U.S. Special Operations Command

451 Words1 Page

In August, 1991 a request was made for the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for an
"offensive" handgun. Dianne Feinstein, Charles Schumer and President Clinton would probably tell you that all handguns are offensive, but SOCOM had something different in mind. Termed the OHWS, for Offensive
Handgun Weapon System, it was a pistol designed within certain specified parameters that would be sufficient for conducting "offensive" operations, as opposed to the more tradtional role for the handgun, for
"defensive" operations. HK and Colt were chosen to compete against each other for the new pistol. HK eventually won out, and the contract was awarded to them. It has undergone many changes from its birth in
1991. Some are obvious, some are not. The official name for the pistol is Mark 23, Mod 0. Not very catchy. That is why it is more popularly known as the SOCOM.

The SOCOM was designed by the great HK engineer, Helmut Weldle. The gun holds 12 cartridges of .45
ACP ammunition. In a move that the above folks would surely find offensive, HK offered a limited number of
SOCOM pistols to the citizenry of the United States, and left the threaded barrel intact. The suppressor sold by HK with the gun is made by Knight's Armament Company of Vero Beach, FL. It is usable wet or dry, with wet knocking even more dB from the already quiet can.

Insight Technology Inc., the maker of the UTL series for the USP pistols, was chosen to provide the Laser
Aiming Module. It had a dual laser, one visible light, and one infrared, visible only with night vision. Wilcox
Industries Corp. has the LAM featured in the Ichiro Nagata photos that start this page. I have not heard that this is the new unit that SOCOM adopted over the one made by Insight, but it appears to be the case.

The SOCOM pistol has reportedly met with tepid enthusiasm on the part of the operators it was ultimately issued to, due to its huge size. It feels like a Desert Eagle, and rivals it in size. The introduction of the USP
Tactical seems to have answered the size questions, and may prove to be more popular in the long run.

Open Document