ORIGINAL: driftrider
Just found this article linked from ammoguide.com:
U.S. Brings Back the .45 January 27, 2006: After two decades of use, the U.S. Department of Defense is getting rid of its Beretta M9 9mm pistol, and going back to the 11.4mm (.45 caliber) weapon. There have been constant complaints about the lesser (compared to the .45) hitting power of the 9mm. And in the last few years, SOCOM (Special Operations Command) and the marines have officially adopted .45 caliber pistols as "official alternatives" to the M9 Beretta. But now SOCOM has been given the task of finding a design that will be suitable as the JCP (Joint Combat Pistol). Various designs are being evaluated, but all must be .45 caliber and have a eight round magazine (at least), and high capacity mags holding up to 15. The new .45 will also have a rail for attachments, and be able to take a silencer. Length must be no more than 9.65 inches, and width no more than 1.53 inches.
The M1911 .45 caliber pistol that the 9mm Beretta replaced in 1985, was, as its nomenclature implied, an old design. There are several modern designs out there for .45 caliber pistols that are lighter, carry more ammo and are easier to maintain than the pre-World War I M1911 (which is actually about a century old, as a design). The Department of Defense plans to buy 645,000 JCPs. The competition could get intense with an order this size, and there are already some good .45 caliber designs out there, including a SOCOM version of the Heckler and Koch USP. The U.S. Marine Corps uses an upgraded version of the M1911, and were also looking at new .45 caliber designs.
SOCOM will, with input from other branches, handle the evaluation and final selection. This will take place this year, and if the military moves with unaccustomed alacrity, troops could start getting their JCPs next year. But don't hold your breath.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20060127.aspx
The article was January 2006, and I haven't heard about it, but I wonder is progress has been made toward bidding and evaluating a new service pistol. Doesn't look like they are going back to the 1911 because of it's relative complexity. Maybe the H&K USP 45. The Springfield XD 45 would also be a good choice. I just hope the DoD doesn't make the same mistake it did with the M9, by forcing it to be built in the US in a brand new factory Beretta had to build just for that purpose, only to have the government refuse to pay the extra cost of U.S. labor. This forced Beretta to take some major cost cutting measures that made the M9 a far inferior cousin to the 92F namesake.
Anybody else heard about this move and when it's likely that our guys will have .45's in their holsters again?
Mike
Actually, according to an article in ARMY magazine, the publication of the Association of the U.S. Army, what is happening is that, for the present anyway,the M9 in 9mm is being retained for issue to "ordinary troops", but a .45 ACP of some type will be issued to Special Ops forces. DOD just does not presently have the funds availble to buy new .45 ACP handguns for all needs.
If indeed the DOD does replace 9mm pistols with one firing the .45 ACP, it will bethe second time in 100 years that this change to a larger bore handgun has happened. The first instance wasduring the Philippine Insurrection when the Colt Single Action Army .45 Colts were re-issued to replace the sorry .38 Long Colt revolvers that wouldn't stop the Moro Juramentados. Then later Browning developedthe .45 ACP to go along with his handgun designs. IMO, the 9mm is another sorry round in the same class as the .38 Long Colt, and it should never have been adopted either. It was donejust to keep the NATO countries happy. How many Americans have been killed because of THIS POLITICAL decision who would still be alive if they'd had a Model 1911A1 instead of that Beretta?? Adoption of the 9mm to replace the .45 ACP is just another example of the triumph of politics over practicality.
Yes, there are other, newer handgun designs that use the .45 ACP. Some do hold more rounds. But many experts still consider the M 1911A! to be basically the finest combat handgunever designed. In addition, more different M1911's are being made by various & sundry manufacturers today than any other combat handgun design. If one wants a large-capacity magazine, there's always the Para-Ordnance versions available.