Quote:
Originally Posted by j427x
i think the DOD liked the 9mm cause it was half the weight and size of 45 acp--takes up less space and weighs half as much= cost far less to transport half way around the globe.
effectiveness or lack there of was not even considered by the DOD. and besides there was a cool factor of having 15 rounds in your iron!--
the day has come that which round or even how effective it is is more of a side note --all that is required is that the round be effective enough and you got plenty of them--
that is ammo 2013!
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The US went with 9mm in general issue handguns because that is the standard NATO caliber, not .45. We used the 1911 as long as the original guns were serviceable, but by the 1980s two world wars, a few smaller police actions, and countless rounds fired in training took their toll and the guns in inventory were worn out. STANAG required we adopt a 9mm, so we did. Same reason all the former Warsaw Pact nations who joined NATO have begun replacing their X39 guns with .223/5.56 models.
As for my survival handgun, depends on how ya define survival. Working out of a fixed or mobile base location with resupply, probably my Steyr GB or a 1911 depending on circumstances. On foot with only the supplies you can fit in a backpack, my Ruger MKII and a few thousand rounds of ammo to supply it and my Marlin 39 rifle.