# Pistols Perfected



## Ravage (Apr 13, 2011)

http://www.special-operations-techn...e-9-issue-2-april/4107-pistols-perfected.html

When it comes to side arms, there may be few companies with a broader legacy than Beretta, an Italian manufacturer.
The  company’s Beretta M9 (the military designation for its 92FS pistol) has  been used by the U.S. military for almost 25 years. In that time,  Beretta has delivered 540,000 M9s to the U.S. armed forces and to  foreign military customers worldwide, including U.S. allies such as  Kuwait, Iraq, Colombia, Panama and other countries throughout the  Caribbean. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call this system  established.
Yet,  Gabriele de Plano, vice president of military sales and marketing for  Beretta USA Corp., in Accokeek, Md., said the company—through its  subsidiaries such as Benelli Armi S.p.A., Steiner Optics, and SAKO—is a  lot more than just the M9. It has the 5.56 Assault Rifle ARX160, the GLX  160 Grenade Launcher, SAKO TRG 22/42 sniper rifle systems, Steiner  binoculars and now, military scopes and the Benelli combat shotguns. 
“Besides  the Beretta M9 pistol, we offer a lot more,” de Plano said. “We’re  starting to focus our energies on getting the message out that Beretta  is a lot more than the M9 pistol—we have everything from assault rifles  to less-than-lethal systems.” 
Talking  to some side arms manufacturers, Beretta isn’t alone. The side arms  business is still a good business, but there seems to be a lot more  product development potential right now in larger systems. That doesn’t  mean companies such as Beretta or Sig Sauer aren’t making tweaks to  their product lines. And if the Army publishes a request for information  on new systems, some more innovations could ultimately be coming down  the line.
*Other Initiatives*​Beretta  is focused on larger systems because that’s what de Plano says the  services will be eyeing. “Their focus will be on shoulder fired  weapons—the assault rifles, the sub machine guns, the sub-compact  carbines and the sniper rifle,” he said. “I think that’s where they’ll  focus their innovations and energies … because the side arm is something  the warfighter rarely has to use.”
With  its alliances through its sister firms, de Plano thinks Beretta has put  itself on course to meet these needs. “We see the future development in  the larger weapon systems,” de Plano said. “We see a lot of  opportunities to integrate optics, electronic systems and the power  source. There are also a lot of improvements we can [initiate] to make  the systems more modular, so that multiple calibers can be used in a  single platform. The Beretta group has access to at least four top-of-  the-line R&D facilities. If there is a small arms system  requirement, we have the resources and know-how to address it.”
And  the side arm’s size and use makes it tough to improve. “The side arms  are a little more challenging because of the size. They have to be  portable and with you at all times. They are primarily last-ditch  weapons,” de Plano said. “When you have to use them, they can only do so  much because, by their nature, they are limited by size, weight and  ammunition.”
Bud  Fini, vice president of marketing at Sig Sauer in Exeter, N.H., said  his company’s rifles are undergoing a lot more changes than its side  arms, especially in the wake of campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. The  standard M16 has been used for well over 50 years, but the gun’s system,  which dumped fouling residue into the action so the firearm could  function, required more cleaning than the military liked in desert  conditions. So Sig tried to fix that.
“The  Sig system that we developed for the 5.56 rifle dumps the gas a  different way and uses a push rod to push the bolt carrier instead of  dumping gas into the carrier,” Fini said. “The gun can run many more  rounds without requiring maintenance or cleaning, even if you build up  some carbon in the bolt and carrier, you can adjust the gas valve to the  adverse position and keep the gun functioning in a critical combat  situation until it can be cleaned.”
*Heckler & Koch*​If  a major new competition opens for military pistol makers, Heckler &  Koch has a multipronged argument about why the government should choose  H&K pistols, Dale Bohner, director of government sales, said.

H&K has multiple pistols to offer, including two models of the .45 caliber, and 9 mm weapons as well.
The  company offers multiple types of interchangeable side-panel grips and  back straps that customize the pistol to the shooter’s hand, providing a  firm and comfortable hold.
In an era of tight defense budgets, H&K would offer a price that would be tough to beat.
In any competition, H&K could provide a pistol with the performance that procurement officials desire, Bohner said. 
“If  it’s open on caliber, if they go for a .45, we would be proposing the  HK45 compact and the HK45 full size,” he explained. On the other hand,  if acquisition officials desire a 9 mm weapon, “We have the P30s in  various configurations, and then we also have the P2000s, including the  P2000 subcompact.”
When  it comes to stopping power and ability to take down an enemy, “it  becomes a very touchy subject. Everyone focuses on .45s” and their  impact on the enemy, Bohner said.
As  for the ability to aim the weapon, “all of our .45s are known to be  very accurate guns,” he said. “The recoil of our guns is a lot easier to  control on our .45s.”
Another  advantage in H&K pistols is the ability to customize them for a  better fit to the shooter’s hand, Bohner said. For any military person,  “from the biggest, meanest, ugliest brute guy … to the smallest, tiniest  person that’s in the military,” H&K can adjust the gun to fit their  hands. There are multiple combinations and permutations, because there  are several different-size side panel grips, different palm swells on  either side of the pistol, and three or four varying back plates that  can be interchanged, he said.
“It’s almost custom-fitted for your hand,” he said. “That’s a huge advantage of our P30.”
And  that solid comfort in the grip benefits all shooters, whether they go  to the range and fire the weapon four times or 100 times a year, he  observed.
There  also are trigger variants, he continued, “whether you have a decocker,  or a decocker and a safety, or an ambidextrous decocker, or an  ambidextrous decocker and safety, or right-side-only lever or  left-side-only lever. You can interchange a lot of things about our  trigger system.”
While  emphasizing the ways H&K pistols are different and better, Bohner  also stressed how in some ways they are little different from others,  and that’s a good thing.
“What  most of the military has been firing right now is the Beretta-type  system, or even a Sig Sauer,” he said, in a double-action or  single-action arrangement.
“We  can provide our pistol in … the same exact setup,” he said. That means  there is little or nothing for personnel to learn if the military  switches from current pistols to H&K weapons. “There’s no change for  them, they’re not [having to learn] anything new. So it’s an easy  transition from the current pistol that’s in service.”
Both  firing the new weapon and training with it would, therefore, be a  smooth transition for personnel, he asserted. And there would be only  minor differences in assembly/disassembly of the pistol. He noted that  H&K manufactures the .45 and .45 subcompact in the United States. In  any competition, price-wise, “those two guns would be very, very  competitive,” Bohner promised.
And  in tight budget times, that is a major plus for H&K, he said. For  procurement officials, the cost consideration “may not be number one” in  the criteria for selecting a new pistol to procure, “but it sure is  right up there near the top,” Bohner said.


----------



## Ravage (Apr 13, 2011)

*New Weapons Sought*​With  rumors of a new request for proposals, the Army could put some focus  back on side arms. In late 2006, the Air Force requested information on  modular handgun systems (MHS). Eventually, the service scuttled the  plans, telling manufacturers that the service’s higher-ups felt the M9  was good enough to fit its needs. It’s a good thing Beretta didn’t throw  away its ideas for an MHS, because de Plano said the Army is planning  to release a request for proposals on a new weapon to complement or  compete with the M9. 
“In  the new solicitation that we’re told they’re working on, caliber is not  mandated, performance is,” de Plano explained. “They’re leaving it up  to industry to figure out which caliber will achieve this performance.  We haven’t seen the requirement because it hasn’t been released yet.”
The  service would like more lethality from its side arms, according to de  Plano. “When the country is at war, there are people who believe that  the 9 mm isn’t doing the job in terms of stopping the enemy,” he  continued. “They’re looking for something with more energy and more  terminal ballistics to improve on the M9 system’s performance.”
There  are types of ammunition, included those produced by Minneapolis-based  ATK, that could fit those needs with the M9. “An option we have  suggested is that the M9 pistol with enhanced lethality munitions could  definitely be a solution to their needs,” de Plano said. “Because of  some of the conventions that the U.S. forces are abiding by, they’re not  able to use the hollow points that law enforcement uses, but there is  other ammo that meets the [requirement] of the full metal case with  increased performance.”
Regardless,  de Plano said Beretta doesn’t want to lose the side arms business from  the military. “Obviously, being the incumbent, we’re going to put up a  good fight. We already have the 92A1 and 96A1 improved models in the  commercial and LE markets,” he cautioned. “These pistols require no  additional training, have 90 percent parts commonality with the M9, and  add new capabilities for the soldier. We’ll see what the final  requirements are. Changing caliber could also be an option. One of the  suggestions is going to the .40 Smith & Wesson caliber, and the  Model 96A1 is chambered for this option.”
Right  now, Beretta also produces .40 and .45 caliber Px4 Storm pistols, in  addition to its M9. “We had a .45 caliber pistol ready for that [Air  Force] competition and obviously we can represent that in a .45 or .40,”  de Plano said. “I’m told the .40 is getting attention now as a  possibility to improve the performance, compared to the 9 mm.” 
There  are some advantages to the caliber, which de Plano sees a good  compromise between the 9 mm and .45 caliber. “The .45 is a longtime  favorite—everybody likes the performance but few people can shoot it  well,” de Plano said. “The terminal performance of the .40 is very good.  It does the job and it is not as hard to control as the .45. People are  able to shoot it more easily, but it gives more [punch] at the target.”
Right  now, many U.S. law enforcement agencies use the .40 caliber. “They  swear by it,” de Plano said. “Whether the U.S. military will be able to  adopt another caliber in its logistics systems, who knows? They do not  have the same freedom in ammunition selection as law enforcement.”
*Expanding Product Offerings*​Right  now, the manufacturers have distinct, well-established side arm  offerings for the military. Beretta produces the Px4 Storm Pistol  series, which is a polymer frame pistol. The company touts the pistol’s  17-round 9 mm flush magazine. It provides what it says is “exceptional”  magazine capacity, but it can even be expanded to 20 rounds using the  optional extension.
Beretta  says that the Px4 Storm has fired up to 150,000 rounds in shooting  ranges without any parts breakage, while it has a barrel that dissipates  recoil energy in a radial direction. It is designed to reduce recoil  and muzzle rise, giving the user more control and, ultimately, more  accuracy, when the side arm is fired.
The  Storm comes in sub-compact, compact and special duty models. It offers a  traditional Type F system (which is on the Beretta 92FS/M9 pistol) that  has a single/double action with an ambidextrous manual safety on the  slide, which also acts as a de-cocking lever. Beretta also offers a Type  C (constant action) system that is a double action-only variant but  with a shorter trigger travel and lighter trigger pull than conventional  DAO trigger mechanisms. It has no external safety/de-cocking lever.
Beretta  also produces its old standby 92 series of semiautomatic pistols. They  operate on a short recoil, delayed blowback system, which yields faster  cycle times, exceptional accuracy and greater reliability, according to  the company. They have double/single action, high-capacity steel  magazines that the company says are durable and drop-free when the  magazine button is depressed, even when empty. They also produce  chrome-lined barrels to provide corrosion resistance, as well as ease of  cleaning.
In  2010, Beretta did add new weapons to its family with its Model 92A1 and  96A1 pistol in 9 mm. The company says these provide increased capacity  magazines (with 17-round capacity, three included per pistol), removable  front sight, accessory rail, captive recoil spring assembly, rounded  trigger guard and frame recoil buffer.
Sig  Sauer also offers a line of all-metal weapons that it says offers  increased durability, accuracy and simplicity. “Some of the polymer guns  are simple but they don’t carry that safety—that four-point safety  system that we have is unattainable in a Glock because you pull the  trigger and it shoots.” Fini said. “It doesn’t have the safety systems  or the de-locking systems that we have built in.”
Fini  said Sig Sauer’s features, including a four-point safety system, make  his products popular with law enforcement. He counts many government  agencies, such as the FBI, CIA, Secret Service and Navy Seals among his  customers. He said most tactical law enforcement units carry the Sig  Sauer as well.
Sig  Sauer’s biggest sellers have been from its classic series— the P220,  P226, P229 and P239. Their newest offering is the P226 TACOPS, short for  tactical operations. The P226 TACOPS, available in 9 mm and .40 caliber  S&W, features integral magwell grips and extended magazines for  additional capacity. The lightweight beavertail frame is machined from  aircraft grade aluminum and hard coat anodized for increased durability.  “The TACOPS includes a number of enhancements based on feedback from  users in the field,” Fini said.
Sig  Sauer’s P226 Navy model provides strong anti-corrosion protection with a  phosphate coating on all of the internal parts. “The U.S. Navy adopted  it, in part, because of its corrosion resistance,” Fini said.
Sig  Sauer continues to tweak its premier Elite line as well. Last year it  conducted surveys and found the guns had, over time, developed a  perception of being too large for many users. Fini thinks the reason for  this is the emphasis in recent years on ergonomics, and the growing  awareness that proper fit improves shooter performance. The company  fixed that. 
“We  redesigned the total grip ergonomics for multiple hand sizes. When  combined with two trigger length options, the user can fit the gun to  their individual hand size.” Fini said. “It really gives you a [totally]  different grip feel for the gun.”
These  upgrades prove that though bigger weapons may be on the minds of  manufacturers, companies are still looking at how to make their side  arms even better.


----------



## mike_cos (Apr 13, 2011)

Ravage said:


> When it comes to side arms, there may be few companies with a broader legacy than Beretta, an Italian manufacturer.


holy words mate... holy words....


----------



## policemedic (Apr 13, 2011)

Since someone is bound to say it, let me be the first.  For reasons ranging from ballistics to ergonomics, we should have stayed with the 1911.

But since we didn't, we can fix it with the HK45.

yeah, yeah...I'm biased.


----------



## Diamondback 2/2 (Apr 13, 2011)

I wish the US Military would get with the program on this, GLOCK… Same platform with same controls available in multiple calibers and one of the easiest, if not the easiest pistol to train people to use. Runs dirty, runs in all environments, wet-sandy-gunked with carbon and still performs better. ONE trigger action to learn! Easy to point! Easy to strip clean! Doesn’t need special attention, replacement parts and has an excellent track record over the last 25 years. If I was going to assault Mars and I had to bet my life on one pistol as a last line of defense it would be a Glock…


----------



## policemedic (Apr 13, 2011)

Can't argue too much with that, especially since it's already in theater.

I'd love to know how many NDs happen over there as a result of having to pull the trigger to strip the gun, though.


----------



## AWP (Apr 13, 2011)

I'm not a fan of a DA/ SA trigger. I'd rather have a Glock/ M&P/ whatever else fits the bill or a 1911 than a DA/ SA trigger pull. Considering that units with the funding to purchase whatever they want gravitate to a Glock or 1911 and away from the Beretta.....


----------



## policemedic (Apr 14, 2011)

Freefalling said:


> I'm not a fan of a DA/ SA trigger. I'd rather have a Glock/ M&P/ whatever else fits the bill or a 1911 than a DA/ SA trigger pull. Considering that units with the funding to purchase whatever they want gravitate to a Glock or 1911 and away from the Beretta.....



Agreed.  The DA/SA issue and the counter-intuitive design of the M9's thumb safety are just some of its flaws, as I see it.  I also agree with you that it's telling that units with discretionary spending authority choose 1911s.

It is much easier to teach someone to shoot a Glock, M&P, or 1911 well than that POS M9.


----------



## mike_cos (Apr 14, 2011)

even tough i'm italian... I prefer the first one......  http://www.operazionispeciali.com/res/site28430/res526406_DSC_1344.jpg


----------



## policemedic (Apr 14, 2011)

mike_cos said:


> even tough i'm italian... I prefer the first one...... http://www.operazionispeciali.com/res/site28430/res526406_DSC_1344.jpg



Molto bello!


----------



## mike_cos (Apr 14, 2011)

policemedic said:


> Molto bello!


Grazie medico...


----------



## ben (Apr 15, 2011)

The Sig or the 1911? I love my 1911 but I also enjoy my CZ-75. Glocks are super dependable and I do like the standardization as previously mentioned, but I don't enjoy shooting them. Perhaps that's not really one of the criteria, but for me that matters. I feel like I am shooting a brick of plastic instead of a special purpose tool. But then again, my opinion doesn't matter much LOL. I haven't ever shot an HK but I have been eyeballing a few USPs lately...


----------



## Mac_NZ (Apr 17, 2011)

I prefer the 226 but like the Glock also.  What ever they buy it will likely all be for naught.  If your anything like us the majority of the people issued pistols are more of a liability to the weapon functioning and the safety of others than the worlds cheapest manufacturing.


----------



## Johnboy (Jun 12, 2016)

I really want to love the Berretta offerings! 92, 92F, 92 F/S the G's the M-9, M-9A1, heck even the the 90-2. The legacy of Beretta is unparalleled. I however was blessed at 6'3", with the hands of a twelve year old girl..... For me the Glock's sans stocks or the Sig E-2 grip modification is the way to go in a battle pistol. 
Love the H&K performance as well! However for me, same issue. The Smith M&P line feels magical but I do not care for the very vague trigger and diminished tactile reset. Just my $.02 worth.
Respectfully
j


----------

