U.S. Army moves to M17 pistol
The U.S. Army is gradually moving to the new M17 modular pistol, which will become the main short-barrel weapons for all units of the armed forces. The army pistol, developed as part of the Modular Handgun System program, is the first step towards a general modernization of the small arms of the American army, which will continue in the coming years. On October 20, 2019, the Defense Blog announced that the weapon was being commissioned. In particular, the new 1st guns are received by military personnel tank division.
The first to receive new weapons (at the end of the 2017 year) were the fighters of the famous American 101 Airborne Division. According to previously published information, the U.S. military expects to purchase up to 421 thousands of M17 and M18 pistols (compact version): 195 thousand for the army, 130 thousand for the Air Force, 61 thousand for the Navy (all M18), and 35 thousand for the Marine Corps. The value of the signed contract, which is designed for 10 years, amounted to 580 million dollars.
In September 2015, the Pentagon initiated a competition to select a new modular pistol for the armed forces. The weapons were to replace the 9-mm M9 pistol, developed by the well-known small arms manufacturer Beretta, and the M11 pistol, developed by SIG Sauer specialists based on the P226 model. The first time they tried to announce the competition back in 2011, but numerous delays dragged on the selection process.
The winner of the competition was announced on 19 on January 2017 of the year. The victory and impressive contracts went to representatives of SIG Sauer, who presented for testing the modular pistols XM17 and XM18, created on the basis of the SIG Sauer P320 model. The models were adopted by the American army under the designations M17 and M18, respectively, M18 is a compact version of the gun and differs in its smaller size and weight. The main difference between the pistols in the barrel length, for the M17 model is 120 mm, for the M18 model is 98 mm. The Pentagon expects to completely rearm the army with new pistols in about 10 years. Announcing the adoption of new pistols, the U.S. Department of Defense said that the triple M18 pistols successfully fired at 12 thousand rounds without a single delay with an acceptable rate - 12 delays at 5 thousand shots. In addition, all SIG Sauer pistols successfully passed the test for accuracy and interchangeability of parts.
The main reason the US command decided to tackle army pistols is the same as when replacing the numerous Colt M1911A1 with Beretta M9 pistols in the 1980 years. Pistols wear out at the end of their life. Any firearm, no matter how good it is, has a finite life cycle. Naturally, you can change some elements, such as trunks, springs, various linings, but the frame itself also wears out. M9 pistols, taken into service in the 1985 year and began to be massively supplied to units at the end of the 80s of the last century, have been in operation for more than 30 years. During this time, weapons are outdated not only physically, but also morally. The US military decided to turn to new pistols due to design flaws in the M9 pistol.
To the problems of this model of small arms, the American military include insufficiently good ergonomics, a large effort on the trigger, the absence of Picatinny rails, an inconvenient location of the fuse and other design flaws, including susceptibility to clogging. In desert conditions, as in Iraq, this often became a problem. In general, polls conducted back in 2006 showed that US military personnel who had visited Afghanistan and Iraq and were armed with M9 pistols were unhappy with this model. In 2006 and later, two modernizations of the pistol were undertaken, Picatinny rails and the possibility of installing a silencer appeared on it, but the situation did not change dramatically, and the M9A3 model could not pass the competition announced by the US military in January 2015. It is worth noting that the SIG Sauer P320 XCarry was also chosen by the Danish army to replace their pistols. At the same time, the model of gunsmiths from Switzerland bypassed representatives of Glock, Smith & Wesson and Canik.
The full-size version of the new modular M17 army pistol and its compact M18 version were officially adopted in the 2017 year, since then these pistols are mass-produced and gradually go to various units of the US Armed Forces. In October of 2019, new guns were tested at the shooting range by fighters of the 1th battalion of the 67th tank regiment of the 3th tank brigade from the 1th tank division. According to Michael Preston, the second lieutenant (ed. Corresponds to the rank of lieutenant in the Russian army), the transition to the M17 modular pistol will be of great benefit to the armed forces, especially in combat conditions. According to him, the new gun easily adapts to the fighter, it is lighter and more ergonomic than the 9-mm M9 pistol.
The new gun is lighter, its weight is 30,8 American ounces (873 grams), a very good indicator for weapons of this class, it is almost exactly 100 grams less than the previous model of the main army M9 pistol. The weapon received a more perfect strike mechanism, it is better precision and increased lethality due to the use of new cartridges. The design and shape of the pistol have undergone changes and become more ergonomic, the weapon has practically no extra protruding elements, so the situation is almost eliminated in which the pistol can catch on elements of clothing or equipment. The new M17 self-loading pistol does not have safety mechanisms with protruding levers, and also did not receive the trigger / hammer lever from the cocking. Together, this leads to the absence of protruding parts, makes the weapon more compact. The gun has a small thickness, which makes it convenient for hidden wearing. Announced overall dimensions: total length - 203 mm (183 mm), width - 35,5 mm, height - 140 mm.
American tankers and a larger store compared to the M9 pistol noted. The standard magazines for the Beretta M9 pistol contained 15 cartridges, the new M17 pistol is equipped with standard magazines with 17 cartridges or enlarged magazines with 21 cartridges. As fighters from the 1 Tank Division noted: “Soldiers using the new M17 pistol will potentially feel better in combat due to the reduced weight and improved model design compared to the M9 pistol.”
The M17 self-loading pistol frame is represented by two main parts. The first is a body made of high-strength polymer with a handle and trigger guard, the second is a frame made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. The frame combines the trigger, the slide stop and the slide-cover guide. The modular design of the weapon makes it easy to change the caliber of the pistol, if necessary. The model is available in three versions: chambered for 9x19 mm Parabellum, .357 SIG (9x22 mm) and .40 S&W (10x22 mm). In order to change the caliber of the pistol, the shooter needs to change the barrel, the bolt, as well as the return spring with the guide rod and the magazine. Thus, the shooter can adapt the pistol to suit his needs and preferences. Especially for the new pistol, Winchester has developed two new 9-mm cartridges - M1152 (a bullet with an all-metal jacket and a flat nose) and M1153 (special purpose, expansive ammunition). The last cartridge is intended more for the civilian market and police structures.
In addition to changing the caliber, the gun allows the shooter to easily adapt the weapon to his hand and the features of carrying weapons. Handles of different sizes are available: Full-Size, Compact and Subcompact, which makes it easy to adapt the gun to a comfortable grip. The model is initially equipped with a Picatinny rail, which allows you to place the necessary tactical kit on the gun, for example, install a tactical flashlight or laser target designator. The sights of the gun are distinguished by the presence of luminous contrasting tritium points, which facilitates the aiming process in the dark.
It is known that the company SIG Sauer in the second half of the 2018 of the year launched the sale of commercial versions of the new army pistol. Representatives of the company noted that everyone will be able to purchase an exact copy of the pistol (up to the original box), which entered service with the American paratroopers from the 101 division. The gun is available in the US civilian market along with removable sights, grip pads and three magazines (on the 21 and on the 17 cartridges). The cost of the gun at the time of the start of sales was 1122 dollars.
The first to receive new weapons (at the end of the 2017 year) were the fighters of the famous American 101 Airborne Division. According to previously published information, the U.S. military expects to purchase up to 421 thousands of M17 and M18 pistols (compact version): 195 thousand for the army, 130 thousand for the Air Force, 61 thousand for the Navy (all M18), and 35 thousand for the Marine Corps. The value of the signed contract, which is designed for 10 years, amounted to 580 million dollars.
New Gun Competition
In September 2015, the Pentagon initiated a competition to select a new modular pistol for the armed forces. The weapons were to replace the 9-mm M9 pistol, developed by the well-known small arms manufacturer Beretta, and the M11 pistol, developed by SIG Sauer specialists based on the P226 model. The first time they tried to announce the competition back in 2011, but numerous delays dragged on the selection process.
9 mm Beretta M9 gun
The winner of the competition was announced on 19 on January 2017 of the year. The victory and impressive contracts went to representatives of SIG Sauer, who presented for testing the modular pistols XM17 and XM18, created on the basis of the SIG Sauer P320 model. The models were adopted by the American army under the designations M17 and M18, respectively, M18 is a compact version of the gun and differs in its smaller size and weight. The main difference between the pistols in the barrel length, for the M17 model is 120 mm, for the M18 model is 98 mm. The Pentagon expects to completely rearm the army with new pistols in about 10 years. Announcing the adoption of new pistols, the U.S. Department of Defense said that the triple M18 pistols successfully fired at 12 thousand rounds without a single delay with an acceptable rate - 12 delays at 5 thousand shots. In addition, all SIG Sauer pistols successfully passed the test for accuracy and interchangeability of parts.
The main reason the US command decided to tackle army pistols is the same as when replacing the numerous Colt M1911A1 with Beretta M9 pistols in the 1980 years. Pistols wear out at the end of their life. Any firearm, no matter how good it is, has a finite life cycle. Naturally, you can change some elements, such as trunks, springs, various linings, but the frame itself also wears out. M9 pistols, taken into service in the 1985 year and began to be massively supplied to units at the end of the 80s of the last century, have been in operation for more than 30 years. During this time, weapons are outdated not only physically, but also morally. The US military decided to turn to new pistols due to design flaws in the M9 pistol.
9 mm SIG Sauer M17 gun
To the problems of this model of small arms, the American military include insufficiently good ergonomics, a large effort on the trigger, the absence of Picatinny rails, an inconvenient location of the fuse and other design flaws, including susceptibility to clogging. In desert conditions, as in Iraq, this often became a problem. In general, polls conducted back in 2006 showed that US military personnel who had visited Afghanistan and Iraq and were armed with M9 pistols were unhappy with this model. In 2006 and later, two modernizations of the pistol were undertaken, Picatinny rails and the possibility of installing a silencer appeared on it, but the situation did not change dramatically, and the M9A3 model could not pass the competition announced by the US military in January 2015. It is worth noting that the SIG Sauer P320 XCarry was also chosen by the Danish army to replace their pistols. At the same time, the model of gunsmiths from Switzerland bypassed representatives of Glock, Smith & Wesson and Canik.
M17 Modular Gun
The full-size version of the new modular M17 army pistol and its compact M18 version were officially adopted in the 2017 year, since then these pistols are mass-produced and gradually go to various units of the US Armed Forces. In October of 2019, new guns were tested at the shooting range by fighters of the 1th battalion of the 67th tank regiment of the 3th tank brigade from the 1th tank division. According to Michael Preston, the second lieutenant (ed. Corresponds to the rank of lieutenant in the Russian army), the transition to the M17 modular pistol will be of great benefit to the armed forces, especially in combat conditions. According to him, the new gun easily adapts to the fighter, it is lighter and more ergonomic than the 9-mm M9 pistol.
9 mm SIG Sauer M17 gun
The new gun is lighter, its weight is 30,8 American ounces (873 grams), a very good indicator for weapons of this class, it is almost exactly 100 grams less than the previous model of the main army M9 pistol. The weapon received a more perfect strike mechanism, it is better precision and increased lethality due to the use of new cartridges. The design and shape of the pistol have undergone changes and become more ergonomic, the weapon has practically no extra protruding elements, so the situation is almost eliminated in which the pistol can catch on elements of clothing or equipment. The new M17 self-loading pistol does not have safety mechanisms with protruding levers, and also did not receive the trigger / hammer lever from the cocking. Together, this leads to the absence of protruding parts, makes the weapon more compact. The gun has a small thickness, which makes it convenient for hidden wearing. Announced overall dimensions: total length - 203 mm (183 mm), width - 35,5 mm, height - 140 mm.
American tankers and a larger store compared to the M9 pistol noted. The standard magazines for the Beretta M9 pistol contained 15 cartridges, the new M17 pistol is equipped with standard magazines with 17 cartridges or enlarged magazines with 21 cartridges. As fighters from the 1 Tank Division noted: “Soldiers using the new M17 pistol will potentially feel better in combat due to the reduced weight and improved model design compared to the M9 pistol.”
The M17 self-loading pistol frame is represented by two main parts. The first is a body made of high-strength polymer with a handle and trigger guard, the second is a frame made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. The frame combines the trigger, the slide stop and the slide-cover guide. The modular design of the weapon makes it easy to change the caliber of the pistol, if necessary. The model is available in three versions: chambered for 9x19 mm Parabellum, .357 SIG (9x22 mm) and .40 S&W (10x22 mm). In order to change the caliber of the pistol, the shooter needs to change the barrel, the bolt, as well as the return spring with the guide rod and the magazine. Thus, the shooter can adapt the pistol to suit his needs and preferences. Especially for the new pistol, Winchester has developed two new 9-mm cartridges - M1152 (a bullet with an all-metal jacket and a flat nose) and M1153 (special purpose, expansive ammunition). The last cartridge is intended more for the civilian market and police structures.
Cartridge Winchester M1152
In addition to changing the caliber, the gun allows the shooter to easily adapt the weapon to his hand and the features of carrying weapons. Handles of different sizes are available: Full-Size, Compact and Subcompact, which makes it easy to adapt the gun to a comfortable grip. The model is initially equipped with a Picatinny rail, which allows you to place the necessary tactical kit on the gun, for example, install a tactical flashlight or laser target designator. The sights of the gun are distinguished by the presence of luminous contrasting tritium points, which facilitates the aiming process in the dark.
It is known that the company SIG Sauer in the second half of the 2018 of the year launched the sale of commercial versions of the new army pistol. Representatives of the company noted that everyone will be able to purchase an exact copy of the pistol (up to the original box), which entered service with the American paratroopers from the 101 division. The gun is available in the US civilian market along with removable sights, grip pads and three magazines (on the 21 and on the 17 cartridges). The cost of the gun at the time of the start of sales was 1122 dollars.
Information