Id want a backup of some sort. Sure the "rather have extra mags" crowd is very vocal but mags dont do any good with a stoppage when someones right in front of you. Theres a reason every carbine course practices transitions

When I was on active duty with the U.S. Army (1993-2000) I was military intelligence. More specifically I was a 96R - Ground Systems Surveillance Systems Operator. I worked mostly with man-portable radars and REMBASS (Remote Monitered Battlefield Sensor Sytem). We worked in three and four man teams and usually got attached to other units. My team usually went to the division (10th Mountain Division) aviation and artillery elements for field problems and rotations down to Fort Polk, Louisiana.

Since we were often on our own we were actually had a pretty heavy selection of firepower. Two of us had M16A2 (in 98 we got M4 carbines), one of the team members had the M16/M203 and the 4th man had the M249 SAW. For a brief time we were all issued the M9 in addition to the other weapons. Then after a few months the Army decided only the SAW gunner needed the M9. A few months after that the Army took the M9's away and never gave them back. At least not as of 02/14/2000 - that was my ETS or end of service date.

So that's my experience with pistols in the Army. Well I was a tanker in the Idaho Army National Guard (88-93) and we were issued the M1911A1 until 92 when we got the M9. Before we switched over to the M1 tank we were still using the M3A1 "Grease Gun", but after we switched to the M1 from the M60A3 we turned in the Grease Guns and got one M16 per tank. We were expected to take the M240 that the loader could fire from his position if we had to abandon the tank. So between the M240, pistols and the M16 I guess the Army thought we would be okay.

They didn't make the deployment with us, due to ammo incompatability, but being a Cav Scout, we had a full set of M-3 grease guns in the armory for our Brads, with much th same dispersion.

According to my Platoon Sergeant, who did take an M-3 to Gulf War One, thy had those forever xcept for a brief time when the tried to field the wierd CAR-15 armored vehicle crewman carbine thing.

I also thought it was neat that the M-3s were packed with a stick magazine pouch as well.

Each track was issued two grease guns and an M-16, with all the crew being issued Berettas.

I saw that there was an "Egress kit" for the M240D, but I can't find any pictures of it. What does it entail?

A butt, bipod and a trigger group with a full length pistol grip. These are the parts that are removed, with the spade grips themselves on the right, and the part on the left being a trigger group with a short pistol grip that includes a linkage from the spade grips.

I'm simply conveying what was told to me, and the words were "borderline useless", not "dead weight", "something else to worry about", etc..

Eh, I'm glad I had my Beretta, but it's not something I would sweat if I didn't have.

Hell, I was already carrying ten mags on my MOLLE. I was fine as is.

Though around the FOB, it was much easier to carry my M-4 around than fool with my shoulder holster or old pistol belt and UM-84 holster.

As a police officer a handgun is more useful. I need my hands free to do things like look at driver licenses, take photographs, arrest people, write in my notepad, ect. It just isn't as practical to carry a rifle or shotgun on my person all the time. But I never know when I might need a firearm so I carry a pistol - two of them actually. The rifle and shotgun ride in my patrolcar.

Police work is a lot different than military.

carbine/pistol combo is a time proven setup.