Veterans: How much use does a military pistol actually get in deployment?

While I agree with the majority of your post, the main purpose of a sidearm is as a backup when your main weapon fails. While a pistol is by no means a substitute for a battle rifle, it’s purpose is to allow you to fight your way to another rifle. Also, the size and easy manipulation of a pistol can be a life saver during hand to hand combat.

8 year Army Vet - Commissioned officers and Warrant Officers normally carried sidearms. Most shooting they see is typically at the range. I can honestly say that I never had a pistol malfunction , FF etc while qualifying at the range ;) All other answers are classified...

I've never been in combat but it seems like going in with only 1 gun wouldnt be the best idea. I know it's useless compared to an M4 in every situation but what if the M4 becomes inoperable or you get separated from it? An M9 is no M4 but its better than a knife.

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've never been in combat but it seems like going in with only 1 gun wouldnt be the best idea. I know it's useless compared to an M4 in every situation but what if the M4 becomes inoperable or you get separated from it? An M9 is no M4 but its better than a knife.

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Understood. Which is why I’m asking. How many combat vets actually shot it in combat. If not, who drew it, pointed it and de-esxaleted a situation?

Seems to me that there is no need for a back up weapon when you ha e the M4.

Who actually had a primary weapon fail, only to have to use the pistol to survive in American modern combat?

I agree that tradition and history made this an option that will be soon realized as merely obsolete.

It’s bar when an old coastie has to come in and check up a jarhead. But your statement of being impractical is just false. It’s a practical secondary weapon. As stated above, it’s to help you get to a long gun if need be. And since it’s impractical to carry a second primary weapon, the pistol fills in that gap. You do need a pistol as a secondary, it’s effective on keeping heads down, not intended for long range so in cqc it’s practical. It’s not intended for concealment, only as a secondary. But with that said, we Mainly carried sidearms and those guns went to the range a few times a year and had a thousand or so rounds sent through them each session with very little issues. Berettas originally then switched to the sig 220.

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Who actually had a primary weapon fail, only to have to use the pistol to survive in American modern combat?

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That's probably happened more often than you'd think but it's probably not something there is going to be hard numbers on.

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Seems to me that there is no need for a back up weapon when you ha e the M4.

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Except that M4 mechanical failures are now more likely with the M855A1 ammo, it operates at the very limit of pressure these weapons were designed for. Given what I know on the issue I'd actually prefer to have a sidearm available rather than trying to swap out a broken bolt in the middle of a two-way range.

It all beckons this question:


If all the vets that carried a pistol could go back in time; would they eliminate the extra weight of the side arm, or did it offer them the security that they really needed.

‘Cause most baws out here, most likely bought polymer semi auto pistols, then made the move to buy an AR.

We are like: “what can I do with this pistol, do I keep it in the go bag or what?”....when it’s just not really needed anymore.

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So use Mk262 instead.

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Not cost effective now.

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We should've switched to the older M193 for Afghanistan and Iraq since it fragments better than M855 against soft targets.

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Maybe, but precion suffers and a hit from a non-fragmenting M855 is always better than a miss from anything else.

Afghanistan and Iraq here.

As an initial matter, yes, a long gun is always, always preferred.

That said, there were multiple situations every day when I was glad to have a sidearm. For example, you don’t spend all day kitted up and the vast majority of folks work in a toc or motorpool where they don’t carry rifles all day.

Secondly, I cannot count the number of meetings that I would attend with local nationals which were semi-formal, damn glad to have a handgun for those situations as otherwise you’re left with a pocket knife or trying to beat someone to death with a chai pot until someone with a gun gets there. With the number of green on blue, especially in the last few years, I am far more worried about getting popped inside the wire than I am outside - same exact rationale why we all conceal carry here.

Lastly, it is far easier to manipulate a handgun in a vehicle with body armor, radios and the rest of the shite on. You could also run a radio with one hand and fire with one hand if need be, of course this is a bad scenario if you’re doing that, but it’s an option.

Infantry marine machine gunner. Carried one on a couple of patrols as a backup to my 240. Running around in a firefight I realized it was a pain in the arse flipping on my hip and putting it on my chest fricked up my prone. Ended up leaving it inside my pack the entire deployment. Never was issued one on my next 2 deployments.

If you or someone else is using a pistol shite has hit the fan. Just like fixing bayonets.