Handguns Calibers at 100 yards?

Military sidearms are also ordered to be carried chamber empty. The 25 and 50yds are the traditional ranges, military and civilian.

The military decides what is their idea of "effective range", based on, I'm not really sure what.

I can very clearly recall a very loud, insistent gentleman in a large hat instructing me the maximum effective range of the M16A1 was 460 meters.

Meanwhile Marines were shooting the same gun and ammo at 600 meter targets...
 
Military sidearms are also ordered to be carried chamber empty.
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Not during combat or on patrol. On base, yes, where one is surrounded by a bunch of other good guys who are armed, with armed sentries guarding the perimeter.

The 25 and 50yds are the traditional ranges, military and civilian.
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Probably because most service-sized handguns are sighted in at 25 m and are deemed to be effective out to 50 m.

The military decides what is their idea of "effective range", based on, I'm not really sure what.
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Bullet energy, and accuracy and precision: http://gunwiki.net/Gunwiki/FactorsOfEffectiveRange.

I can very clearly recall a very loud, insistent gentleman in a large hat instructing me the maximum effective range of the M16A1 was 460 meters.

Meanwhile Marines were shooting the same gun and ammo at 600 meter targets...
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Because the M16 has an effective range against point targets of 550 m; against area targets it's 800 m (http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/m16a2/m16a2-study-guide.shtml).

In military combat I doubt there are many pistol engagements at 100 yd. Not because one can't hit a man-sized target at that distance, but because there are rifles at hand that can make that shot so much more easily and effectively.
 
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Generally speaking, if I can't eye ball the difference in trajectory with a caliber normally shot at say 20-25 yds, I don't find it much fun other than the occasional plinking shot at a can or something. My choice for longer range shooting has been the S&W M57 (41 mag) and some of the heavier hunting calibers. There is plenty of power with those calibers to kill deer sized game humanely at that range with a good hit.
 
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