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Originally Posted by DWalt
The last thing I did there was back in about 2007 when I wrote up the specifications and solicitation documentation for the new Air Force Pistol to replace the M9 (we were proposing 9X23mm Winchester as the caliber). That project died because the principal proponent was the USAF Chief of Staff and he got canned over that errant nuclear weapons affair. Thus endeth the Air Force pistol program. The Army is still working on something similar, and I'm still in limited contact with them. Seems they can't decide to go with .357 Sig or .40 S&W for a caliber - after years of consideration.
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You have an impressive background! I'm not sure that going to 9X23mm is the answer, and would end pistol ammo interchangibility with our allies. My son scrounged 9mm NATO ammo several times from British friends when in Iraq.
He found the 9mm pretty effective, both from pistols and from the H-K MP-5 SMG. Shot placement matters, of course, as with any handgun caliber. He would have often preferred JHP bullets, but 9mm NATO ball did the job. He is now out of the Army and loads Federal's 124 grain HST in his 9mm's.
IF trainng is sufficient, the .357 SIG and .40 S&W may be superior to the 9mm, but having to use FMJ ammo under the Hague Accords is a big issue. When I was an AF cop, we were issued .38's and the ammo was quite weak. I had little faith in it, and often carried a .45 when the option existed. One base used unit funds to buy High Velocity .38 ammo off base. I felt better with that.
Thanks for the info on Warner-Robbins. Is that supposed to have one or two "b"'s? I've usually seen it spelled with two.
I met pilots who had had only rudimentary training with handguns. They had very limited confidence in them.. On the other hand, you probably know about the AF cop who shot a man firing an AK-47 and killed him with a single shot at some 80 yards. (Used a Beretta M-9.) I think that was at Fairchild AFB WA. Ayoob interviewed him and has written several times about the case.
Back to the .38 snubs, I worked at Lowry AFB in Denver with two men (brothers!) who'd previously been at an Oregon base where they carried snub .38's. Not sure if they had fixed or adj. sights. The AF called the latter the M-56, and it was basically a two-inch Combat Masterpiece. They complained about it being much harder to qualify with the snub versus the usual four inch barrel.