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U.S. Army Saying "Ciao" to Italy's M9 Beretta -- but What Will Replace It?
www.nasdaq.com ^ | 8-2-14 | Motley Fool

Posted on 08/03/2014 9:04:43 PM PDT by AlmaKing

Dumping Beretta

Last month, the Army announced plans for an "industry day" at which gun manufacturers such as Smith & Wesson , Sturm, Ruger , Colt, and Glock would be invited to show their wares and compete for a new contract. Its objective: to replace the M9 Beretta semiautomatic pistol.

The U.S. Army holds more than 200,000 M9 Berettas in its inventory. If it proceeds with plans to use a new handgun, tentatively monikered the "Modular Handgun System," all of these M9s could soon be replaced. In fact, Military.com reported that if other armed services follow the Army's lead, one lucky gun company could soon receive an order for as many as 400,000 handguns -- a significant contract in an era of declining civilian handgun sales .

According to Military.com , the Army's main concerns with the M9 are that it's insufficiently accurate, lethal, and reliable for the service's purposes. That's not entirely Beretta's fault. Project officer Daryl Easlick at the Army's Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, was quoted in the Military.com article as saying that many of the Berettas it has in inventory today are "old," adding that "it's costing us more to replace and repair M9s than it would cost to go get a new handgun."

Some critics cite a lack of killing power in the M9. Simply put, the 9mm full-metal jacket round fired from a Beretta M9 isn't big enough to stop and drop every opponent a soldier encounters. This raises the odds of the Army's next standard-issue handgun being a .45 caliber weapon such as the M1911, which Beretta's M9 replaced in Army service in 1985. Lots of companies make .45 caliber weapons that the military could consider and companies might be submitting news designs for the Modular Handgun System.

(Excerpt) Read more at nasdaq.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: banglist; beretta; reallyoldnews
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To: Secret Agent Man
I think they’ve had field complaints about the open slide and sand and crap building up in them quickly.

I recall a bunch of slide breakage reorts in early batches as well.

I handled and shot one, really wanting to like it over the Glock and others I tried at the time. The controls and all felt right, but the shooting did not feel so correct.

I ended up with a Glock and keeping my 1911.

Recently got a Glock 30. Now, that is a very fine little handful of pistol. Dunno what issues prevent the military from considering Glock, training to use with no external safety, no doubt. But that gun is stone cold accurate, reliable, and easy to shoot.

61 posted on 08/03/2014 11:27:52 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: yarddog

I remember the results of those trials. Only 2 pistols met all of the technical requirements; the Beretta M92F and the Sig P226. The Beretta won with the best the contract bid. I went to B&B Sales in N Hollywood to buy the Beretta the same year the winner was selected. The gun didn’t fit my hands; the trigger reach was too long for me. So I bought the Sig instead; great fit, accurate, reliable and it was cheaper than the Beretta (it cost ~$420 back then).


62 posted on 08/04/2014 12:02:15 AM PDT by tony549 (Stuck in SoCal)
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To: AlmaKing
The U.S. Army holds more than 200,000 M9 Berettas in its inventory. If it proceeds with plans to use a new handgun, tentatively monikered the "Modular Handgun System," all of these M9s could soon be replaced.

Of course if this goes forward under Obama’s watch the M9s will be crushed and sold at scrap metal prices to an Obama crony.

63 posted on 08/04/2014 12:22:55 AM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: ChildOfThe60s

There is also the theory that a wounded soldier is a bigger drain on an army than a dead one.


64 posted on 08/04/2014 12:34:29 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Conservatism is the political disposition of grown-ups.)
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To: vette6387

The M9 averaged 17,500 before experiencing any type of failure, part of the reason Beretta won the contract.

Calling them junk is ignorant and stopping power is overrated if you can’t hit your target.

The problem is the military has to used ball ammo.

Either way, I’m looking forward to buying a surplus M9

Beretta has been making firearms for over 500 years.
They have a pretty good idea of what they are doing.

The 1911 is expensive to shoot and our troops won’t get sufficient range time with Obama as POTUS.


65 posted on 08/04/2014 12:45:58 AM PDT by Rodney Dangerfield (Has any President in history sunk to such a level of self-flattery & validation-seeking?)
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To: Rodney Dangerfield

Correction: 35,000 rounds before failure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_M9


66 posted on 08/04/2014 12:51:18 AM PDT by Rodney Dangerfield (Has any President in history sunk to such a level of self-flattery & validation-seeking?)
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To: jospehm20; osagebowman; g'nad; Ramius; TalonDJ; ExGeeEye
I personally own a couple of fairly high end 1911s and a stock civilian M9 (Beretta 92FS). I have not shot either 1911 in a couple of years but the 92FS goes to the range with me pretty much every time and I tend to shoot very well with it. YMMV.

That's been my experience to a large extent, too. I got a good deal one a virtually-unfired Dan Wesson Custom Combat Commander (one of their "entry level" items). Extremely accurate, and handles like a dream due to grip reduction (I think just about anybody can benefit from that), and hand-fitted tight tolerances.

I would also never carry it for serious work, because the tolerances are too tight for 100% confidence in that role, and you can never carry enough .45ACP ammo to feel you have an adequate supply, anyway. There are a lot of good-to-great .45ACP designs out there, because the leet forces of most western countries demand .45ACP for all of their serious work. They're constantly tweaking them, and evaluating new items on the market that they can buy with their black budgets.

The question for the rank-and-file GI or civilian is what to expect in the way of a good deal from an out-of-the-box 9mm that will never receive tweaking or special tuning. I have found the Beretta 9x series, and the CZ 75 family, to be great right out of the box, with lots of tricks, most of them small, for increasing accuracy even more. That takes you back to the realm of hand labor, and increased need to "baby" the weapon.

What do the pre-Glock weapons have in common? They're all all-metal, and mostly not being made any more except in smaller quantities. Or else they carry a premium price for steel or alloy frames, like SiG or CZ.

Beretta and CZ have official polymer replacements for their "classic" available, and they're both winners in terms of accuracy, ergonomics, and insanely reliability. They're widely used by cops and smaller western militaries around the world, even for their leet troops.

I bought a near-new Beretta M9 civilian version because none of the 9x series are thick on the ground right now, and Beretta is only making new M9A1s for the goobermint until they fulfill their contract, and then they move all the machinery from MD to TN, and maybe start up the 9x series for the American civilian market only.

After 50 round just for break-in, and a few minor tweaks for personal preferences, I fired the M9 at my usual "social interaction" range of ten yards. I thought I whiffed each round until I brought the target back, and found all 15 shots in two ragged groups inside the 8-ring. I'm just a hacker when it comes to handguns, but I've only gotten out-of-the-box accuracy like this from CZ and H&K. CZ is under-appreciated and hard to find, while H&K is muchly esteemed, hard to find, and hard to afford. My M9, and now companions 92FS Versatec and 96G Centurion all now run smooth as silk, are accurate far beyond my humble skills, and would make a perfect EDC for me, except they won't fit in my pocket.

So I compromised on a Walther PPK, where it's wimpy ballistics are still sufficient for my needs, especially considering its sterling qualities of accuracy, ergonomics, and smooth, dependable operation. Demonstrated performance on my part to put the rounds instinctively where I want them, at the range that concerns me, goes a long way to solving many issues.

67 posted on 08/04/2014 2:25:47 AM PDT by 300winmag (Whatever CAN go wrong has already happened. We just don't know about it yet.)
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To: Rodney Dangerfield

“Calling them junk is ignorant and stopping power is overrated if you can’t hit your target.”

You must have me confused with someone else here. I never said that. In fact, I think Beretta’s are fine guns. So happens though, I prefer Sigs.


68 posted on 08/04/2014 4:12:42 AM PDT by vette6387
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To: dsc
I recently bought this:



The Remington 1911 R1. I love it. Just put 200 rounds through it last Friday. Took 85 pound my 13 year DAUGHTER shooting and she had no problem with the recoil, so the woman thing is BS.
69 posted on 08/04/2014 4:45:50 AM PDT by fredhead (Join the Navy and see the world.....77% of which is covered in water.)
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To: kvanbrunt2

I see that you approve of Obama finding another way of coming up with silly reasons to spend your tax dollars.

I see it as another reason to Impeach Obama.

BTW, has Obama done anything yet that has been good for America?


70 posted on 08/04/2014 6:15:47 AM PDT by Graewoulf (Democrats' Obamacare Socialist Health Insur. Tax violates U.S. Constitution AND Anti-Trust Law.)
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To: AlmaKing

U.S. Army Saying “Ciao” to Italy’s M9 Beretta — but What Will Replace It?

If let up to the current administration it will be BB guns.


71 posted on 08/04/2014 6:20:54 AM PDT by JayAr36 (A Democrat is defined as a liar and a hypocrite.)
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To: AlmaKing

Should be a bunch of ‘surplus’ firearms coming on the market once they change. One would hope it would drive the prices down a bit.


72 posted on 08/04/2014 7:58:09 AM PDT by zeugma (Islam: The Antidote for civilization)
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To: AlmaKing

Reliability question.

While I don’t shoot in desert conditions, my 92FS never jams and will cycle any round I put into it.


73 posted on 08/04/2014 8:09:44 AM PDT by School of Rational Thought
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To: matthew fuller

You are quite welcome!


74 posted on 08/04/2014 9:29:40 AM PDT by TigersEye ("No man left behind" means something different to 0bama.)
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To: vette6387

And with a CHL, there are no background checks!


75 posted on 08/04/2014 9:29:41 AM PDT by matthew fuller (This is MUSLIM TERRORIST AWARENESS MONTH.)
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To: fredhead

“so the woman thing is BS.”

Right. Take one case, and use it to disprove the rule.

That’s valid.

BS yourself.


76 posted on 08/04/2014 10:06:44 AM PDT by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
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To: fredhead

Besides, I didn’t say it was the recoil.

Speaking of recoil, though, my boys could put some rounds through a 1911 when they were eight or nine, but they weren’t hitting anything, it made their hands hurt, and they had a hard time working the action.

Using a pistol as a combat weapon involves more than standing on a range and burning off a few magazines. Especially when the weapon is slippery because it is covered in blood.

If you plan to say BS to somebody, do yourself a favor and know what you’re talking about.


77 posted on 08/04/2014 10:12:07 AM PDT by dsc (Any attempt to move a government to the left is a crime against humanity.)
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To: webcrosby
Shouldn’t “accurate, lethal and reliable” be a requirement for every gun they put into service?

Didn't you read the next sentence?

78 posted on 08/04/2014 10:18:25 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: fredhead

Can't purchase the new Remington in California because it is not on the Dept. of Justice safe handgun list. Unconstitutional bull$hit preventing lawful commerce and exercise of fundamental right. There are millions of legally owned 1911 .45 ACP's in the state and because some of the new ones don't have a chamber loaded indicator (only needed for idiots because all guns should be treated as though they are loaded at all times)or lock for the magazine well or the company has not paid lots of money for the gun fire drop test. The new guns are no different than those already owned. Dam state, dam courts, dam liberals, just dam.

79 posted on 08/04/2014 10:46:53 AM PDT by Mat_Helm
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To: Jeff Chandler

LOL!


80 posted on 08/04/2014 2:50:08 PM PDT by Red in Blue PA (When Injustice becomes Law, Resistance Becomes Duty.-Thomas Jefferson)
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