Question for soldiers: why doesn't the .mil let you carry a personal pistol?

[Esq.]

They weren’t supposed to even back then. And I have known people that have but the legal risks aren’t worth it.

Had an uncle (father actually to the cousin in Desert Storm mentioned earlier) who was some kind of security policeman in Vietnam. I don't think MP...not sure, he stood guard duty at some kind of US facility in Saigon.

They were issued Smith and Wesson .38s, with 130 grain fmj ammo. Being a gun guy, he knew what a shit option that was -even back then...

He wrote my dad about it...Dad went and bought him a Smith Wesson Model 58 .41 magnum and sent it with several boxes of ammo to him....From 5 feet away, nobody could tell it wasn't his issued weapon... He said it was awfully comforting during the TET offensive...

[utahjeepr]

Considering the millions of men who have served in our military conflicts I can pretty much guarantee two things. 1- Every law, rule, guideline, or plain old general principle has been broken more times than anyone can count. Sometimes for the good, sometimes bad, and all flavors in between.

2- You don't wanna be the guy who gets to be the example.

Try to follow the rules. If you can't follow the rules try not to get caught. Lastly, never throw water balloons at the battalion area while SPIE rigging. That is the extent of my pertinent advice.

[HardToHandle]

My Dad, a three-decade soldier, started taking our BB pistols to annual training when we were kids -the Crossman BB/dart guns that looked like 1911s. Said they looked close enough at a distance that no one bothered you and you did not have worry about accountability.

In Iraq, he had no issues handling an M9, the real kind. He may have seriously enjoyed smuggling bayonets out of Iraq too.

My own experience with Uncle Sugar is weapons cleaning and weapons accountability are taken to wholly inappropriate and generally counterproductive lengths. That said, everyone pictures at least guy that proves why the rules exist.

[Todd.K]

Who would want a pistol in a team gunfight?

Outside of a few special units, pistols are only good for killing clearing barrels and for the machine gunner in light infantry.

[WillieThom]

But I do recall in Chris Kyle’s book he does mention not liking his issued pistol and carrying personally owned pistols. Perhaps in the more elite units there is more wiggle room.


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I recall reading this, as well, so perhaps he did carry his personal sidearm. I believe he said it was a Springfield 1911 in his book. But we also have to remember that he was capable of spinning quite a yarn, depending on who you ask...

[AndyLate]

Who would want a pistol in a team gunfight?

Outside of a few special units, pistols are only good for killing clearing barrels and for the machine gunner in light infantry.

Pistols are appropriate for many soldiers in support units and the TOEs support it. Unfortunately, pistols are both status symbols and easier to carry, so every PSG and WO in the AVIM I deployed with carried a pistol and the Technical Inspectors carried M-4s.

I carried a M9 out and about in Bosnia/Croatia because the threat was low but not low enough to drive around unarmed.

As an example of how risk conscious the U.S. Army is, they moved in 3 vehicle convoys minumum wearing body armor and carrying rifles. NATO drove around in single cars and were only required to be armed if we left Sarajevo.

Andy

[chuckman]

I think later in GWOT that may be true, but early on? I dunno. I know many guys who never touched a sidearm...dates of service from 2002 all the way to 2012. My best friend and business partner was given a SAM-R with a Leupold 2.5-8x and that was it for his two tours. He said the first time he handled a sidearm was training at MARSOC.


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Was he a CSO ("Operator", and God I hate that term), or a SOCSS/SOCS (support guy)?

Just curious. "Back in the day" before MARSOC almost all, but not all, recon Marines were infantry and had a pretty good familiarity with the sidearm, and in recon we ALL had pistols MEU(SOC) 1911s.

As a corpsman the pistol was my TO&E gun, then it was the M4 and the M9/1911. I also went to DMC and carried a SAM-R. My fave gun, ever.

As I understand MARSOC is like SF and recruits from all MOSs, so it is conceivable you can get a POG through the course who never, ever handled a pistol.

[CRAMBONE]

Had an uncle (father actually to the cousin in Desert Storm mentioned earlier) who was some kind of security policeman in Vietnam. I don't think MP...not sure, he stood guard duty at some kind of US facility in Saigon.

They were issued Smith and Wesson .38s, with 130 grain fmj ammo. Being a gun guy, he knew what a shit option that was -even back then...

He wrote my dad about it...Dad went and bought him a Smith Wesson Model 58 .41 magnum and sent it with several boxes of ammo to him....From 5 feet away, nobody could tell it wasn't his issued weapon... He said it was awfully comforting during the TET offensive...

Doesn’t mean he was “supposed” to do that. I know guys that did the same thing with M9s and Mossberg 500/Remington 870s. Everyone either knew and looked the other way or didn’t suspect a thing because they were identical to issued weapons. Optic and accessories leniency was better because back in the early GWOT days we didn’t have shit.

[Arik]

Who would want a pistol in a team gunfight?

Outside of a few special units, pistols are only good for killing clearing barrels and for the machine gunner in light infantry.

I would! It not the main gun but it's small and light enough that why not?

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[PracticalRifleman]

Doesn’t mean he was “supposed” to do that. I know guys that did the same thing with M9s and Mossberg 500/Remington 870s. Everyone either knew and looked the other way or didn’t suspect a thing because they were identical to issued weapons. Optic and accessories leniency was better because back in the early GWOT days we didn’t have shit.

I remember seeing some footage from early in with guys with cheap NC Star scopes on their rifles. It amazed me.


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