging environments, ranging from the Arctic to the desert. The holsters withstand extreme cold down to -50 degrees Fahrenheit and extreme heat up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and still perform.

In addition to this Safariland holster, another holster under consideration will provide soldiers with advantages when they need to shoot at night. The holster would be compatible with state-of-the-art tech.

When a shooter holsters the XM17 in the 7TS, the pistol is secured with Safariland’s Self-Locking System (SLS) and the ALS Automatic Locking System (ALS)

When a shooter reholsters, the ALS locking lever helps to ensure the XM17 is secured. The lever automatically engages.

The XM17 is kept firmly in the 7TS holster with the thumb break locking lever.

quote:

Originally posted by 3/4Flap:
I noticed something really weird.

How come the ejected empties don't bounce off the shooter's face?

Wow.....

Tea Cupping does that.

If some quality pistol shooting videos were made, and the troops watched them a couple of times, it would at least get them started in the correct direction. This would not cost much, and would save in ammo costs.

quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
If some quality pistol shooting videos were made, and the troops watched them a couple of times, it would at least get them started in the correct direction. This would not cost much, and would save in ammo costs.

And through the government contracting route to research, produce, and disseminate said videos, it would take 5 years and $19.85 Million dollars!

quote:

Originally posted by BuddyChryst:
Those guys are all Airborne? Must get almost exclusive rifle training.

101st hasn't been airborne for a long time. They've been all about air assault since the late '60s. They keep the airborne name for historic reasons.

As for exclusive rifle marksmanship, that is usually the case. That's how it was when I was with the 101st from 2003 to 2007 and that's how it is in my current unit. Most units only have a few pistols and they are for gunners or officers. Maybe that will all change since more Soldiers are getting pistols now.