B and Dieudonne Saive loaded its mag up to max with 13 cartridges, making it a 14-shooter with one up the spout. It turned out that to be a whole lot more reliable as a 13-shooter. I first shot in England in 1979, and began teaching there in the 1980’s, and in both roles got to interact with members of Britain’s SAS and the elite armed unit of the London Metropolitan Police, both of whom used the Hi Power as did their nation’s military. I was told the rule of thumb was no MASSAD AYOOB more than 12 rounds per magazine, it was rigidly enforced. They had ack when I was a young cop in the early 1970’s, the and seen pistols jam after the first shot service revolver was standard issue for most of Amer- when the mags were loaded with 13. ican law enforcement. When most officers asked their Sure enough, before long I ran bosses for autoloaders, or even for permission to buy their across a case in the US where a cop own for duty use, here was the standard answer: “Those with a 1911 .45 won a gunfight with bad guy who opened fire on him automatics are jam-a-matics! You can’t trust ’em! Forget a with a Browning loaded all the way eight or 14 shots that will maybe go bang, when your up. The bad guy got the first shot revolver gives you six for sure!” off, and the cop lit him up and killed him. Turned out the bad guy’s gun had jammed on Well, time, nature and the the full mag after the first handgun industry all took shot, quite probably saving their natural course. Today the officer’s life. Time went we have very reliable semion; Wayne Novak provided automatics, which are all but me with a modified magauniversal in police uniform zine for a Hi Power that holsters. worked 100 percent with It was not always thus, 14 in it plus the chambered however. In 1967, the Illinois round…but to this day, I State Police (ISP) became load no more than a dozen the first major US police in a Hi Power’s magazine. department to adopt semiThe lesson? Twelve for sure automatic pistols as stanbeats 13… maybe. dard issue. They chose the For most of the epoch 9mm Smith & Wesson Model of the 1911 .45 auto, it 39. In the following decade, had a 7-round magazine, I spent a lot of time at that and 8-rounders came out department, and followed decades ago. I saw probup on the 9mm transition lems with the early ones. with everyone from the road Keep ’em empty until troopers and their represenmatch day and then fill tatives, Fraternal Order of Police Troopers’ Lodge 41, to For decades, the “six for sure” argument kept cops with revolvers instead ’em full, fine. Leave them loaded all the way up for Bob Cappelli and Sebastian of autos. These circa 1918 Colts are a 1911 .45 ACP and .38 Army Special. a year or so, and you’d Ulrich, the lead armorers at ISP’s Ordnance Section in Spring- through those guns, and discovered start to have feeding problems. And, field. I learned from Bob and “Bash” when loaded all the way up, there because there was absolutely no flex that once the guns were in the hands was potential for misfeed. The policy left in the cartridge stack, if you had of their then-1,700 troopers, some recommended was to load only seven to slam one into the gun while the problems showed up. This led to ISP rounds per magazine, which helped to slide was forward, it might not seat. recommendations to Smith & Wesson, cure the problem and became 7+1-for- The word went out: seven for sure beat eight, maybe. Today, of course, we which resulted in the improved Model sure beat 8+1 rounds maybe. have mags like the Wilson ETM (Elite 39-2 pistol… and also led to a policy Tactical Magazine), which holds 8 .45 of downloading the guns by one OTHER HANDGUNS Another classic handgun, since rounds without fatiguing the spring round. The 39 was originally designed 1935, has been the Browning Hi Power. and reloads smoothly with the slide with an 8-round magazine, with a The purpose of the P-35 project was all the way forward. The ETM is my ninth cartridge to be carried in the to create a 9mm service pistol with lots current favorite, because it does give chamber. ISP ran tons of ammo of bullets, and John Moses Browning “eight for sure.” RELIABILITY VS. ROUND COUNT THIS HAS LONG BEEN AN ISSUE IN HANDGUN SELECTION. IT REMAINS SO TODAY AND CAN TAKE MANY FORMS. 14 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • MAY 2015
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