Are there still BHPs in grease? (The article said "as late as the early 2000s") But yes, sending a pistol team to compete with clapped-out pistols is nothing short of a national embarrasment.
Last time I saw new pistol in the grease bag fresh from OP Stock was 2015. There very well could be more in the depot, but it would be hoarded and held for operational use only. CAFSAC or international fun competitions is not a national priority, and units can compete with their locally held weapons. My reserve unit had 20 fully functional pistols, I can only imagine what degree of neglect is necessary for the unit in question to have 15/20 pistols not working.
Something doesn't add up with that 1950's date. I was always under the impression Inglis production stopped pretty quickly in 1945. CAL (Canadian Arsenals Ltd) Located in the former Small Arms plant at Longbranch made some prototypes of a lightweight version but I think they were mostly making spare parts. Perhaps someone with more knowledge than me will chime in.
The pistols themselves aren't dated, so he could very well have been relying on some packing slip or inspection tag to determine the date.
It really comes down to extending the search and tendering process.
We have a liberal government. Graft and corruption are standard practices.
You dont expect them to just work for their wages do you?
You need to do your home work. DND has been buggering the pistol acquisition program for more than ten years already, and has far more to do with the munitions supply program than it does with the government in power.
The worst part is they are encouraged to put less in the magazine to increase reliability. That gives you comfort in a war zone.
what that tells you is that the original magazines, and not the pistols themselves, are a significant source of the problem.
It doesn't help that soldiers are taught to routinely disassemble the magazines and to STREEEETCH the springs in order to increase spring tension.
The stoppages are mainly due to the magazines aren't they?
Many of them yes. But not all.
The browning is a great training pistol. Poor sights, heavy trigger, unforgiving recoil. If you can shoot a browning well, you can shoot anything well.
One of the problems with the browning is that there is a very narrow margin between having sufficient recoil to cycle the action properly, and insufficient recoil energy resulting in stoppage. This margin gets smaller when the springs get tired. The result is that any bit of recoil energy lost to a weak grip can quickly result in a stoppage. The vast majority of stoppages I've seen with a browning that were not mag related were quickly remedied with a proper grip.
In truth, a good modern combat pistol should be far more forgiving of poor form, and I will be happy to see the pistol get replaced. Unfortunately, far too many higher ups who are entitled to a pistol were never properly trained on them, and their opinions on the usefulness of pistol range from a quaint novelty to a haunting liability.
Whether we are talking about new pistols, or proper maintenance, or more time and ammo at the range, DND will never take pistols seriously until the pointy heads can wrap their heads around the fact that its not 1914 anymore, and pistols are a secondary for war fighters, and not a banal symbol of authority.
