The US Army, as lead agency, is looking at new service Pistol

[coop44]

noting says "comply!!" quite like a 45 in your face.

Wasn't the fnp 45 tested a while back. I have one of the USG models with safety/decockA handfull for sure, but having 14 or 15 rounds in a magazine is very reassuring.

 

[Quacky88]

This would change some things....

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/07/09/us-army-may-adopt-jhp-handgun-ammunition/

 

[Pandaz3]

And more from the military.com page

 

[Snowy Rivers]

OK

I will stir the pot.

The FN 5.7 is light weight and carries 20 rounds of very lethal ammo, with the option of a 30 round magazine.

If there is a doubt of the lethality, just research the Fort Hood shooting.

Also the military can get the good stuff ammo.

45 caliber is OK, but heavy and a vest will stop it.

Lots of ammo, high speed.

"More Gooder"

Just some thoughts

 

[Pandaz3]

OK

I will stir the pot.

The FN 5.7 is light weight and carries 20 rounds of very lethal ammo, with the option of a 30 round magazine.

If there is a doubt of the lethality, just research the Fort Hood shooting.

Also the military can get the good stuff ammo.

45 caliber is OK, but heavy and a vest will stop it.

Lots of ammo, high speed.

"More Gooder"

Just some thoughts

And it is easy to handle, it is my daughter-in-law's choice. She has had 380's and 9's, but she loves the FN. The Army typically allows one magazine in the gun and two spares so that is a fair amount of ammo.

 

[bluesurf]

With this administration, that seems a bit too violent. Probably something more like "I Surrender" or "I'm sorry, it's all our fault, we'll just leave now"

That's what I was thinking to. A white flag with a peace symbol pops out.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Yup
The "O" will kiss their A$$ and apologize

ARRRRRRRGH

The Five Seven, even though its not US made is a great piece.

With 60 rounds of ammo on a combatant they can do some serious damage.
The 5.7 can easily touch someone at 100 yards with accuracy and lethality.

This would make good sense, so we should figure it will never happen.

 

[Pandaz3]

Finally they let the contract to get bids

 

[pdxjazz]

Interesting that Ruger decided not to compete because they feel even if they have a "much better product" they have little chance of winning the contract. Made me think that the inside track General Dynamics has with the military will pretty much lock it for S&W.

 

[Pandaz3]

I agree with Ruger there will be to much required, The goal posts will change before the actual contract is let, you might be required to partner up with four other vendors and held back by them.

 

[Sstrand]

There could be a "No sales to civilians" clause sneaked in before the contract is finalized.

Sheldon

 

[Pandaz3]

yet one more update and some more comments

 

[Snowy Rivers]

I will try and be objective with my response.

The aforementioned snafu with "one size fits all" is a very real thing when it comes to physical hand size.

Having been in the gun biz for years, I get sick of hearing the Whiners go on about "it's not comfortable" "It does not fit right"

I have an average size set of paws, and can deal with everything from the "Widdle mouse guns" all the way to the Desert Eagles and big Smith 500 mags.

Do I like the feel of all of them, ahhhh, they feel like a gun OK

The issue is can the shooter (Soldier) operate the weapon reliably ???? bottom line.

Next comes the reliability of the weapon in nasty conditions.

And next how many rounds does it hold ???

The more the better !!!!

As mentioned, whatever caliber is chosen will be using hard ball ammo.

The very real possibility of having to deal with a jam exists, therefore I must conclude that the 357 sig is a very good choice.

Bottleneck cases rarely suffer feed jams.

Having one ammo is a must for battlefield logistics.

I must conclude, based on many factors the The full size Glock in 357 sig would be a perfect choice.

For the Coasties (Tight quarters thing) or for individuals of smaller physical size, the mid sized Glock in 357 sig would be perfect.

Magazines can interchange across from larger model to mid size with no issues.

The caliber is a proven one and can be loaded heavy enough, that even with hardball ammo it will do a good job.

The Glock pistol is a proven performer.
Only 5 parts when field stripping to clean.

Frame
Barrel
Slide
Captive recoil system
Magazine

NO LITTLE PARTS TO GO bzzzzzzzz off into the dark somewhere and be lost.

More ammo is many times better than size.
357 sig is still launching a 9mm round, just a lot harder punch behind it.

Or if ya want a real screamer, the 5.7 with up to 30 round capacity is a real winner.

Sadly the 5.7 is a large frame gun, buttttttttttttttttt, it's very light.
The rounds whizz through body armor (soft) and once in the body do nasty things.
Very similar to the round used in the M4

That's my take on it.

Snowy

 

[Martini_Up]

When restricted to hard ball ammo, the only thing you have going for you is size of hole. I would want the biggest holes with as many chances as possible. After all, if you've transitioned from your rifle to pistol, it has become very sporty.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

That's one view, but not always to major issue.

Take the 5.7 for example.

These little devils go nuts once inside the body.

Without an expanding bullet is no magic.

 

[mkwerx]

They will no doubt stick to a NATO sticked round so the .40 or .357 sig are out.

.45 is too much for sissy shooters.

The 5.7 is probably the best choice in rounds, especially since it will defeat armor. They just need a better gun to launch it from than the FN FiveseveN... maybe an FNX, an M&P or?

 

[ejmpnu92]

" The Coast Guard is primarily a law enforcement mission. they board ships with pitching, wet decks, seach some very confined spaces. They might prefer a .380 for that job!"

Hmmm..... No. Don't think so.
Yes, they board various types of vessels, under some extreme circumstances, but the size of the physical size of the weapon does not matter if secured properly.
As a former boarding team member, going into a hostile environment, underpowered is not my idea of being prepared.
.45acp or 9mm, either one will work, IMHO.
Now for the brand, I will leave that up to the bean counters....

 

[Pandaz3]

I liked the Gates question "Why is it taking ten years it's a handgun for Gods sake"

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Curious about the need for a different platform to fire the 5.7

The FN FIVESEVEN PISTOL IS A FINE PIECE
And works well

??????

20 round standard mag with a 30 round available

A 20 in the slot and the 30 in the tack vest

What could be better ??

 

[mkwerx]

Curious about the need for a different platform to fire the 5.7

The FN FIVESEVEN PISTOL IS A FINE PIECE
And works well

??????

20 round standard mag with a 30 round available

A 20 in the slot and the 30 in the tack vest

What could be better ??

Not a fan of the five sevens control placement (mostly the safety) - and it generally feels toyish - moreso than any other polymer pistol.

20 round mags are great - but not unique to that gun. A full size xdm chambered in 5.7 might have a 22-25 round mag given their grip length. They already hold 19 rnds of 9x19.

Not saying the fiveseven is a bad gun but there are other designs I personally prefer and think are better. Would be neat seeing a reworked fnx chambered in 5.7 for example.

I would also be interested in something like a Sig MPX or CZ scorpion evo in 5.7 as a submachinegun. The P(s)90 I am also not a big fan of.