Hey there Lefty!
About your question concerning hand guns. When I enlisted in 1958 and went thru basic the main weapon was the M-1. I don't remember the caliber, I'm not a gun person. We got to shoot the BAR(Browning Automatic Rifle) but only for familirization purposes only.
When I re-enlisted in 1964 I was assigned a M-14. Went to the firing range and got to shoot a .45. I qualified as a Marksman. Not to bad for a city dude, or so I thought. It was a nice hand gun. But we don't own any guns. The wife's sister and husband own several. I'm for gun ownership but not a member of NRA.
What I know about guns would fill the shell casing of a .22 LR.
