Although some other modern hand guns are also used in US military M9 is the most popular of them all.
The original early M9 Beretta.
The only hand gun that can gave it a tough time in beating is SIG Sauer p226.
How ever now the M9 is out dated and is scheduled to be replaced in 2013 or 2014, by a more modern hand gun.
In 1970 the US military made an attempt to sync the weapon requirements for all 4 branches of military since all of them required a very different type of weapon to work in the field.
Mariens needed a hand gun with rapid deployment, accessories and rate of fire.
Army needed a gun with range and accuracy.
Navy needed a gun that was envorment resistant, high bullet capacity and comfortable in close combat.
Air force needed a light weight hand gun pilots can carry with them selves for protection in case of a crash.
The only hand gun which had all these qualities was M9 Beretta at that time, since 9x19mm Parabellum was chosen as a standard Nato hand gun bullet this gun was the right choice.
Tactical M9 with a suppressor attachment.
Modern and better equipped M9 Beretta.
The M9 is a short recoil single/double action semi-auto hand gun which uses a 15-round staggered box magazine, with a magazine release button which can be placed on both right or left for both right handed or left handed shooters.
Almost all parts of M9 are completely interchangeable, for easy maintenance, modification and replacement. Its barrel bore is hard chromed to reduce wear tear from moving chamber head, this increases its life span significantly.
It also has multiple safety mechanisms to prevent any accidents.
The real problem with this gun is its stopping power, most of the M9 users are dissatisfied by the power of a 9x19mm Parabellum and the soldiers returning form theater of war request replacement with another weapon and .45 ACP bullet for their handguns. Also there are some issues with its slide.
Very Informative blog
ReplyDelete