Use of Pistols in Combat
 

So I have a question for any and all members of our armed forces out there. Ive been watching a lot of these "raw" videos from Afghanistan (http://www.youtube.com/user/FUNKER530), really worth checking out by the way, and I had a question. How often, if ever, do you use a sidearm in combat? In all the footage I've ever seen in combat, be it news reels or this raw, helmet cam stuff, they are always using primary weapons (which obviously makes sense). I'm just wondering how often do you ever use your pistol? Is it solely a last ditch "I'm out of ammo for my M4" type thing? Or are there certain situations that call for a pistol instead of a primary weapon?

Thanks for the info.

I always thought it was for running dry or stoppages.

Well for a lot of GIs, the "M4 thingy" is all you have. Only selective people in the military are given sidearms and it depends on their jobs. The vast majority of the armed forces used M16s and only selective members of the squad gets M4s depending on the mission.

It's not like games or tv and movies where every military guy gets a rifle and a handgun. There's actually not enough handguns in the military to go around

The Marines changed who got what just a few years ago:

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news...arbine_070625/

Most of the current and former service members I've talked to about this subject tell me they'd rather carry "a few extra mags" for their M16 or M4. Outside SOF, the general consensus seems to be that pistols are borderline useless in combat.

But, as I said, that's just from the ones I've talked to, which is a tiny minority of the whole armed forces, so who knows.

Really it's not that pistols are useless in combat, but the situations GIs find themselves, pistols are inappropriate and dead weight. It's just one extra thing to worry about to them.

This one might take a bit so, go take a leak and grab a cup of coffee.

I carried an M-9 Beretta, I was issued on as a PFC because I carried an M-4A1 the -203 slung underneath and our TO&E called for grenadiers to carry a sidearm sense they couldn't carry a bayonet. Side note: In lieu of the bayonet, I carried my cousin's Ka-Bar that he wore on his survival vest in OEF. He gave it to me before I deployed as a sort of tailsman.

When we deployed, I had been bumped up to squad leader, but was still carrying the -203 due to a few holes in the platoon. Further note: With the exception of my platoon sergeant, PDM and SDMs, the other platoon grenadier, the SAW gunners, and the -240 team, everybody in my Platoon carried an M-4A1, but we were a Cav unit so we were still equipped as if we would be fighting from the Brads.

I used my Beretta exactly once. We were in rather close confines and I flt it would be quicker to use it then fool with getting my M-4 back in the fight just then. Fired 9 rounds from it and reholstered it. That was it. It wasn't even all that mission critical, just more a matter of convience.

Well recently Colt just won the contract to make new M45s for the Recon Marines, so they obviously value the pistol in combat.

Sorry to disappoint guys, but most pistols are actually issued to support troops so they don't have to needlessly carry a rifle at all times. You don't really see many in the infantry.

In my experience it is the other way round. It may have been the case in the past that support troops would be issued pistols in lieu of a larger weapon, but in recent years there has been a shift to issuing them with carbines or PDWs. One reason for this is that it requires a much higher level of training to effectively use a pistol rather than a carbine or other shoulder fired weapon. Also with the increasing prevalence of body armour a pistol will not necessarily be effective.

In the British Forces pistols are only used by front-line troops who are expected to come into very close contact with the enemy, officers, specialists like machine gunners and snipers who's long is unsuitable for close personal defence, or people who are working in a confined space where they cannot carry a carbine. For this last point that pretty much narrows it down to just fast air pilots as armoured vehicle crews and helicopter pilots carry either full size L85A2s or L22A2s (they will also possibly carry a pistol as well as their carbine will be in a bracket and they may not have time to grab it before they evacuate the vehicle, but the go to weapon is the carbine).

I have personally fired a pistol in combat, but probably only two or three times. When driving I would unholster my pistol and put it on the dash in front of me when going through a particularly dodgy area so was quicker to get to than my rifle and could still drive one handed. However, if I was getting out I would go straight for my rifle. Bear in mind I wasn't actually meant to have a pistol. Someone had just managed to get their hands on some L9A1s which we smuggled out there when we deployed, and we ended up passing them on when we came home.