SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
After 30 years in use, the US Army's official handgun, the Beretta M9 pistol, is being retired and AP reports that firearms manufacturers are competing for a rare chance to sell the US. Army a new handgun that would replace the current Cold War-era model. Critics say the M9 is too bulky for small-handed shooters, troops who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan complain it's not as hard-hitting as they would like, and it can't easily accommodate the accessories now common in the civilian firearms market, such as swappable gun-sights or gun-mounted lights. "It's a little one size-fits-most" says Rodney Briggs.. "It's been around for a really, really long time, and it's just old and outdated."
The US Army has a lengthy list of requirements. Among them, it wants a handgun with an adjustable grip that can easily fit large or small hands. That way, shooters don't have to adjust their grip mid-fight to operate hard-to-reach buttons or levers. The gun should accommodate sights that make it easier to shoot in low light. It should have a rail on which soldiers can easily attach additional equipment, like infrared pointers. The military also wants a gun that can be equipped with a suppressor, which muffles the sound of gunshots. Beretta intends to enter a new pistol called the APX into the competition. The new gun is a major engineering departure from the M9. It has a polymer frame like more recent handguns and can meet the Army's other requirements.
Beretta has publicly complained that the government never formally requested efforts to improve its M9, which the company said is a standard procedure for upgrading platforms. "If you look at the history... for a variety of weapons, you'll find all along we'll have used spiral development, product improvement. Where was the requirement they notify prime contractor with an opportunity to fix the problem?" says Howard Yellen, a military adviser for Beretta.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by fnj on Saturday October 24 2015, @05:40AM
Nobody is ever going to improve on the M1911A1 45 caliber, or a slight modification of it such as those that use 2-row mags. Just manufacture a new run. The Beretta was a poor second from the beginning, despite the design having over 60 years over the 1911.
It's the same thing as the M2 50 caliber machine gun from the 1930s with the design dating back to WW1, plus detail improvements over the years. It's still the best.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by frojack on Saturday October 24 2015, @06:39AM
The 45 with a staggered or two row mag becomes too big to handle for smaller soldiers or women.
Other than that the 45 had a hopelessly inaccurate barrel+slide interface, which is the first thing any any gun smith has to re-do when trying to wring some accuracy out of the M1911. Realistically all it had going for it was the caliber. Even the cartridge design was a mess.
Having said that the M9 was never a good replacement. Other than carrying a lot of rounds, I can't see why it was chosen. There was quite a controversy at the time.
Its deafening. The blow back design with the entire top of the slide open filled your face with burnt powder, and left your ears ringing after a single shot. And its only a 9 for pete sake!
I had the civilian model (Beretta Model 92) purchased the first year of manufacture Mid 70's as I recall, before the military selected it. It was a new design then, (or a modernized re-worked old design). I never did find a suitable use for it and eventually sold it to a guy just out of the service who liked the gun for some reason.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by fnj on Saturday October 24 2015, @06:33PM
Snort. Yeah, I figured there wouldn't be any fault of substance found. Women's hands too small, for God's sake. It's hopeless to have real military priorities when the military is being used for a goddam social experiment. A Sheila isn't going to be able to carry a wounded 80 kg man on her back either, running zigzag under fire.
There are 1911s that are known to have fired over a million rounds. The durability is legendary. We're not talking about match shooting here. A pistol is for point-blank in your face battle. There are other weapons for long range sniping. But, as you note, the 1911 accuracy can be readily improved with detail work. If, mysteriously, extended accuracy is going to be considered important, where it wasn't in winning WW1 and WW2, a new run of 1911s would be so adapted. The US Marine MEU (SOC) weapon is a detailed and modified 1911 that is considered "near match" grade.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 24 2015, @08:54PM
Um, More than half a million women served in front-line combat operations with the Red Army during WWII. The sheila's did just fine as soldiers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 26 2015, @04:38PM
Russian conscripts didn't weigh 80 Kg either. And the Commie leaders didn't give a rat's ass how many died.
Now, the TT-30 is plenty small enough for a woman's hand and the 7.62 Tokarev is an adequate round (big fireballs!). But it's no competition for the 1911 and .45 ACP.