I don’t quite know how to phrase this question, but it’s been chewin on me for a while now. For a long time, the U.S. Army used year designations for its weapons. Then it started over at 1. The latest year-model I know of is the M1928 Thompson submachinegun, which preceded the M1 submachinegun.
My questions are:
When did the switch take place? Sometime between 1928 and 1934 (the adoption of the M1 rifle, IIRC), I suppose.
Is there a name associated with this change? Some general or Secretary of War? Was it a New Deal thing?
Did it occur to anybody that it might be confusing to have a bunch of guys in M1 helmets, carrying a mix of M1 carbines, M1 rifles, and M1 submachineguns? I don’t no much about model numbers of stuff other than weapons, but I’ll wager there were a few M1 mess kits, M1 binoculars, and M1 toothbrushes floating around to muddy the waters further.
Has this system been abandoned? I mean, surely the M203 isn’t our two hundred and third underslung grenade launcher, but I suppose it could be our 203rd something…? We’re still only up to M4 for carbines and M9 for pistols though…
The Beretta 92 is the U.S. M9 … the Mossberg 590 is the U.S. M590. How do they decide whether to give a weapon an Army-specific designation or stick with the manufacturer’s model number?