Arms used at USNA?

[THParent]

I was thinking that they still train on the Beretta M9 pistol, but I have heard rumors about the Sig P226 and P320 (although I cannot imagine using the P320, due to all the hammer-drop problems in the news, of late).

Can anyone tell me with any certainty which pistol they train with?

Also, is the service rifle an M4 length (14.5") or an M16A4 length (20" barrel)?

 

[AROTC-dad]

Mod note.

Moved thread to Academy/Military News for better exposure.

 

[THParent]

Thanks, AROTC-dad.
Another caveat: Are the training rifles in the Mid's rooms (rack in closet) just beat-up, de-milled M14/M1A rifles ?

 

[USMA 1994]

USMA uses the M-4s in tactical training during the summer and they have an old M-1 used for parade and ceremonies. There are few opportunities to train with a pistol unless they are in some type of weapons club.

 

[NavyHoops]

USNA I believe is still using M-16s and M9. Could be wrong. Looked up a few pictures from Plebe Summer, but couldn’t tell Year. Yes drill rifles are beat up old M1s.

 

[THParent]

DS was considering the service rifle and pistol team and/or combat arms team (if they'll have him), and he is skilled in everything but the Sig.
I have nothing against Sig-Sauer, I just don't have anything made by them. I could easily pick up a used P226 if I thought he would need to know his way around one.

He's doing more 3-gun this year, so I just want to know if he needs to switch to the P226, to gain some muscle memory before I-Day.
I figure Plebes get precious little time to shoot (other than the prefunctory "get-aquainted" day on the range), so getting trigger time now won't hurt. The pistol is the easiest part of 3-gun, so switching should not be a problem for him.

 

[AF6872]

Old ROTC instructor said that that old beat up M1 could shoot through a tree and kill your enemy while the 15 round would bounce off a leaf or branch. After you ran out of clips you could still beat him to death with that big wooden stock. Had M1 thumb many a time during inspection.

 

[NavyHoops]

Plebes get about 4-6 hours at the range with the standard Navy qualification. As to the rest, not sure what they are using. I would venture to guess you might be able to find some info on the club team pages either on the USNA site or Facebook pages for each team.

 

[pilot2b]

The drill rifles used at USNA are old de-milled M-14s. Just a couple years ago, USNA switched to using entirely M-4s for plebe qualification. Previously, only females and maybe a very small guy would use M-4s, while most used M-16s. The pistol used is the M-11 (aka Sig P228).

THParent, If your son is interested, the Combat Arms team is a great place to go. Be aware that shooting is not everything though. There's a lot of pressure for those guys to attempt to go SEALs/EOD or maybe Marine Corps. I knew a number of guys on the team, including several years worth of captains. I believe they all did at least one of the service selection screeners. They will hold tryouts for new plebes looking to join the team. These usually consist of physical events, some shooting, and an interview. Usually there are only 4 plebes allowed onto the team each year, and they typically remain on the team the rest of their time at the academy.

 

[NavyHoops]

Glad to see they have updated!

 

[THParent]

The drill rifles used at USNA are old de-milled M-14s. Just a couple years ago, USNA switched to using entirely M-4s for plebe qualification. Previously, only females and maybe a very small guy would use M-4s, while most used M-16s. The pistol used is the M-11 (aka Sig P228).

THParent, If your son is interested, the Combat Arms team is a great place to go. Be aware that shooting is not everything though. There's a lot of pressure for those guys to attempt to go SEALs/EOD or maybe Marine Corps. I knew a number of guys on the team, including several years worth of captains. I believe they all did at least one of the service selection screeners. They will hold tryouts for new plebes looking to join the team. These usually consist of physical events, some shooting, and an interview. Usually there are only 4 plebes allowed onto the team each year, and they typically remain on the team the rest of their time at the academy.

That's not a problem, he's going to be a Marine.

 

[UHBlackhawk]

USMA uses the M-4s in tactical training during the summer and they have an old M-1 used for parade and ceremonies. There are few opportunities to train with a pistol unless they are in some type of weapons club.

DD says they use M-14s. I admit I have not really looked.

 

[THParent]

Picked up a used M11 for cheap today. Going to clean it and shoot the heck out of it, then clean it and box it up as a Christmas gift for DS.

 

[USMCGrunt]

M1911? Part of the Army sell off?

 

[AF6872]

They still have not announced when those 1911's will be available. Hope it is soon. Have a Colt 1911 but would like to have one of the old ones.

 

[USMCGrunt]

I would like to pick up one of the old ones also. I wasn't sure if I had missed the release.

 

[THParent]

No. The M11 is a Sig P228.
15-shot 9mm.

 

[USMCGrunt]

Thanks THParent. I didn’t know and have been watching for the old .45s to hit the market. I jumped to a conclusion

 

[AF6872]

As far as I know the 1911"s are still on hold for release. Can't wait. I think it costs $2 per weapon for storage and with cutbacks they are shutting down the inventory.

 

[THParent]

There will be a lot of 1911s, but these are pistols that have been in full 55-gallon drums for the past 70 years or more.
They aren't going to be "prizes", by any stretch of the imagination.

I remember back in the 80's we would go through piles of these, scrounging parts to produce a few functioning pistols.