Comments on: The Model 1917: A Great Old Revolver

By: DFmeyer

DFmeyer — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:16:25 +0000

Lol! You’re a little late to that party! The US chose the .45 caliber due to the lack of knock down power. This was discovered in the Philippine Insurrection. The Army had adopted the .38 and found it took too many hits in the body to put down a target. They went back to the .45 Long Colt until a new pistol in .45 caliber could be developed and adopted.
In the 1970′s and 80′s. The US Dept. of Justice tested calibers extensively. They too left the .38, .357 and 9MM. They found the penetration just fine in those calibers. In fact, the 9MM had a problem. Over penetration. Like the energizer bunny. It keeps going, and going.
The current US Troops are not happy with the M9 in 9MM either. It takes multiple hits to put down a target. Whereas the .45 ACP takes one. In fact, every special operations units does not use the 9mm for that reason. They all use the .45 ACP. In fact, the Marines just ordered 40,000 new .45 ACP’s.
The Common caliber in use by line patrol cops in the US is the .40 S&W. That was chosen because the 10MM and the .45 ACP had too much recoil for many officers.
Lastly, Mr. Cooper did not say much about the 9MM. Because he was a Marine. They were in the Pacific and were not exposed to the 9MM in combat and later in Korea and it was not a factor there either.
It’s not about penetration. It’s about stopping power. 9MM doesn’t have it.

By: k8uhx

k8uhx — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 07:47:59 +0000

ON OF THE MOST ACCURATE REVOLVERS I HAVE EVER SHOT.

By: 7x57

7x57 — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:50:36 +0000

No one can fault anyone for wanting a piece of history but lets face facts. This gun was never noted for its accuracy and the workmanship due to war time production was not up to the usual Colt standards inside or out.

The .45 acp was actually one of the worst combat cartridges ever adopted. After WWII the U.S. Military actually got around to testing this cartridge and were horrified to find out that it actually bounced off WWII helmets at only 35 yards while the 9×19 penetrated the helmet at an astonishing 125 yards and might have done so even further except the accuracy of the weapon and the skill of the shooters were at there limits. For further reading see the book “The Englis Diamond”.

The 9×19 carried more rounds, was flatter shooting, had milder recoil and out-penetrated the .45acp by a wide margin making Jeff Cooper only partially right when he said using a pistol as an offensive weapon was tantamount to committing suicide. He was right if he was speaking of the .45acp but not the 9mm. Pictures of German storm troupers in WWI and WWII using the 9mm as an assault pistol abound. Its stranger Cooper never saw any of them or if he did he learned nothing from them.