How and Why America Switched to 9mm

For 70 plus years the M1911 .45 ACP pistol was the primary sidearm for the US Armed Forces. Most of the rest of the world had been using 9mm for quite a long time, and it was NATO's number one choice. However, after over 70 years of faithful service, the issue of replacing the .45 ACP with 9mm raised quite a controversy. During 1947 to 1949 ground testing was being done on the .45 ACP vs smaller calibers. The result of the testing was a new requirements document was drawn up, demanding caliber between .30 and 9mm. What tipped the scales against the M1911-A1 .45 ACP in the end was because of excessive weight and limited magazine capacity.

The leaning towards 9mm started with the United States House of Representatives. In 1978, the Surveys and Investigations Staff of the House Appropriations Committee examined defense handgun and ammunition requirements, reporting over 25 different makes, models and types of handguns in the defense inventory with 140 different cartridge types catalogued to feed them. Much of this problem came from ammunition left over from previous wars, including WWII and the Korean War. Congress declared that it was inefficient to have so diverse a selection of handguns, because it would cause problems in the areas of supply, maintenance, repair and ammunition stocking problems.

The House Appropriations Committee sought economies and efficiencies from handgun standardization, encouraging a defense transition plan "to achieve a standard handgun". By 1980 Army Armament Research and Development Command was conducting handgun and ammunition studies. It was immediately evident that there was far to many types of ammunition and they were reduced to only 30 (discontinuing 110 types). The handgun studies objective was to determine the minimum number of types of handguns needed for essential service. Another factor, the 9mm worked out well because there was a growing need for a smaller round, with less recoil, a lighter frame and more shots, because of all the women entering the armed forces. The women's small hands were a problem because they were being issued .38 Special revolvers to fit their hands and to lower the recoil. And so, for all of the above reasons, the faithful old M1911 .45 ACP was flung out the door, some of the frames having seen 40 years of service! In its place came the Beretta m9, military version of the Model 92 and the Sig Arms M11, the military version of the Sig P228.

M1911

Beretta m9Sig Sauer P228

Selling Guns Online

Most People think it's illegal to sell firearms online. In fact when it comes right down to it many people don't sell their guns because they feel uncertain about it. Well it is entirely legal to sell firearms online! You have surly heard of ebay? well there are a few sites set up like ebay, but unlike ebay these websites are dedicated wholly to selling guns, and gun accessories. Any US citizen has the right to list their firearms online for sale, as long as they follow the rules.

The Rules:
It is up to you to check your local state laws to see if there are restrictions to selling firearms online, the rules may vary slightly depending on what state or city you live in, but on a general level they go something like this. If you are the Seller of the firearm(s) you must receive a signed copy of the FFL Dealers licence from the buyer, this license will have the ship to address where you will send the firearm(s). After the transaction is over, make sure that you file away the FFL License as proof of sale.

Hand Guns:

If you have sold a HAND GUN online and need to ship it to the buyer, you must ship it FROM an FFL Dealer TO an FFL Dealer (Federal Firearms Licenced Dealer) after you get payment of course. Usually an FFL Dealer attach's a small fee additional to the shipping charge. From there it is out of your hands, and up to the buyer to receive it from their local FFL Dealer. It is ALWAYS the customers job to send you a signed copy of the FFL Dealer that the gun must ship to.

Rifles

Long gun (rifle) transactions are generally easier to handle, it does NOT require that you ship from an FFL Dealer, but it does require that you ship it to an FFL dealer for the buyer to pick it up. It is ALWAYS the customers job to send you a signed copy of the FFL holder that the gun must ship to.

And there is a simple and good reason for these FFL gun transfers, it is the only efficient way to register your firearm, and do background checks.

Sites you can sell your guns on:

www.Gunbroker.com

www.AuctionArms.com

www.GunsAmerica.com

Adam

Lynden, WA

Buying Guns Online

Many people think its illegal to purchase guns online. Such is not the case, of course there are some restrictions to buying guns online, first of all it is up to you to check the regulations of the state or city that you live in, to see if the transaction you want to make is within legal bounds.
The next step is to buy a firearm online, there are several websites that are wholly dedicated to selling guns, here is a list of a few of them.

AuctionArms.com

Gunbroker.com

Gunsamerica.com

ImpactGuns.com

If from there you want to buy a gun, then the process is simple, if you purchased a handgun the gun must be shipped from an FFL (Federal Firearms Licenced) Dealer, to an FFL Dealer. For a long gun (rifle) you can ship it from your residence to an FFL Dealer. In each case the party that is mailing the gun needs to receive a signed copy of the FFL Dealer Licence along with payment.

That's all! It may sound a little complicated but after your first purchase online it's as easy as 1-2-3.

Adam

Lynden, WA

Smith & Wesson 500

The Smith & Wesson 500 is the largest caliber handgun currently made. When it was first manufactured it was only made with a 4" ported barrel. Now you can get it in a lightweight, target performance barrel, and in a 8 3/8" heavy barrel with a compensator on it. you can buy up to 440 grain bullets, one of my friends loads a mean 500 grain bullet and those shots fly at over 1600 fps! This is the mother of all handguns! I owned one for about 9 months, and I can testify it is more gun than most people can handle. I bought mine on Gunbroker.com I got one for an incredible deal $750 then turned around and sold it for $850. In the end I broke even If I count all the ammunition I shot, but it was worth the experience.

Walther p22

The Walther p22 is a great .22 automatic pistol for a first handgun. All the things you can do with a Walther p22 is one of the best things about it. All models of the Walther p22 are equipped with a rail mount. You can mount just about anything you wawnt on this rail mount, a tactical light, a tactical laser, or you can get one of those laser/light combos. The basic model of the Walther p22 has a 3.4" inch barrel, but you can extend the barrel with the target barrel add-on. Just in case you don't quite know what I mean I will explain in easier words. The Walther p22 has a short 3.4" in barrel, but the Walther p22 is made in such a wawy as to be able to add another length of barrel on it; making the Walther p22 5" in! the basic Walther p22 costs about $279 and the target Walther p22 with changeable barrels is about $379

Adam

Lynden, WA

Colt M1911 .45 pistol

The Colt M1911 .45 pistol is one of the finest guns ever made. It was designed by John Moses Browning and production started in 1911. The design itself had been worked on since as far back as 1880 and would be improved in the years to come. It is recorded that Colt made up nearly 200 experimental pistols before producing the model finally accepted. The U.S. Armed Forces adopted the Colt after a contest with Savage and declared the following statement:

"Of the two pistols, the board was of the opinion that the Colt is superior, because it is more reliable, more enduring, more easily disassembled when there are broken parts to be replaced, and the more accurate."

That, in short, explains why the Browning-Colt .45 Automatic pistol was eventually adopted as an official U.S. Service arm and formally designated as the U.S. Pistol, Caliber .45, Model of 1911.

The Colt would be the standard side arm of the U.S. Armed Forces for over 70 years and would be in all the major conflicts including WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam and others. It’s the toughest handgun in the word and an absolute workhorse. The .45 ACP is a big bullet and when it hits things they go down. It’s very accurate and loved by every service man or civilian who has shot one.

Over view:
Single action, semi automatic
Cal: .45 ACP
Capacity: 7+1
Weight (unloaded): 2lb 7 oz

When the Colt M1911 was taken out of service to be replaced by the lighter Beretta 9mm there was an outcry from service men and civilians alike. It’s no longer being manufactured but there are several gun makers who are now making the 1911 style. There are also hundreds of accessories designed specifically for the M1911. When my buddy was asked what he loved most about it he said:

“It’s a part of history. The toughest and most accurate handgun in the world. Loved by all and now one of the top collectors items”