Son is now a genuine "Coastie"

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by Jcordell

I had no idea that the Coast Guard's boot camp was so demanding.

Congratulations on your son making the cut. My guess as to why the boot camp is so demanding is that the "Coasties" have to be able to execute VBSS (AKA hostile boarding actions) operations on short notice or know how to survive at sea for possibly a very long time if they have to abandon ship. Heaven forbid if, in this day and age, a suspect ship being boarded and inspected is a waterborne suicide or dirty bomb, or is a "Q-ship" hiding a lot of people armed with RPG launchers and automatic weaponry.

Do they conduct regular sonar sweeps too? Nobody wants hostile submarines launching short-notice nukes at North America from unexpected locations in the Arctic. If a bunch of fishermen could snag a "Russian submarine" with their nets you never know what your son might find up there.

Originally Posted by Jcordell

The Coast Guard is under Homeland Security so it has flexibility denied to the other branches. I just assume they went with the 40 based on their mission. Good penetration, flat shooting and powerful. They deal with boarding sea going vessels that are frequently made of steel and they might have to engage somebody from a vessel several dozen yards out. I also found it interesting.

Originally Posted by Excalibur

At the risk of starting another .40 cal vs every other caliber...nope, I'm starting one. Personally I like the 9mm, especially in hollow point compared to the .40.

Realistically, depending on thick the steel is, most rounds would have trouble hitting through it, especially pistol caliber.

Why stick with .40 S&W when you could add three millimeters to the casing, use the same bullets, use large pistol primer, and end up with a more versatile cartridge, the 10mm Auto? At least if you're stuck with just your handgun in a place like Alaska, even a Glock 20 will serve well against Polar Bears. The Danish government even issues it to their sledge patrols in Greenland.

[StanTheMan]

Late again, but big congrats, JCordell. The young man's lookin' sharp indeed, excellent job on his part. I'm sure he'll go quite far.

As for the .40 cal bit, HSS uses .40 SIG 229s as well, doesn't it? Maybe it's just a case of simplifying their outfitting by using a standard piece and caliber between the lot.

[Jcordell]

Originally Posted by StanTheMan

Late again, but big congrats, JCordell. The young man's lookin' sharp indeed, excellent job on his part. I'm sure he'll go quite far.

As for the .40 cal bit, HSS uses .40 SIG 229s as well, doesn't it? Maybe it's just a case of simplifying their outfitting by using a standard piece and caliber between the lot.

That might be it. Didn't consider that, but it makes sense.