1911A semi-automatics like the one the Rat below is carrying were disliked because of the muzzle blast that temporarily blinded and deafened them in a tight tunnel. That’s why many Rats preferred silencer-equipped .38 Specials.
It makes sense that they’d favor the .38s if they wanted to suppress them as a gunsmith can convert a non threaded revolver into one easier than they could with a 1911 (assuming they didn’t have threaded 1911 barrels at hand).
I can’t imagine the horror of being in a tunnel that’s effectively a trapped enemy base blinded, deafened, and having alerted everyone to your presence.
Also for anyone unfamiliar with what I meant above by blast can here’s a picture. I realized that outside of the US commercial market they may be fairly unknown. They have no baffles and only direct the blast forward. Which could be handy in a tunnel.
I just now linked a report in another comment, the silencer is part of the 1966 experimental kit, and it was found to be largely ineffective.
If there is any reason for bias towards a revolver over a 1911, I suspect a more plausible explanation either in absolute fact or in perception is that a Brown style action like in a 1911 can be pushed out of battery and made inoperable if the barrel is pushed on. It isn’t normally a concern, but you can imagine why a tunnel rat might worry about it. That is just speculation.
I couldn’t find a source with enough details on this picture to confidently say. It might just be a blast can.
https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/veterans-voices/veterans-voices-tunnel-rat-a-soldier-searching-for-the-viet-cong-underground/
It makes sense that they’d favor the .38s if they wanted to suppress them as a gunsmith can convert a non threaded revolver into one easier than they could with a 1911 (assuming they didn’t have threaded 1911 barrels at hand).
I can’t imagine the horror of being in a tunnel that’s effectively a trapped enemy base blinded, deafened, and having alerted everyone to your presence.
Also for anyone unfamiliar with what I meant above by blast can here’s a picture. I realized that outside of the US commercial market they may be fairly unknown. They have no baffles and only direct the blast forward. Which could be handy in a tunnel.
I just now linked a report in another comment, the silencer is part of the 1966 experimental kit, and it was found to be largely ineffective.
If there is any reason for bias towards a revolver over a 1911, I suspect a more plausible explanation either in absolute fact or in perception is that a Brown style action like in a 1911 can be pushed out of battery and made inoperable if the barrel is pushed on. It isn’t normally a concern, but you can imagine why a tunnel rat might worry about it. That is just speculation.