Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!cbnews!military
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Side Arms For Fly Boys.
Message-ID: <1990Nov7.035751.12874@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 7 Nov 90 03:57:51 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
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From: p14.f7.n391.z8.fidonet.org!Dan.Daetwyler (Dan Daetwyler)


 HS> Sure can, if they make the gun sufficiently heavier and bulkier that you
 HS> aren't carrying it on the day you need it, or if the two-column magazine
 HS> that's almost mandatory for the zillion-shot pistols has a feed problem
 HS> at the wrong time.  Other things being equal, nobody in his right mind

Actually, from what I read and see, the staggered mag guns are less likely
to malfunction due to magazine problems than the old standard .45.  I will
be the first to admit that I haven't seen the staggered mag's used in a
field combat situtation, but they'd have to be pretty bad to be worse
than the old .45 mags.  I shoot one of these all the time, and spend half
of my time hammering the old mags back into shape.  Most of the military
holsters for the old single stack guns made provision for an extra mag
in the holster.  So the space required is probably a "wash".  I still
believe that the most common pilot carried weapon that was "issue" was
the old 5 (five) shot S & W .38, primarily for weight and space reasons.
I also believe that the main reason for the weapons was for "morale".  I
sure wouldn't want to go off in the wild blue yonder without some kind
of a side arm.  In our modern society, you might say the same thing about
going to the grocery store :-).  I find it very interesting that the
FBI is moving to staggered mag 10mm as it's standard weapon.  

D Squared