The Paladin is a little different that a tank in the way that the primary way to get into the vehicle is through the big doors in the back. I could see a drop leg rig not being as big of an issue with that. I wore a drop leg when I was playing S-2 for my battalion and it would get hung up and caught on just about everything when I would climb into the tank when I needed to find a "safe space" and hide from the BN Commander. The "tactical fishing vest" seems like it would the better answer but still prone to getting caught on stuff. Honestly I don't know what the current combat uniform is for tankers - a quick google search is showing recent photos of tankers wearing the new multi-cam ACUs, green Nomax "Tanker Pajamas" with soft armor over the top or either and plate carriers. In all cases, the M7 holster seems to been the best option, but it won't fit the Sig.
ETA - Found a photo of a crew outside the tank wearing TL7s with M17s on their hip. It will be interesting to see what develops.....
Last edited by Suvorov; 09-14-2021 at 01:56 AM.
Given how many people in the armed forces carry pistols, how little most of them use them, and that we started buying the replacement long before the last M9s were delivered, I suspect you're correct. It warms my heart to think that there's a NIB M9 waiting for some little guy who was born today.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
Going back to the XM9 pistol trials and the Beretta win(s), the sentiment about the M9 has changed 180 degrees. In the 1980s, the M9 was a sissy pistol for men not able to shoot JMB's .45. It broke and could not handle SEALs training regimens. Thirty-five years later, the issues are down to hand fit, magazine interior finish, and the original locking block design stress risers.
Not many .MIL weapons actually get better reputations as they are used. Beretta USA has been and continues to be a class act from moving from MD to TN to developing new versions of the M9 to providing excellent customer service.
Sad end for sure. While on active duty in the Infantry, I never had to carry the M9. I did not really have an opinion on it. Then I later came to love the M9 and that love deepened with the Elite LTT. With the M17, I was suprised how fast I started seeing it. I currently serve in the TXARNG and I started seeing it in holsters pretty quickly after it was adopted.
Very well could be true. I am curently serving at a training facility in the TXARNG and we still see some Army reserve units come through with the M16A2. I bet we will see these units with the M9 for many more years. Most ARNG Infantry units that come through now have the M17.
I'm surprised but it appears to ship with the excellent Mec Gar 18 round magazine.
It's just a good, solid, pistol!
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