23 Sep 98, Wednesday, 7:58AM
Items:
We’ve been working with a Midwestern Police department for the past two days, and they have two Mossberg 9100 autoloading shotguns, just added to their inventory. Mossberg calls it the Jungle Gun. The gun is a gas-operated autoloader, with a four-round magazine tube, plastic stock and forend, and an 18″ barrel. It has a bead front sight and no rear sight. Both guns worked very well. Recoil is manageable, but, like all Mossbergs, the gun itself is clunky, much more bulky than a Remington 1187, which it resembles. Nothing wrong with this gun! It has all the features I like. It’s easy to use and very reliable. I like it.
I just received a message this morning from a friend on the East Coast. He indicated that one of his client police departments there is having trouble with a local gang of armed-robbery suspects who always work as a group, carry Chinese AK-47 rifles, and routinely wear soft body armor. This police department is armed with Colt rifles in 9mm caliber, and the Chief, in a panic, asked my friend if there is any brand of 9mm round they can buy in a hurry, which, when fired from the rifles, will penetrate the body armor worn by the bad guys. My friend got hold of me for advice.
I told him the answer to the chief’s question was an emphatic NO! Reliably penetrating soft body armor with any species of 9mm, be it fired from a rifle or a pistol, is little more than wishful thinking. Even if penetration could be achieved, it would be sporadic at best, and the penetration which actually occurred would be mostly academic, since the bullet would be 95% spent just getting through the ballistic material.
I told him to advise the Chief that he needs to get 223 rifles into his beat cars, and fast! I also advised that the Department needs a crash Course in Urban Rifle. I may be going out there shortly!
/John
