MEU(SOC) Pistol
Hi Jeff,
Race gun, huh?
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, UnSafe has said it best in his missive. I too am constantly amazed at how people who have no real experience can- and do- criticize anything that has to do with any military or police operation, weapon , or equipment- based apparently on their great experience acquired over the errornet.
I don't know or know of Mr. Mullin. However, i find immediately suspect any story/ article that can mis identify a unit so badly ("special expeditionary recon Marine unit") when the actual users- they being only the Marines and Sailors in the Force Reconnaissance community are open source to anyone interested.
This is akin to the print media using terminology such as "semi automatic revolver" {unless the perp really did have the famous Zardoz gun} etc.
As to the Pistol, Caliber .45, MEU(SOC) being a "race gun", well, that is kind of silly. The MEU(SOC) pistol, having been around since 86, is anything but.
It is a functional working gun, and well suited to the user community.
It is interesting to note that the commercial variant MEU(SOC) will still be a 1911, and the Kimber ICQB- used by MCSOCOM Det 1 is also a 1911.
Mr. Mullin is entitled to his opinion. However, the users of the MEU(SOC) have a different opinion, and they actually do use the pistol.
I am curious as to if the author has ever seen, in person, this pistol?
It is doubtful, as there are very few around, and none in the economy.
Mistakes, falsehoods and myths are commonly reproduced in print, electrons and tape.
The History Channel had noted firearms author Charlie Cutshaw holding what he purported to be a MEU(SOC) pistol during one of their "gun" series. It most assuredly was not- not even close.
Dr. Lee Atwater, curator of the Ordnance Museum at APG was on air passing on the myth that the Model of 1918 Browning Automatic Rifle was not issued to the AEF to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. This is not supported factually- see "Rock in a Hard Place" for more information.
And just this month, a story in SOF claims that Det 1 has adopted the SureFire FA suppressor- which is not true- a problem writing about something when one has no access to the users.