boalex207
Member
And oh yeah, race ya to 100 posts !
Bringing a wheelgun to the sandbox
- Thread starter THE DRILL INSTRUCTOR
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Josh Aston
Member
It wouldn't be all that difficult to get away with as long as you're lucky. Chances of getting caught kind of depend on who's searching your stuff when you go through customs. You could get the guy that's having a bad day and makes you tear all your stuff apart or you could get the guy that just looks at your bags and gives you a sticker. It also depends on where you go through customs. Some places have x-rays, some don't.
Then when you get back to the states you have the possibility of being searched by the real customs guys. If they search you they'll x-ray your bags and probably find the gun.
The military customs guys are more likely to just take the gun and let you go. At least that's how it was when I was doing customs, not sure how the Navy deals with since they took over a couple years back. The U.S. Customs Agents, not so likely. And then if you happen to make it through all the customs checks you have to make it through the TSA checks if you end up flying commercial on any part of the trip.
So, yeah, it's possible, and probably not even that difficult to get it back to the US as long as your luck holds out. But you run into the wrong customs or TSA guy just once and you could very well be screwed.
And then there's the fact that that dust gets everywhere, and is very likely to make into the innards of your revo and screw it up.
Then when you get back to the states you have the possibility of being searched by the real customs guys. If they search you they'll x-ray your bags and probably find the gun.
The military customs guys are more likely to just take the gun and let you go. At least that's how it was when I was doing customs, not sure how the Navy deals with since they took over a couple years back. The U.S. Customs Agents, not so likely. And then if you happen to make it through all the customs checks you have to make it through the TSA checks if you end up flying commercial on any part of the trip.
So, yeah, it's possible, and probably not even that difficult to get it back to the US as long as your luck holds out. But you run into the wrong customs or TSA guy just once and you could very well be screwed.
And then there's the fact that that dust gets everywhere, and is very likely to make into the innards of your revo and screw it up.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
You really don't want to get caught with a UA handgun in-country let alone getting busted before you get there.
Just remember, shot placement is the name of the game...
Thank you for your service, God Bless You and keep you safe until you're home again.
Just remember, shot placement is the name of the game...
Thank you for your service, God Bless You and keep you safe until you're home again.
I have some friends in the Air Farce who just got back from the sand. Before he left, I was suggesting a nice .45 to this E-8 buddy of mine. He told me that he'd be in real serious stuff if he did.
Forget all these fancy gun ads (such as Kimber's) showing these desert camo gun versions. Those guns will be sold over here and used over here.
As much as I hate the 9mm as a personal sidearm for a serious handgun shooter, that's what you will be stuck with . . . if you can wrangle getting issued one at all.
Don't piss away your life by getting caught. Heck, I'll bet some of Custer's troops wished they could bring Henry repeating rifles with them when they were heading out to fight the indians too!
Don't worry though, military brass figures they are smarter than you anyway . . . so just play the game and come home safe and without trouble.
As others said, upgrade the magazines and such. You'll hit the firing range right after getting over there no matter where you land . . . and make sure to sight 'em all in well.
God Bless . . .
T.
Forget all these fancy gun ads (such as Kimber's) showing these desert camo gun versions. Those guns will be sold over here and used over here.
As much as I hate the 9mm as a personal sidearm for a serious handgun shooter, that's what you will be stuck with . . . if you can wrangle getting issued one at all.
Don't piss away your life by getting caught. Heck, I'll bet some of Custer's troops wished they could bring Henry repeating rifles with them when they were heading out to fight the indians too!
Don't worry though, military brass figures they are smarter than you anyway . . . so just play the game and come home safe and without trouble.As others said, upgrade the magazines and such. You'll hit the firing range right after getting over there no matter where you land . . . and make sure to sight 'em all in well.
God Bless . . .
T.
plexreticle
Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
- Messages
- 1,240
Take the money and spend it on a nice flashlight or something cause you ain't taking your own weapon over.
OP
OP
THE DRILL INSTRUCTOR
Member
Thanks for all the advice guys. I really don't think I would have tried it anyway, but it was fun to think about.
JP from Phoenix
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2007
- Messages
- 241
they aren't gonna let you bring your own gun anyways, so i'd just bring good mags if they even let you do that
Redhawk 44
Member
Sorry to enter this frey so late but if I were in the "sand box" I would have a Smith and Wesson Model 22 45ACP. Thunder Ranch Model with full moon clips loaded with issue ball.
That old M&P hammer will drive any nail that needs to be flush to the wall. And it weighs a lot less than the SRH.
That old M&P hammer will drive any nail that needs to be flush to the wall. And it weighs a lot less than the SRH.
IA_farmboy
Member
I would agree that bringing your own weapon would be a very bad idea.
Some here have said that they find it appalling that the gov would have our warriors left with what they consider inferior weapons, or find it appalling that the gov would not allow our warriors to bring tools of war into a war zone I have point out a few things. The Geneva Convention puts limits on what can be done in war, and that includes the weapons used. The gov cannot allow its men and women to put the nation and themselves at risk of violating that treaty. If the treaty is thought to put our defenders at risk then the treaty should be formally reviewed or the gov should remove themselves from it formally. Don't just violate it out of personal spite.
There is also the issue of safety. We can't have some screwball going in with a weapon that is not properly maintained, with unknown characteristics, and possibly loaded with ammunition that it was not designed for going shooting it off with unpredictable results.
There is also the issue of logistics. A weapon out of the norm is going to make it difficult to find ammunition. There will also be problems to find parts or a replacement if it should fail.
With that said I'll say that If you feel you MUST bring your own revolver then I would suggest you find one chambered in common NATO or US military ammunition. First choice would probably be 9mm. I understand that 911s and SMGs chambered in .45 ACP are still being used by friendly forces and there are a few good choices in revolvers that eat .45 ACP.
Using gov provided ammunition should remove many of the issues I raised above.
Some here have said that they find it appalling that the gov would have our warriors left with what they consider inferior weapons, or find it appalling that the gov would not allow our warriors to bring tools of war into a war zone I have point out a few things. The Geneva Convention puts limits on what can be done in war, and that includes the weapons used. The gov cannot allow its men and women to put the nation and themselves at risk of violating that treaty. If the treaty is thought to put our defenders at risk then the treaty should be formally reviewed or the gov should remove themselves from it formally. Don't just violate it out of personal spite.
There is also the issue of safety. We can't have some screwball going in with a weapon that is not properly maintained, with unknown characteristics, and possibly loaded with ammunition that it was not designed for going shooting it off with unpredictable results.
There is also the issue of logistics. A weapon out of the norm is going to make it difficult to find ammunition. There will also be problems to find parts or a replacement if it should fail.
With that said I'll say that If you feel you MUST bring your own revolver then I would suggest you find one chambered in common NATO or US military ammunition. First choice would probably be 9mm. I understand that 911s and SMGs chambered in .45 ACP are still being used by friendly forces and there are a few good choices in revolvers that eat .45 ACP.
Using gov provided ammunition should remove many of the issues I raised above.
TexasSkyhawk
Internet SEAL
It's not a good idea and it's not bureaucracy.
One, combat is anything but fun, glorious, heroic, romantic, exciting or hollywood-like. It's dirty, gut-wrenching, nasty, terrifying ugliness.
Two, in combat, you are part of a unit. You do as the unit does in order to heighten your chances of survival and victory.
Three, in order to have an effective unit, you have to have effective supply. Doesn't make sense to try and supply everyone with their own preference of weapon and ammunition anymore than it does to supply them with their own preference of uniforms.
Four, having served in Sandland the first go-around and in the middle east on numerous prior operations going back to Desert One, I can't think of a WORSE personal sidearm to take over there and rely on than a revolver.
Jeff
+100 on bringing your own mags.
While in Afghanistan my aircrew pulled out our magazines from our M-9's and unloaded them. After 2-3 rounds, all of our magazines (four of us) were failing to feed. This happened on our spare mags too. Granted the weapons were all from in-country and not our home units, but the magazines were crap. I would personally buy the beretta magazines as it seems we bought our magazines from the lowest bidder and got what we paid for.
And as for taking your own plane to the cat er sandbox, the trick is doing that coming and going. I never got to do that, either one or the other. Taking one back is no guarentee though as guys in our unit have had to drag all thier bags out for customs in the middle of the night in Minneapolis. Having custonms discovering your personal weapon just made a bad day worse.
Don't get me started on all of the geneva/hague conventions stuff about hollowpoints and shotguns. However, word over there is Afghanis & Iraqis hated 50 cal and shotguns, and yes shotguns are being used there for more than guard duty.
While in Afghanistan my aircrew pulled out our magazines from our M-9's and unloaded them. After 2-3 rounds, all of our magazines (four of us) were failing to feed. This happened on our spare mags too. Granted the weapons were all from in-country and not our home units, but the magazines were crap. I would personally buy the beretta magazines as it seems we bought our magazines from the lowest bidder and got what we paid for.
And as for taking your own plane to the cat er sandbox, the trick is doing that coming and going. I never got to do that, either one or the other. Taking one back is no guarentee though as guys in our unit have had to drag all thier bags out for customs in the middle of the night in Minneapolis. Having custonms discovering your personal weapon just made a bad day worse.
Don't get me started on all of the geneva/hague conventions stuff about hollowpoints and shotguns. However, word over there is Afghanis & Iraqis hated 50 cal and shotguns, and yes shotguns are being used there for more than guard duty.
wheelgunslinger
Member
Darn. You beat me to it.
cslinger
Member
+1
I love me some wheelies but fine powder desert sand would play hell with a wheel gun. It would get under the extractor star on your first reload and forget about using any wet lubes. Nope, would rather have said Beretta M9 or a Glock or just about any other relatively loose tolerance semi auto.
Chris
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44and45
Member In Memoriam
How come they didn't bust George Patton for carrying his single action six gun in WW-2.
Even Ike wouldn't try to take it away from him and make him wear a worn out old .45 acp Colt or Remington slabe-sides.
Jim
Even Ike wouldn't try to take it away from him and make him wear a worn out old .45 acp Colt or Remington slabe-sides.
Jim
Gordon
Member
I'd like to meet the US soldier who has been aided by the Geneva convention at the hands of anybody other than western europeans . What a load of unilateral BS IMHO!
I would rather have an autoloader any day in war. The M9 can be a VERY good sidearm, they served LAPD very well BTW.
A revolver would be better with the pork fat filled hollowpoints I'd like to use on them critters over there however!
I would rather have an autoloader any day in war. The M9 can be a VERY good sidearm, they served LAPD very well BTW.
A revolver would be better with the pork fat filled hollowpoints I'd like to use on them critters over there however!
jonmerritt
Member.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
- Messages
- 463
If that is the case than we better stop using the shotguns in the sandbox now for combat
possum
Member
don't do it it isn't worth the loss of the gu the pay and the rank. it sucks i know and i wish we could too but you can't.
as much as i dislike how anti-gun our military has become, there are legitimate reasons for not allowing soldiers to bring POWs (privately owned weapons) into theater.
logistics: what if the weapon malfunctions or breaks and needs parts? what of the ammo needs that aren't a part of the supply system?
legal: we've signed treaties and whatnot that limit how we behave, and what weapons we can use.
logistics: what if the weapon malfunctions or breaks and needs parts? what of the ammo needs that aren't a part of the supply system?
legal: we've signed treaties and whatnot that limit how we behave, and what weapons we can use.
doc540
Member
Shoot, man, if you're gonna risk it all bringing something back, make a deal with a crew chief on a Blackhawk and bring back a couple'a pounds of HASH!
I guess I shouldn't be, but I am always astonished at how people who have never been in the service seem to know all about how easy it is to evade the regulations and not get caught. Guys, it is not at all easy to carry an unauthorized weapon, not to mention hollow-point ammo. If you get caught, you could spend serious prison time. (No, it doesn't matter what someone did or says he did, in Vietnam, or Korea, or World War II, or the War of 1812.)
And then there are those who suggest even neater stuff, like getting hold of loads of AK-47's and just asking some AF type to tote them back for you! ("Hi, guy, I have a dozen skids full of machineguns, is there somewhere you can put them on the plane and hold them for me till I get back?")
Leave that personal weapon at home, not matter what some jailbird "lawyer" on the net tells you! And don't try smuggling guns or drugs; that is even more likely to be found out.
Jim
And then there are those who suggest even neater stuff, like getting hold of loads of AK-47's and just asking some AF type to tote them back for you! ("Hi, guy, I have a dozen skids full of machineguns, is there somewhere you can put them on the plane and hold them for me till I get back?")
Leave that personal weapon at home, not matter what some jailbird "lawyer" on the net tells you! And don't try smuggling guns or drugs; that is even more likely to be found out.
Jim
doc540
Member
Or bass players...you gotta really avoid any advice they give ya.
Know what you call a bass player without a girlfriend?
HOMELESS
Know what you call a bass player without a girlfriend?
HOMELESS
Another vote for quality magazines . The new Beretta and Mec-Gar sand resistant seem pretty good . Easily recognized by their very high gloss polished finish .
I've been sending fresh mag & recoil springs in my care packages for the past 4 years . Many good reports back after receiving them . ... got another batch arriving in Jalalabad any day now
I've been sending fresh mag & recoil springs in my care packages for the past 4 years . Many good reports back after receiving them . ... got another batch arriving in Jalalabad any day now
marksman13
Member
Texasskyhawk hit the nail on the head.
THE DRILL INSTUCTOR
My opinion on handguns in combat is on the low end. Having carried a 1911 for four months in combat it was good for one thing. A good chow weapon it's a whole lot easier to carry a 1911 to get a hot meal than the M-60. If things are so bad you're weapon stops then I'm sure there will be other 16's or M-4's around you can use. My advice is to carry a couple extra frags.
When I made E-5/squad leader I kept the 45 (good chow gun) in addition to my newly issued 16. While at a LZ named Schuller I was walking from my squad position to the Redleg chow hall and unforunatley for me my CO happened to be standing outside of the door and his words were Sarg. what is the authorized weapon for a infantry squad leader? My answer was an M-16 Sir and his answer was GET RID OF IT so back to the arms room it went.
That's my opinion and everyone has one.
Turk
My opinion on handguns in combat is on the low end. Having carried a 1911 for four months in combat it was good for one thing. A good chow weapon it's a whole lot easier to carry a 1911 to get a hot meal than the M-60. If things are so bad you're weapon stops then I'm sure there will be other 16's or M-4's around you can use. My advice is to carry a couple extra frags.
When I made E-5/squad leader I kept the 45 (good chow gun) in addition to my newly issued 16. While at a LZ named Schuller I was walking from my squad position to the Redleg chow hall and unforunatley for me my CO happened to be standing outside of the door and his words were Sarg. what is the authorized weapon for a infantry squad leader? My answer was an M-16 Sir and his answer was GET RID OF IT so back to the arms room it went.
That's my opinion and everyone has one.
Turk
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