It was determined that the Italian made slides were metallurgically flawed and this was the cause of the failures. There's been some misinformation circulated that the failures were due to "SEALs using SMG super high pressure ammo" but this is an old wives tale.
The Army concluded that there was a metallurgical flaw in the Italian made slides so Beretta USA corrected this in all future M9 service pistols they produced. Additionally, the Army requested a block be installed in the lower frame assembly of the M9 that would capture the rear half of a slide should it experience a failure.
No documentation exists that such a failure ever happened so the blocks never had to serve their purpose in the 35 years the M9 served our nation. So lets talk about the four guns pictured in the first image.
Starting from the top right, I'll work my way to the bottom left. You will also notice it has a "heel release" for the magazine. You can see the button on the lower right side of the grip. The B in "SB" means "button". You can see the magazine release was moved to the "American" position which is just behind the trigger so it's easily accessed by the shooting hands thumb without breaking the firing grip.
The safety has a lever added to the right side of the fame thus making it ambidextrous. This pistol has all the changes requested by the Army which included a squared trigger guard for the shooter to place their index finger of the support hand while firing this was an 80's and 90's thing that finally passed , ambi slide mounted safety, specific sights with a "half moon" white mark on the rear sight and a dot on the front sight and a few other changes.
The USMC version has a 3 dot sight arrangement two dots in the rear, one up front , a squared off trigger guard and accessory rail designed to work with lights and other accessories that weren't possible with the M9. Early M9's and commercial Beretta Model 92's had locking blocks that were prone to failure. This would happen at high round counts but also could be brought about by improper maintenance.
In speaking with Ernest Langdon, of Langdon Tactical fame, he explained that the M9 locking block should be properly lubricated as this is a critical high stress area of the design. Running it dry only serves to accelerate wear. A drop of oil on the locking block goes a long way to prevent failures of this part. However, Beretta identified an area of improvement.
The blocks were failing at a point where there was a right angle. Any engineer will tell you that right angles are prone to failure.
Beretta used a radius cut and eliminated the right angle, and now the locking blocks will likely work for the entire service life of the pistol. In other words, you're not likely to wear one out. The early problems encountered with the M9 are typical of any new service weapon entering military service. Few weapons are subjected to the rigors of military service, and those rigors are very challenging for any tool.
Within a couple of years the M9 became an outstanding service pistol. But there were other problems down the road. One such problem was the sudden reappearance of failing locking blocks. The Army went to Beretta with a handful of broken parts and asked them why they were failing. Beretta took one look and said, " These weren't made by us.
Once the no-name parts were replaced with actual Beretta parts, the problem went away. Then there were reports of serous reliability problems coming from Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army and Beretta dove in to see what the problem was and once again it was a problem with parts. The Army initially contracted with the world famous magazine maker Mec-Gar for their M9 magazines, but as time went on it was decided they were too expensive so a lower cost alternative was sought out.
Check-mate was the first low-bid company who supplied magazines and of course they were problematic. The Army thought they were too expensive still so they put the magazines out for bid once again. A new lowest bidder, Airtronic Services, won the contract based on their lowball offer and they too had reliability issues.
After more research it was decided that the heavy phosphate finished required by the Army's specifications was causing the reliability issues. I mean, it stands to reason a course finish like heavy phosphate that has a surface texture of a fine grit sandpaper might cause reliability issues, especially if they are kept dry and moon dust is introduced.
While all this "lowest bidder" shenanigans was going on, troops in the field were having very real problems with their M9's not working properly. This is how Uncle Sugar gets our troops killed In the end a new "high reliability" magazine was proposed that used a slick PVD finish and the M9 reliability issues evaporated. If half the inventory is being replaced already, why does the army then need to re-replace those brand new pistols? At this time, there are simply too many unanswered questions surrounding a potential M9 replacement to endorse a competition for a new pistol.
If the Army deems it is necessary to replace, it should first demonstrate with data that the current system is a liability to our soldiers, and that proper comprehensive training cannot correct the claimed deficiencies. From my most recent experiences what is necessary is more emphasis on small arms marksmanship, more range time and more range practice matched with increased qualification and tactical live fire exercises. In almost all cases outside of SF and Infantry units that are given the required time and training the weapon is not the deficiency it is operator related.
With good training and proper maintenance the Beretta is fine — preference aside. It is the Army — not choose your own adventure and equipment. Standards for small arms marksmanship are not high enough and prep to meet those standards especially in support units is not nearly what it should be and is not a great service to servicemen and women who should be proficient and well versed in the weapons systems design to allow them to do their job in combat.
If we were to replace the handgun it would make more sense to adopt a short carbine with a folding stock in 5. Interchangability is a mission useful quality. Having shot several types of pistols, the M9 out shines them all. I have been through the rigorous testing that is required for M9 and believe me when I say that nothing is left to chance.
Beretta USA takes extraordinary measures to ensure their weapons perform to the highest standard in the field. Their quality assurance is second to none. It is silly to replace the M9 when it is obvious that it remains the best pistol for the job at hand. As an M9 owner, I can certainly attest to the quality of the Beretta M9. It is a very accurate shooting pistol, and it never, ever malfunctions.
I fire this weapon on a weekly basis at the range and it is an absolute joy. All companies should put this kind of effort into the quality of their pistols. With all the complaints that I see on the internet now of people saying the should have never been retired, I can only imagine when the M9 is replaced, how many people will miss this gun.
I know I will. As a vietnam vet,11bravo, I still have my. Instead of asking the army if they can make some modifications they really should just make those modifications. I wont even consider it for purchase. In order to ensure a shooters proficiency for such a large number of people, adjustable grip sizes is essential!
One army reason is the average soldier shot tighter groups with other pistols in one informal test. The M9 is a great gun, but its just too big. And one very important move, test it, then market it to the commercial market, then wait for the beuracracy to fail any competition.
They will come running! The average dog face solder does not receive the training they need ,ie,combat,for mission. I started my career in the general purpose forces and moved on to the more specialized communities later.
I know first hand that the reason non-sof soldiers complain about the M9 is because most of them cannot shoot. I have seen guys shoot a terrible qual and look at their M9 and get mad at the gun. More than once I have taken their gun from them and shot a perfect The M9 is an outstanding shooter and I have only seen one or two malfunctions when guys left their magazines filled to capacity for an entire deployment.
Really, that is a magazine failure, not a weapon failure. Posted by Patrick C. Costello Oct 27, Read More. Army photo share this Twitter Facebook LinkedIn. Bases in the Middle East.
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