The U.S. Army issues M9Ps! No wonder the defense budget is so high!

Pablito said:
The title of this thread is misleading and this is not a gun forum. I hope the mods will delete the thread before it gets really ugly.
Click to expand...

There has only been one photo of a gun posted in this thread and I was that one that posted it. It is the last image in my post called Mike battery. That is a gun. The rest are small arms.

If you want we can humanize it a bit.
Here's a photo of the boots of a Marine who went home too early. (Leica M2, 28mm Kobalux.)
GoingHomeBoots+_Modified_.jpg


Now it's a photography thread.

Phil Forrest
 
@DCB,
The Colt in the link you provide is a beautiful machine. I'm glad to hear that the Marines are going back to a 1911 - and to one made by Colt here in CONUS.

Here's one of mine: http://www.lesbaer.com/TRS.html

I was able to get it second hand but in mint condition. It had been carried daily in CONUS by an Army M.D. who was a Special Forces O-3. Command had mandated that all SPECWAR officers were to CCW at all times while in CONUS.

Seems that Christians In Action had learned that Al-Qaeda wanted to assassinate a SPECWAR officer in CONUS to make the point that they could get to anyone, anywhere if they decided to; this plot was discovered pre-2009, before Al-Qaeda upgraded their ambitions ( http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...tated-murder-2009-fort-hood-rampage-v20154553 ). As Phil pointed out with his photos of the fallen Marine's boots hanging high in Fallujah, this s*** is for real - this is not a game. That's the reality of the situation.

The good doctor decided to go with a Commander length Baer after carrying a full size model for a while, so I gave his former best friend a good home. I replaced the thin rosewood stocks with a set of black canvas micarta VZ gatorbacks and sent her off to Walter Birdsong for a coat of black-T protective finish, including the chamber that is visible in the ejection port. This full blackout treatment looks fantastic.

I can't recommend Baer 1911s too highly. They have a level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that is not found in mass produced 1911s. They are relentlessly reliable and phenomenally accurate. Mine is capable of shooting three inch groups at 50 yards (yes, yards).
While I have never been able to produce a three inch group at 50 yards myself, I have lost track of how many one hole groups I have produced at personal space distances of 7 to 10 yards.
 
Baers are very nice. Have had a couple, including my current Custom Carry without the front cocking serrations.
They are very tough to beat in the world of semi-custom firearms.
They have to be one of the tightest 1911s made - but nothing a couple thousands rounds won't smooth out.
 
hepcat said:
I dunno... I really prefer medium format. 😀

DSC03506.jpg
Click to expand...

I used to have a M1911 that had been accurized. Sure was nice. My only problem with that type of weapon was the military ammo. Ball ammo that hasn't been taken care of well is just not very powerful. It's not a man-stopper. Hopefully that will be corrected as well.

Phil_F_NM said:
The Navy and Marine Corps still use the M1A1 as well for designated marksmen and in units that need more metal farther downrange, more accurately. Hearing that the Marines are going back to the 1911 is great. The contract is coming back to the USA and they are getting a much finer sidearm.

A really fine weapon. Great accuracy as well.
Click to expand...

Noisycheese:
Yes, that's an M198. The concussion from that is pretty serious.
I never found the .50 cal objectionable. I qualified on one at the stern mount aboard my old ship and then I was really green in the Navy. After I got put into a DC team I found out that I was much better with a fire nozzle than with a .50. On board the boat that firefighting nozzle with a solid stream of water is almost as fearsome.


By the time we got into the city proper of Fallujah, the sound of the .50 made you feel like it was a beautiful summer day with chirping birds, a nice breeze, butterflies, maybe a fishing pole and a quiet pond. Why? Because when a .50 was lit up, there was nobody nearby shooting at us. It is a weird and surreal dichotomy finding little moments of peace like that among such destruction.

My late grandfather told me similar stories about his time on the USS Boise during WWII.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

I always liked artillery. That and gunships were good friends in Vietnam. But 8 inch weren't good to be too close in front of when they went off. 100 yards forward, and 50 yards to the side was still a good slap in the face. The 175s would turn a jeep over if you were too close to the muzzle blast. You would have thought they needed permission from NASA to fire max elevation at charge-3. One can only imagine what they did to enemy positions.

As to the .50, what that does to things it hits will not only have people ducking, but looking for more substantial cover as well. Great weapon to have you your side.

To all who were in the sandbox, congratulations on making it home. Envy for some of the weapons you had.
 
Pablito said:
The title of this thread is misleading and this is not a gun forum. I hope the mods will delete the thread before it gets really ugly.
Click to expand...

Pablito, my friend... I'll say this as gently as possible. I'm not out to offend you or anyone else, so please hear me out. I can't speak on anyone's behalf but my own, but here's my thoughts:

The folks who have posted to this thread pose no threat to you or anyone else who wants to lead a peaceful and fulfilling life. There are no street thugs here. Most of us have served in the militaries of our respective countries. I did for five years, followed by a thirty year career in law enforcement. Whether the politics of using military power are a appropriate is a matter of opinion and the topic of a different discussion, but the folks who post here are honorable and brave men and women who have, during their respective tenures, stood between people like you and people who would do you harm.

These are the tools they used to make that stand on your behalf. You don't have to like them, and you don't have to like the people who carried and used them, but I'll ask you to respect those people for who they are and what they've done for folks like you.

"On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs" is a short essay by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman (ret.) on what differentiates people like us from the rest of society. It is a good read if you want to better understand anyone you may know who has served in the military or law enforcement. We who are posting to this thread, my friend, are the sheepdogs. We understand that other people may be frightened of us, but we would never do anyone harm unless they were trying to harm you.

This thread is harmless... its a place for those of us who have used these tools to maintain peace, and individual freedoms to reminisce a little. I'll grant you that this is a photo forum, but I ask that you cut us a little slack here. For those of us who have stood in harm's way and lived to tell about it, having the opportunity to socialize with others who share other similar interests and who have been "there" at other places and times is cathartic.

Thanks for your understanding.

Roger
 
oftheherd said:
I used to have a M1911 that had been accurized. Sure was nice. My only problem with that type of weapon was the military ammo. Ball ammo that hasn't been taken care of well is just not very powerful. It's not a man-stopper. Hopefully that will be corrected as well.
Click to expand...

.45 hardball was never the best round, but it was better than the alternatives... .38 hardball or 9mm hardball!

Here's MY choice in medium format: the 1911 I built in about 1995 for a friend on an Essex frame with a Colt gov't model slide and barrel. The other parts are now a conglomeration of Chip McCormack, Baer, Wilson Combat, and Ed Brown.

I built a 1911 for myself and a few weeks later a good friend wanted me to build him one, so I ordered the frame, and found the parts... mostly standard Gov't model from gun shows. The original 1911 I built for myself is long gone, traded on a Colt 1991a1 stainless duty gun I carried for years (now also long gone since I retired...) but my friend sold this one to another close friend who had it accurized and combat carry sights installed and hammer and sear work done by a very reputable and competent gunsmith in San Diego. He shot it competitively for a couple of years. Fast forward to 2009, and he was shooting competitively enough that he wanted a purpose-built platform, so he offered it back to me. I couldn't refuse buying a 1911 I'd built, so it's back in my hands. I've updated most of the parts including the trigger assembly, backstrap, ambidextrous safety, and slide stop with stainless parts. So that's the story... and she's a sweet shooter.

And this, being a photo forum, my profound apologies for the terrible quality of this snapshot. I took it with a P&S on my dining room table to send to the friend who'd sold me the 1911 just to show him what it looked like. It is definitely NOT a studio portrait. 😉
 

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hepcat said:
Pablito, my friend... I'll say this as gently as possible. I'm not out to offend you or anyone else, so please hear me out. I can't speak on anyone's behalf but my own, but here's my thoughts:

The folks who have posted to this thread pose no threat to you or anyone else who wants to lead a peaceful and fulfilling life. There are no street thugs here. Most of us have served in the militaries of our respective countries. I did for five years, followed by a thirty year career in law enforcement. Whether the politics of using military power are a appropriate is a matter of opinion and the topic of a different discussion, but the folks who post here are honorable and brave men and women who have, during their respective tenures, stood between people like you and people who would do you harm.

These are the tools they used to make that stand on your behalf. You don't have to like them, and you don't have to like the people who carried and used them, but I'll ask you to respect those people for who they are and what they've done for folks like you.

"On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs" is a short essay by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman (ret.) on what differentiates people like us from the rest of society. It is a good read if you want to better understand anyone you may know who has served in the military or law enforcement. We who are posting to this thread, my friend, are the sheepdogs. We understand that other people may be frightened of us, but we would never do anyone harm unless they were trying to harm you.

This thread is harmless... its a place for those of us who have used these tools to maintain peace, and individual freedoms to reminisce a little. I'll grant you that this is a photo forum, but I ask that you cut us a little slack here. For those of us who have stood in harm's way and lived to tell about it, having the opportunity to socialize with others who share other similar interests and who have been "there" at other places and times is cathartic.

Thanks for your understanding.

Roger
Click to expand...


Very well put ... if I may say so.
 
this is one of the best threads i have seen in a while. you'd think that respect for a well-made, classic item such as the 1911 would intrigue those who respect another well-made classic item, such as the leica.

thanks to all who serve (served) ...
 
paulfish4570 said:
this is one of the best threads i have seen in a while. you'd think that respect for a well-made, classic item such as the 1911 would intrigue those who respect another well-made classic item, such as the leica.

thanks to all who serve (served) ...
Click to expand...


I agree. Guns (and cameras !) are beautiful machines.

I am hoping that this excellent discussion does not first get politicized and then personalized. (Hope springs eternal . . .)
 
Dave, now that it's buried in "off topic" (where it truly and rightfully belongs) without a link back to the original forum, I'm sure it'll just die a quick and painless death for lack of notice. 😉
 
hepcat said:
Dave, now that it's buried in "off topic" (where it truly and rightfully belongs) without a link back to the original forum, I'm sure it'll just die a quick and painless death for lack of notice. 😉
Click to expand...


I did not mean to cause that. I think a "moved to" link in the "General Discussion" forum is the right idea.
If not, then I would say move this back to where it was.
* I seriously did not intend to bury this discussion. *

EDIT: well my attempt to link back from the other forum didn't go so well. So, I hope this discussion does not get buried. Sorry, guys.
 
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