Beretta M9

The Beretta M9, formally Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9, is a 9×19mm Parabellum pistol of the United States military adopted in 1985. It is essentially a military specification Beretta 92F, later the 92FS.

The M9 won a competition in the 1980s to replace the M1911A1 as the primary handgun of the U.S. military, beating out many other contenders, and only narrowly defeating the SIG P226 for cost reasons.^[1] It officially entered service in 1990.^[2] Some other models have been adopted to a lesser extent, namely the M11 pistol, and other models remain in use in certain niches.

The M9 was scheduled to be replaced under a United States Army program, the Future Handgun System (FHS), which was merged with the SOF Combat Pistol program to create the Joint Combat Pistol (JCP). In early 2006, the JCP was renamed Combat Pistol (CP), and the number of pistols to be bought was drastically cut back. The joint U.S. Army/Air Force Modular Handgun System could select a commercial off-the-shelf handgun to replace the M9 pistol in Fiscal Year 2011–12 if budget funds allows the implementation of the study.^[3]

History

In the 1970s, in an effort to make all of the five branches of U.S. Forces' weapons sync, the Joint Services Small Arms Planning Commission was formed to test a variety of guns to find a replacement for the M1911. The 9 mm round was selected for compliance with NATO standardization. In 1980, the Beretta 92S-1 design was chosen over entries from Colt, Smith & Wesson, Walther, the Star M28, and various Fabrique Nationale and Heckler & Koch models.

The result, however, was challenged by the Army, and new tests were done by the Army. In 1984, the trials started again with updated entries from Smith & Wesson, Beretta, SIG Sauer, Heckler & Koch, Walther, Steyr, and Fabrique Nationale. Beretta won this competition, but there was a new trial, the XM10 competition, in 1988. This resulted in two different trials that were more limited but resulted in the Beretta design being kept, with an update to it happening during the same time frame.

The Beretta 92F survived exposure to temperatures from -40°F to 140°F, being soaked in salt water, being dropped repeatedly on concrete, and being buried in sand, mud and snow. Additionally, the 92F proved a MRBF (mean rounds before failure) of 35,000 rounds. That number is often touted as the equivalent to five or six times the pistol's service life. While this is normally true in European militaries, armed forces of the United States normally subject sidearms to much more extensive use. The Iraq War, which featured frequent urban and room-to-room combat, has necessitated American soldiers to rely more heavily on their pistols.^[4]

Technology

The M9 is a short recoil, semi-automatic, single-action / double-action pistol which uses a 15-round staggered box magazine with a reversible magazine release button that can be positioned for either right- or left-handed shooters. The M9 is used with the M12 Holster, though other holsters are often used.

The M9 was modified to the M9A1 in 2006.^[5] It added—among other things—a Picatinny rail for the attachment of lights, lasers, and other accessories to the weapon. The M9A1 has more aggressive front and backstrap checkering and a beveled magazine well for easier reloading of the weapon. M9A1 pistols are sold with Physical vapor deposition (PVD) coated magazines developed to better withstand the conditions in the sandy environments in Iraq and Afghanistan.^[6]

The M9 features multiple internal safeties, including a firing pin block that prevents the firing pin from moving without the trigger being pulled, and a firing pin striker that rotates when the safety lever is engaged preventing the firing pin from being hit even if the hammer falls. The M9 also has an ambidextrous external safety lever allowing both left and right handed people to comfortably engage the safety mechanism.

Controversy

Prior to its widespread adoption by the U.S. military, questions were raised in a 1987 General Accounting Office report after an incident where a slide failure on a Beretta 92SB injured a Naval Special Warfare member,^[7] and two more failures were later observed in additional testing. These failures included both military and civilian Beretta models with very high round counts, and after investigation they were deemed the result of ammunition supplied by the U.S. Army which exceeded the recommended pressures specified by NATO but nonetheless provoked a modification in the M9 design to prevent slide failure from causing injuries.

Soldiers in the field had a lot of concerns with the M9, notably a lack of confidence in its stopping power^[8] resulting from the use of the 9mm ball round, a significant factor in military evaluations because the Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907) prohibit use of expanding or fragmenting bullets in warfare.

The U.S. military has been criticized for not purchasing magazines from Beretta. In 2006, the military awarded a contract to Airtronic USA because the previous manufacturer, Check-Mate Industries, was charging too much per magazine,^[9] though Check-Mate magazines are still sometimes issued. Prior to Check-Mate magazines being purchased, the military purchased magazines from the Italian firm Mec-Gar.^[9] Airtronic has stated that its M9 magazines will be made similar to Mec-Gar's because of reliability problems with Check-Mate magazines.^[9]

In 2003–04 there were reported failures with the government-contracted 9mm magazines. After extensive testing and actual testimony given by the troops it was concluded that the failures were caused by the heavy phosphate finish called for in the government contract, combined with the unique environmental conditions in Iraq. After corrections to the government required specifications for the magazine finish, almost two million new magazines have been distributed without any further malfunctions.

In the competition to find a new vendor, three finalists were chosen. These three were: Airtronic Services, Inc. classified as a "Moderate Risk", PHT Supply (partnered with Triple K Mfg.) also classified as a "Moderate Risk" and Check-Mate Industries, Inc. classified as a "Very Low Risk". Of the three, Airtronic Services, Inc was chosen by their low bid of $22,471,600.^[10] Airtronic Services delivered the first 900,000 magazines with zero failures while costing less than the previous supplier Check-Mate Industries.^[11]

Users

The M9 is the standard pistol of the United States Navy, United States Army and the United States Air Force. The M9A1 is also seeing limited issue to the United States Marine Corps.^[12] A large number of M9s and M9A1s were ordered in 2006. During the 2009 SHOT Show, Beretta announced it had received a US$220 million contract for the delivery of 450,000 M9s and M9A1s to the U.S. military, within a five-year span.^[13]

The Marine Corps Times reported plans in July 2007 for all officers below the rank of Colonel and all SNCOs to be issued the M4 carbine instead of the M9.^[14] The new assignment policy will still assign M9s to Marine Colonels and above and Navy Petty Officer First Class and above.^[15]

The United States Coast Guard has replaced most of its M9s with the SIG P229 DAK, though some M9s remain in service with certain units.

The M9 is issued to crew members on Military Sealift Command vessels.^[16]

BerettaUSA announced on September 30, 2011 that the U.S. Army's Foreign Military Sales program has purchased an additional 15,778 Model 92FS pistols for the Afghan military and other U.S. allies.^[17] The Model 92FS is the non-U.S. military designation for the M9 pistol.

Notes

References

External links

• Official Beretta 92 series page
• FAS article on M9
• GAO report, Pistol Procurement, Allegations on Army Selection of Beretta 9mm as DOD Standard Sidearm, June 1986.