Rich, I guess all those years I worked with those "fighter jocks" from Dayton(!), when they voiced their opinion regarding the F-15, they hadn't talked to you first, but that was almost 17 years ago, perhaps before your time...
However, I will say that the F-15 driver that landed some time back with his starboard wing shot off all the way up to the engine nacell was impressive. How much credit goes to the plane or to the pilot? I would have payed real $$ to see him land it though. F-15 drivers are plenty (!) busy enough flying when everything is working o.k., but add trying to land with a wing missing. Right?
Unfortunately, I didn't have the clearance to find out what or who shot at him.
Weren't you cheating a wee bit when you said an F-15 has never been lost in battle? Hmmmmm...... I'll let you off the hook on those three, um, uh, that one.
I know, I know. This is not the time or place, and you and I don't know each other.
Back to the gun stuff. I won't get into it with Greg since he's where I was years ago with the H&K mystique. I won't disturb his reverie. He should enjoy it while it lasts.
A P7 in every glovebox! That's the ticket!
Greg, since I now live in Texas, I was considering putting the PSG-1 in the rear window of the 'ole pickup truck. Hoo Ya! Kinda down home, but with high tech teutonic sex appeal. Ha!
The Sig will get the job done, as will many products. Also, having been in an engineering field, I understand the "engineer's woody" or love affair with certain designs all too well. In this thread, all we need now is a Beretta fanatic and a 1911 fanatic to complete the madness. Kinda like a "McLaughlin Report" type show with guns.
FWIW, the gun is, to use an overused, but accurate cliche, a tool in a tool box. We can collect them, enjoy them for impractical or
practical reasons, love on them (Greg), and give them pet names.(Greg)
If we are choosing it because it is a serious tool for a deadly serious job, any considerations regarding the opinion of how much money one presumes to know was spent on developing a gun, the sexy engineering features, or it looks neat in the moooovies has no meaning. I guess that corporal on the C-5 was right about the great coffee that comes out of that $400($600?) coffee pot aft of the cockpit because it costs so much. Hmmmmmmm...
As nice as a BMW 700 series is, I'm not going to choose to drive one based on the argument that they spent well over a billion dollars developing it, and it's got great engineering sex appeal. Right?
All I'm suggesting is that besides all this pleasant banter about who makes the best pistol in the world (are you guys trying to put those poor gunwriters out of business?) for defensive purposes, the important factor is how well do you REALLY, perform with it under stressed-out combat conditions.
I will say it again. How many times have I seen a student show up with an average gun, that spent a lot of time and some $$ getting acquainted with their weapon, blow away the "talkers with the toys"? More times than I can recall.
The last one I saw, had an unmodified Colt 1911 shooting generic 230 gr. FMJs. He embarrased everybody! Yes, even the Sig, Beretta, Glock and H&K folk. Who would you want to be in this setting? Hmmmmmm....
It humbles me every time I see it.