First, one must understand that when you must resort to a handgun you are in a full-on "Oh, F Me!" moment. That handgun is designed for Fighting Men as a tool of nearly last resort, a tool that will allow him to fight his way to his rifle. No sane Fighting Man knowingly walks into Harm's Way without his rifle. Remember your Colonel Cooper: The rifle is the Queen of personal weapons.
Here's the short version: The Moros were an Islamic Tribe in the Phillipines seeking, what else, a Caliphate. Our Army was there, using .38 caliber sidearms that were woefully ineffective. Part of that ineffective result was because the Moros Warriors would take wet strands of leather and tie them tightly around their testicles. As the leather dried, it tightened, and the resulting pain drove the Warriors to levels of madness and determination most people can only imagine.
Our troops did not have to imagine, for the stories of US Soldiers being hacked to pieces even after hitting enemy Moros with several rounds from their .38s (and their rifles of the day) became commonplace. So, the Army demanded a Manstopper, and soon after John Browning (others were involved as well in various aspects of the development) and Colt delivered what would become the M1911 in the .45 ACP - the Manstopper.
I am not going to try to argue 9mm versus .45 ACP or plastic firearms versus steel. Each person will have to answer those questions personally.
Here's my answer: If I am forced to pistol-range combat against a single or multiple enemies, which is almost always at closing to belt-buckle range, .45 ACP is my caliber of choice, and the forged steel of a 1911 is the only Platform. The .45 ACP is a proven Manstopper. And if you are so close to an enemy that you may need to crack his skull with the butt of your pistol during a backfist, do you want the forged steel of a 1911 in your hand, or plastic?
There is a reason the 1911 and the .45 ACP are still the choice of Professionals after more than 100 years.
Kerodin
III
Actually, you got that history a bit wrong. Having grown up with the men that were there, I know it was a little different.
ReplyDeleteA short treatise:
The 38 Long Colt as adopted was a weak cartridge and insufficient for the Moros. The Moros used drugs and religion to convince themselves of their invulnerability and used to tie off their arms and legs to slow blood loss. The 45 Colt came out of the moth balls to render suitable service. This 45 caliber was a requirement when govt went shopping for an auto loader. The govt wanted something delivering a 255 gr slug at 850 fps. JM delivered the 45 ACP throwing a 230 gr slug at 830 fps based on a 30/06 cartridge base cut down and opened to 45 cal.
I could go further into depth, but this is your blog and I mean no disrespect.
YeOldFurt (just waiting on the boatman)
Some interesting asides: I read the articles about the Moro's, and the .38 Colt, just like you guys have. And It helped to make a .357 Mag., fan of me. That was over 30 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI shot a coffee can with my .45, circa 1980 A.D. It leaped into the air, at around knee-height, and it spun around. It was impressive, then I picked the can up, and the bullet rattled around inside.
It is a lousy perpetrator, but that is OK, I had a .44Mag Super Blackhawk, if I needed that.
In summation, if I ever need a house/city gun, it may well be my .45 Auto. There are so many things right with the gun, that I don't quibble about with is wrong with it. Like for instance, it is a weak cartridge in its own right.
I would love to have a .454 Casull, but I sure would not use it in the house. And you guys know that the Moros, could have withstood a round from a .454 and kept going.
This is not an admonition, you guys know as much as I do. However, there are times when it is best to load your .45 with Cor-Bon's, because it might take more that a FMJ.
This is meant for the neophytes out there.