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NEWS M9 DoD Pistol Replacement Announced (Joint Handgun winner)
- Thread starter ChuckMK23
- Start date
Helos (and Naval Aviation as a whole) have M11s. The M9 has had reliability issues and it is bulky in comparison to the M11 with much larger grip circumference, hard for smaller handed people to shoot well. There's a reason the SEALs used the P226 for years (a full size version of the 228 or M11). It's really reliable and has close to the same magazine capacity. Next to the Glock brand, it's probably got the best reputation for going bang every time you pull the trigger. It's fairly simple to operate, in that it has no external safety. An external hammer and de-cocker probably made it desirable when they made the decision. It's also a full metal frame, so in the days of anti-polymer requirements/procurement folks it was probably a natural choice.
That's all great, but it doesn't answer my question - why did the USN acquire two very similar 9mm pistols in a relatively short timeframe? Also, exactly who is still using the M9? Helos (at least east coast LAMPS) transitioned from the .38 to the M9 in the mid 90s. When did they transition to the M11? TACAIR had the M11 by 2000.
Pretty sure LAMPS had the M11 by about 2000. I don't think they had the M9 for very long.
The M9 is still standard around a lot of the "rest" of the Navy. The reserve centers just got them too... hundreds of M9s that have been shot a couple times at the factory.
The M9 is still standard around a lot of the "rest" of the Navy. The reserve centers just got them too... hundreds of M9s that have been shot a couple times at the factory.
I'm pretty sure the answer to "who is still using the M9" is "basically everyone in DoD outside SOCOM, besides Naval Aviation and some corner cases."
M9's were standard DoD issue from the mid-80's on and the Navy really didn't have a choice in the matter. From what I remember the M11 was procured to make up for the shortcomings of the M9 starting in the late 90's and the Navy was able to get away with buying them for aircrew and a few others due to the relatively small numbers needed.
If you have to keep your pistol and your sealed ammunition separate, does it really matter what kind of pistol it is?
Wait, what? When does that apply? Training? Combat?
Maybe if you keep them both in glass boxes with little hammers next to them?
Personally never understood the M9 hate. It's like hating vanilla ice cream. It does the job. I shot the Sig and the M9 back to back once (at the 50 yard line!), and shot the M9 better -though that could be a function of being more used to it. That said, it's getting old, and we could use an update for material condition reasons, if nothing else.
Navy dudes in here have mentioned that they fly combat sorties with their ammo separate and sealed, and it's a big no-no to open it. No idea if that still goes on but I figured I'd tease them. I flew with a round chambered every single time, and I'm pretty sure I would make a point of ripping open the ammo and chambering a round if I was faced with such a policy.
Combat. Had to do it every freaking time in OEF.
It's all fun and games until they send you home for doing that . . . don't know if they'd follow through on the threat, but that's what we were told at an AOM in no uncertain terms.