John Moses Browning

[Colonel]

This guy was incredible, and is lost to history:

John Moses Browning (1855 – 1926) was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms – many of which are still in use around the world.

He made his first firearm at age 13 in his father's gun shop, and was awarded the first of his 128 firearm patents on October 7, 1879, at the age of 24.

He is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries, and pioneered the development of modern automatic and semi-automatic firearms.

Browning influenced nearly all categories of firearms design. He invented, or made significant improvements to, single-shot, lever-action, and pump-action rifles and shotguns. Arguably, his most significant contributions were in the area of autoloading firearms. He developed the first reliable and compact autoloading pistols by inventing the telescoping bolt, then integrating the bolt and barrel shroud into what is known as the pistol slide. Browning's telescoping bolt design is now found on nearly every modern semi-automatic pistol, as well as several modern fully automatic weapons. He also developed the first gas-operated firearm, the Colt–Browning Model 1895 machine gun – a system that surpassed mechanical recoil operation to become the standard for most high-power self-loading firearm designs worldwide. He also made significant contributions to automatic cannon development.

Browning's most successful designs include the M1911 pistol, the water-cooled M1917, the air-cooled M1919, and heavy M2 machine guns, the Browning Automatic Rifle, and the Browning Auto-5 – the first semi-automatic shotgun. Some of these arms are still manufactured, often with only minor changes in detail and cosmetics to those assembled by Browning or his licensees. His guns are some of the most copied firearms in the world.

[Nark]

We still use the M2. As a matter of fact a few of the ma Deuces we have in our armory are from the Second World War.

The 1911 was used up until the 80/90’s until the M9 piece of shit replaced it. Now we’re going with the Sig P320(I like this one). The SOF guys continued to use the 1911 when us common folk were using the M9. They’ve swapped out to other pistols, but the original 1911’s are still running strong.

I raise a toast to Mr Browning every time we go to the range.

In December 2006, the Center for Naval Analyses released a report on U.S. small arms in combat. The CNA conducted surveys on 2,608 troops returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 12 months. Only troops who fired their weapons at enemy targets were allowed to participate. 161 troops were armed with M9 pistols, making up 6 percent of the survey. 58 percent of M9 users (93 troops) reported they were satisfied with the weapon, which was the lowest satisfaction rate in the survey. 48 percent of users (77 troops) were dissatisfied with the M9's ammunition. 64 percent (103 troops) were satisfied with handling qualities such as size and weight. M9 users had the lowest levels of satisfaction with weapon performance, including 76 percent (122 troops) with accuracy, 66 percent (106 troops) with range, and 88 percent (142 troops) with rate of fire. 48 percent of M9 users (77 troops) were dissatisfied with its ability to attach accessories. 26 percent of M9 users (42 troops) reported a stoppage, and 62 percent of those that experienced a stoppage said it had a small effect on their ability to clear the stoppage and re-engage their target. Only 45 percent of M9 users (72 troops) reported their weapon's magazine did not fail to feed completely. 83 percent (134 troops) did not need their pistols repaired while in theater. 46 percent (74 troops) were not confident in the M9's reliability, defined as level of soldier confidence their weapon will fire without malfunction, mainly due to difficulty of maintenance. 63 percent (101 troops) were confident in its durability, defined as level of soldier confidence their weapon will not break or need repair. The M9 had the lowest levels of soldier confidence in reliability and durability. 74 percent of M9 users offered recommendations for improvements. 26 percent of requests were for increased caliber or stopping power, with some specifically requesting returning to .45 ACP rounds. 20 percent of requests were for a new pistol. Other recommendations were for more durable magazines and better grips.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150831150 ... 259_a2.pdf

[Colonel]

Like choosing an Italian sports car for a daily driver, the M9
probably wasn't the best choice. There's a long history of really
questionable choices there.

I still find the 9mm Luger cartridge a little under-sized, but I suppose
it's better than nothing. I use the same argument with my tiny
.32 pocket gun which is undersized but better than my .45 I left
at home.

Personally, I find the .45 to be a little under-whelming. IMHO the
.44 Magnum is a better choice if you want some punch.

The .50 Magnum is great fun, but literally a bit overkill.

All very subjective. I saw someone state that a 9mm has a kick
recently, and I nearly peed my pants laughing.



9mm Parabellum on left, .50 Magnum on right.

9mm to the ammo world is like Linux to Operating Systems,
or trailer parks to residential areas. I see the bang for the
buck, but none of them are for me.

Same for a Glock, which is like an original VW air-cooled bug
with the engine behind the rear swing axle. It gets the job
done, cheaply. And that's about all that's good that can be
said about either of them. I know they made and sold millions
of each of them, but again, I'm not going to live in a double wide
and program on Linux and shoot 9mm and drive a VW bug.

[Nark]

We’re no longer friends after your disparaging remarks about my beloved Glock!

Although my P320 and USP40, I seem to drive holes at 15yards and in. My Glock’s I get a quarter size grouping at the same distance.
The best shooter (In person) I ever saw was running Sig. That dude had a solid foundation of skills.

Reminds me: one of the better YouTube warriors (this guy really is) is Travis Haley. Former Marine Recon (old school SOF). He teaches you fundamentals in his videos, not just showing off his skills like most other YouTube stars.

God Bless the USA for allowing the ability to run my mouth about guns, instead of a place that overnight, outlaws them.

[Colonel]

I know I should not push your Glock button :^)



If you must go 9mm, why not one of these? MSRP $600