Desmosedici
New member
JustJake do they still carry those? I thought I read somewhere they ditched them due to unreliability.
US Infantry (Army and Marine) Side Arm Carry
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Cyanide971
New member
Not necessarily for reliability…
https://www.military.com/kitup/2016/10/marsoc-chooses-glock-19s-45s-raiders.html
And last time I checked, I was a real Marine when I stepped across the parade deck back in ‘89. LOL
Cyanide971
New member
Parade-tasked Marines are just as important to the Corp as fighting Marines.
Oh, like when I was an Assaultman from 89-95? [emoji2373][emoji6]
Archer1440
New member
But probably not after next year. Unfortunately the M17’s are finding their way into Force Recon holsters.
End of an era.
Attachments
The Army bought mostly M17s.
AF and Navy bought M18s.
I don't remember what the Marines bought.
The M9 is still in service, as the transition happens. Depending on what unit you are in, and what your job is, you will be issued one of those pistols or a rifle. The avg. infantryman does not get a pistol, generally. That can depend on what they are doing and what unit, though. Those with specialty weapons and/or leadership often get a pistol as a backup. You need to remember that the infantry loadout is VERY heavy, so adding a few more pounds of pistol and magazines is a serious thing. In most cases, more 5.56mags is a better deal than a 9x19 pistol, if you are fighting in with a bunch of teammates.
AF and Navy bought M18s.
I don't remember what the Marines bought.
The M9 is still in service, as the transition happens. Depending on what unit you are in, and what your job is, you will be issued one of those pistols or a rifle. The avg. infantryman does not get a pistol, generally. That can depend on what they are doing and what unit, though. Those with specialty weapons and/or leadership often get a pistol as a backup. You need to remember that the infantry loadout is VERY heavy, so adding a few more pounds of pistol and magazines is a serious thing. In most cases, more 5.56mags is a better deal than a 9x19 pistol, if you are fighting in with a bunch of teammates.
For fighting, certainly. But there is also living to be considered. And what I mean by living is the time you aren't getting shot at, but might be in need of a weapon unexpectedly.
A pistol (including unauthorized personal ones) can be an item of great comfort in your sleeping bag (and much more useful than a rifle) when you aren't in a fully secured area.
Not sure what they did in the "Sandbox" but in Viet Nam and from what I've read in WWII and Korea lots of guys on the line had some kind of pistol, against the "official" rules and the brass usually looked the other way. Very often a unofficial pistol would be passed to others in the unit if the owner was wounded or rotated out, so that someone would continue to get some good from it.
peacefulgary
New member
I served from 86 to 92 (Army) and, being Communications, I was lucky enough to have served in various units.
An Armor company, an Artillery battery, an Engineer company, and a Medical company.
In all but one of those units only the officers carried handguns. NCOs and lower enlisted where not issued handguns.
The only exception were the tankers, who were issued handguns regardless of rank.
On a side note, when I was in Desert Storm in a Medical company the Dust Off medivac crew carried .38 Special snub-nosed revolvers.
An Armor company, an Artillery battery, an Engineer company, and a Medical company.
In all but one of those units only the officers carried handguns. NCOs and lower enlisted where not issued handguns.
The only exception were the tankers, who were issued handguns regardless of rank.
On a side note, when I was in Desert Storm in a Medical company the Dust Off medivac crew carried .38 Special snub-nosed revolvers.
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wild cat mccane
New member
That makes me think the need for a firearm for that group was deemed next to not needed.
It is kind of interesting, how things change, and when. Through the late 70s, when I left the service, SOME tankers got pistols (1911A1s), and some of them got SMGs, actual WWII production M3 and M3A1.45acp, and most people who were in tank units but weren't actual tank crew got issued M16A1s.
101combatvet
New member
It depends on the unit; Special Operations guys are often dual armed with both pistol and rifle. I've carried various firearms depending on who I'm working with, 1911A1, M9, Glock 19, even an Inglis Hi-Power.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
A good friend of mine was a tanker. He's fifty now, I believe. I met him a bit over twenty years ago, at which time I believe he was recently released from active duty. So he would have been active in the 1980s or 90s.44 AMP said:
He was issued a sidearm. He has told me that he originally had a 1911, and then they transitioned to the M9 Beretta. That was the personnel's issue weapon. The vehicles were equipped with a couple or three SMGs. I don't recall if the first tank type he was in had Thompsons, but I know he has mentioned the M3 "grease gun."
101combatvet
New member
I forgot to mention that I qualified with a CZ-52, which I may have carried a few times, and was issued a VZ58 when working with the Czech Army. Life can be challenging, but someone has to do it. 
Steve in Allentown
New member
I was an 11E M60A1 tanker during the '70s and '80s. Every crew member drew a 1911 and a shoulder holster from the arms room. In addition, each loader and driver drew an M3 from the arms room. The loader's grease gun was maintained in a simple, vertical rack at his position in the turret. The driver's grease gun was maintained in a simple, vertical rack in the driver's compartment.
Most 1911s were A1s but there were still some WWI era 1911s in every arms room. Most M3s were A1s that were cocked by sticking your finger in a recess in the bolt and pulling the bolt back but there were a number of older M3s that had the little cocking handle that you'd rotate to move the bolt back.
Grease guns were fun to shoot. They were full auto only but you could fire single rounds if you were quick on the trigger. Filling their magazines by hand was definitely a chore though.
were you aware that there is a "magazine loading tool" built into the buttstock?
On both the M3 and M3A1 there is a "tab" near the rear of the stock, who's only purpose is to be used to push down rounds in the magazine as you load them.
This is also the reason the stock comes out easily using just the catch button. The stock is meant to be removed, used as a mag loading tool then reinstalled, by the user, no tools involved.
I was a Small Arms Repairman (MOS 45B20) in the 70s, and was in Germany 77-78. Worked on a number of M3/M3A1 guns during that time.
Steve in Allentown
New member
Yup but we were young, dumb, and impatient. The painful lessons are the ones that seem to stick with you the best. Our thumbs thanked us once we figured out what the 90° shaped tab was for and how to use it.
Speaking of young and dumb, one guy didn't secure his M3 in its rack. It ended up caught between the turret and the hull so that when the TC traversed the turret the barrel on the M3 got bent 90°. I don't recall what happened to the guy who had signed it out of the arms room (Article 15?).
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