Underdog's Utterings: U.S. Army Issues New Pistol

U.S. Army Picks New Handgun

This is it.... The Sig Sauer P320,...a modular designed polymer strike-fired pistol. The design allows for the weapon to be adapted to fire 9mm, .357 Sig, or .40 Smith & Wesson ammunition. Each pistol will be configured to allow the addition of silencers.
The annoucement concludes a five year study at a cost of almost seventeen million dollars. The new pistol won out in competition from Smith & Wesson, Glock, and Beretta for the 580 million dollar contract. The new pistols will begin delivery from the Exeter, New Hampshire plant immediately and continue over the next ten years..
The Sig Sauer XM17 will have the military designation of M17 and will replace the Army's M9, a Beretta 92f, which has been the official sidearm since 1985.

I know these are Marines firing the M9 Beretta, but it has been issued to Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine troops since 1985. The biggest complaint over the M9 was its failure to stop a combatant with a single shot. In a survey of recent returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, only 58% gave the M9 passing grades. Others were disgusted with it and evidently those complaints have finally landed on receptive ears among the big brass at the Pentagon.

This is a 100 year old Colt Model 1911 .45 caliber pistol, and it was the official military sidearm from 1911 through 1985 when it was replaced by the Beretta M9. The Beretta was suppose to save on ammunition weight and carry a larger magazine capacity than the 1911 pistol. Many special operations forces such as Army Special Forces and Navy Seals have been using the Colt instead of the Beretta. One hit with a .45 bullet will usually suffice for most victims. The basic design of John Browning has not changed much over the years and just about every gun manufacturer offers a version of the model 1911. This is the one that graces my nightstand at this very moment..

My Dad taught me that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' I think that is a great discription for the model 1911... but technology marches on and now America's forces will turn to the Sig Sauer to provide reliability and forcefulness. The announcement did NOT specify just what caliber the new pistol would come in, but did say the M17 would come in the full size and compact models for troops with smaller hands.