S&W's in the Air Force

[eb07]

I was in the regular USAF in the early 1970s. I was a nuclear weapons specialist. Anytime we were moving special weapons outside, we had to be armed...this was generally a Model 10 or a Model 15 with a 4 inch barrel.

But, one pistol I remember real well, that I never got to shoot, was a snub-nose, K-frame, square-butt model...neat looking little pistols. Being the weapons storage area, many small arms were stored there when not needed by the security police (sky cops) and the aircrewmen. There were a number of these snubbies, some were round butt, and some were square butt.

I know the USAF had some aluminum frame S&W's, but I don't think our base had any. All we had was choppers anyway.

457 here. Rotorheads forever

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Without Google I figured out everything except for the A after the first Ain't...

Ammo

Proud bunch of folks. Good troops!

 

[Retired W4]

Nothing like a couple 500 pounder to get their attention.

 

[Slufstuff]

I'll try a G rated version.
If You Ain't Ammo, You Ain't Squat!

You can figure out the naughty part yourself.

 

[TJm15.38]

I was a pilot on C-130 aircraft and a couple of other machines during my active duty and reserve time. I started out qualifying on the Model 15 which was an annual training requirement. I grew to love the revolver; so easy to shoot and not difficult to make expert level every year. I liked it so much that when I got back to the states from a tour in Germany, I purchased a brand new Model 15-4 which I still own today. My service in the reserves allowed me to experience the switch to the to the Berretta M9. It went much better than expected and I still shot expert, but I could never get used to the long pull double action and the gun was a bit large for my hands. Anyway, I know many of you have seen it before, but here is the Model 15-4 I purchased in late 1981.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

You pretty much were limited by the Guns available at your base.
Once I was assigned to be a Go Code Custodian, which requires you to be armed.
So I strapped on the gun in the safe. Long Action M&P.
I already had my Small Arms Ribbon. Got that with a Model 15.
Here’s a Thud Pilot who had just deployed to Thailand from Wichita.
Unit deployment, you take what you got. It’s Early on, white helmet and no camo on his plane.
Looks like a short barrel Model 10. We had them in SAC, never saw one in Thailand. Also never saw a Brown Vest. By the time I got there they were gray-green, like his flying suit.

 

[HardToHandle]

I’m watching the 1964 movie “Fail Safe” tonight… Same premise as Dr. Strangelove, just with no humor and more overacting. It does feature a youthful Larry Hagman well before he was J.R. Ewing.

Happy you USAF Armament guys (and a lots of other folks) did the mission.
Also a reminder of who was proven right by history… Which largely wasn’t Hollywood screenwriters. Ash heap of history and all…

 

[MajorD]

I doubt the one in the picture (or one seen by Critch), would have been a Model 56. Those were produced in the very early 1960s in the K500000 range. Among other issues, they would have had diamond stocks.

It is entirely possible that SAC had some 2" Model 15 revolvers in the 1970s, so that is probably what Critch remembers. The Model 15 was our standard sidearm during the period he mentions. As a member of a munitions squadron, I carried a 4" Model 15 during my two years in SE Asia.

When not in country, several times I drove escort for special weapons convoys. I was wearing a 4" Model 15 on my belt and the Airman riding "shotgun" with me was carrying an M16.

We also know there were lots of 2" Model 10 revolvers in the Army and USAF inventory during that time. But, of course, those would have had fixed sights.

As small arms don’t get abused much in the Air Force it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the original shipments of model 56’s, decades old were still in use through the time the revolvers were phased out of service. There are plenty of pictures of air crew in desert storm 90-91 (5 years after the beretta was adopted) still carrying WWII era victory models !
Someone with more knowledge on the subject will hopefully chime in, but I am not aware of any sizable acquisitions of regular 2” model 15’s by the Air Force. During WWII the US military bought small quantities of just about every commercial revolver available in addition to the vast numbers of victory models.

After it was formed in 1947 for the next decade or so the Air Force used a hodgepodge of handguns mostly surplus from WWII and many stayed in inventory long after the mod 56&15 were adopted as standard

 

[Truckman]

That one brings back a few memories...My first assignment after Weapons School at Lowry AFB was on a load crew for the 9th TFS at Spang...Hang the nukes on the Thuds, arm the escorts, wait a while and shine your boots, then download and move on...

Too much spitshine and sharply creased fatigues for me...I asked for and got reassignment for Weapons Release duty with the 349th MMS when I heard we were transitioning to F-4's...Much more interesting work, and less attention to starched uniforms...I stayed with them through the move to Holloman AFB and the back-and-forth support deployment for the USAFE war games in '69 then back to blessed civilian life...

Still more good memories than bad......Ben