>>In latter days, there's been a lot of controversy about the
>>Thompson-LaGarde tests, with critics pointing out that they were
>>wildly unscientific,
>
>To be fair; that's the same criticism levied at Mythbusters. (Well,
>more specifically that they lack rigor, but still.)

Mythbusters didn't set 80+ years' worth of policy for the U.S. armed forces, though. I'm just saying.

>> Certain Special Forces operators, and others of a lofty enough
>>status in the military pecking order that they can vary their
>>equipment based on preference, have stuck with it, or at least with
>>the .45 ACP cartridge, right down to the present day.
>
>I believe this is no longer the case; if I recall correctly, the
>Marine Raiders were the last Special Forces guys still carrying the
>M1911A1, and they discontinued that last year. There are no doubt
>still a few guys with it in their kit, but it is no longer "official."

Oh, did they, finally? The last guy who had one must've retired. :) I think SOC is still using the H&K Mk 23, though, so "or at least the .45 ACP cartridge" still stands, for the moment. (Oddly, a quick snout around Google turns up a lot of reports that H&K announced they were discontinuing the Mk 23 in 2010 or so, but then evidently didn't? I dunno. Modern-day Defense Department firearms procurement is weird. How many times now have they said they were absolutely going to replace the M16 and/or M9 and then just didn't bother? That was a rhetorical question. :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
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