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

[NaChase]

Ha!

M9-P by N.Chase, on Flickr

 

[coelacanth]

Nice "Brassing."

As a lefty, I do appreciate the ambidextrous design.

 

[oftheherd]

Been in the military since 1990. But I think there is a move afoot to change the official weapon again.

 

[helen.HH]

Haha... Good One !

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Been in the military since 1990. But I think there is a move afoot to change the official weapon again.

I hope so. Those things were awful in the sandbox.

Phil Forrest

 

[hepcat]

I dunno... I really prefer medium format. 😀

 

[jsrockit]

Well, jokes aside they are both nice to look at.

 

[Tony Whitney]

The US Army also has M240s, come to think of it....TW

 

[Gregoyle]

I hope so. Those things were awful in the sandbox.

Phil Forrest

No kidding, I broke 2 locking blocks on mine! The 12 lb. "shutter release" for the first shot takes some getting used to, too.

I dunno... I really prefer medium format. 😀

Haha! You made me laugh my butt off, thanks.

-Greg

 

[Pablito]

Well, jokes aside they are both nice to look at.

Well that would be a matter of taste I suppose. I find them creepy to look at.

 

[noisycheese]

Well that would be a matter of taste I suppose. I find them creepy to look at.

Then don't look at them. 😉

 

[IdealCamera]

I agree they are creepy. But not only will I not avoid looking at them, I will comment on how creepy I find them. You don't like it, don't read this comment.

Oops, too late.

Then don't look at them. 😉

 

[finguanzo]

Ok guys...... simmer down....

I find a Leica m9-p creepier with all the electronics, at least this one is all mechanical... 🙄

 

[Phil_F_NM]

They may be creepy to those who have little experience with them but once you live with them every day for years, they become as normal as a carpenter carrying a hammer.

That medium format .45 govt is just sublime.

Here's that M240 that was mentioned earlier:

Here's a larger "medium format" Ma Deuce:

Here's a MK-19 "large format" rig:

And Mike battery:

I hated going out to Charlie and Mike battery to shoot photos. Being within 10 meters of that thing going off separates all the solid tissues in your body from one another, it seems. It's not the noise, it's the shockwave. I had mucho respect for the guys who did that day in and day out, constantly rattling their fillings loose. They provided many a support mission when we needed it.

Phil Forrest

 

[hepcat]

They may be creepy to those who have little experience with them but once you live with them every day for years, they become as normal as a carpenter carrying a hammer.

That medium format .45 govt is just sublime.

Phil Forrest

I carried a 1911a1 or (later a 1991a1) or variant daily for thirty years. I still have a 1911 that I built 20 years ago. I There's nothing creepy about them. They're just a tool.

 

[Frank Petronio]

Beretta has been building guns since 1526. That makes Leica look like a dot.com ;-p

The patina that gun metal and wooden stocks/grips get can be really beautiful.

It's a shame more people aren't free to find justice while protecting their families and defending themselves with such excellent and democratic "equalizers".

 

[noisycheese]

I hated going out to Charlie and Mike battery to shoot photos. Being within 10 meters of that thing going off separates all the solid tissues in your body from one another, it seems. It's not the noise, it's the shockwave. I had mucho respect for the guys who did that day in and day out, constantly rattling their fillings loose. They provided many a support mission when we needed it.

Phil Forrest

@Phil,
Is the weapon in your photo the M198 howitzer? Looks like it.

Having fired a Barrett model 99 in .50 BMG and experiencing the muzzle blast from that firearm (similar to a hand grenade detonating, I'm told), a howitzer firing must be like being in close proximity to a Tomahawk cruise missile strike.

There's nothing creepy about them. They're just a tool.

You are correct, hepcat. They are inert collections of steel parts with no volition or consciousness of their own.

It is the man or woman who holds the firearm that decides if it will be used for good or evil purposes.

 

[DCB]

USMC = 1911 for the win!

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/2...ck-to-their-old-guns-colt-45-caliber-pistols/

Peace

 

[Pablito]

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.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

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.

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