Guess I never knew this.

[img]http://www.ussyorktown.com/yorktown/mumbles.jpg[/img]

Anyone know who gets these versus the M9's?  I always thought they went to investigators, etc., not pilots.

EDITED to say, oh yeah, here's the thread.  [url]http://www.ussyorktown.com/yorktown/21stcentury4.htm[/url]

I have a buddy who is a Naval Aviator. A Lt. Cmdr. C-9 pilot. When he is authorized to carry a sidearm (rare occasion for a transport pilot) he may carry anything he chooses with the approval of his commander. My guess is this Aviator chose the Sig.

The Sig 228 is known as the M11 in US service, it was originally bought for MP's and others who found the M9 to be not concealable enough. But pilots have developed a liking for it now too.  It followed a breef infatuation amongst pilots (in the Navy anyways) during the Gulf War with privately purchased Glock 19's.

The M11 takes up less room than the M9.  It's simple as that.  In the Army at least, there wasn't a "choice".  You carried what your unit had.  Our company was authorized M11's and M4's (an Aviation company in the 101st).  We had M9's and M16A2's instead.  At the time neither M11, nor M4 production had caught up to requirements.  I would imagine they have the M4 by now, as that was a long time ago, but they probably still have the M9.  It's just a handgun.  In the bigger scheme of things it's not that important which one it was to us.  Either one was FAR and AWAY better than the .38 special revolvers we had before that.  

Ross