U.S. Army wants a new gun

U.S. Army wants a new gun to replace Beretta - Dec. 3, 2014


This good old Beretta is to be replaced by "a new modular handgun system that can be easily adjusted to fit all hand sizes" as the Pentagon has claimed. A new gun is said to be made of plastic. "Polymer pistols have become increasingly popular as lightweight and ergonomic, particularly among women". Does it mean that our Army will consist of G.I.Janes in future. Looking forward for the results of this change.

I could be wrong but hasn't the DoD been wanting to replace the M9 for years now? I've thought about buying one for my own for the range.

Well guns are always evolving... multi-modular seems futuristic enough to be the entry point to a new generation of guns.

SMTA said:

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Makes sense, the Beretta M9 has several problems. Namely use in the desert with that open slide exposure of the barrel, and the metal frame design. Not just from a weight perspective but also a design / materials perspective it makes sense to look at alternatives. There have been too many advancements to handguns for the Army to not take advantage by switching away from basically a 30 year old design, especially when considering .40 and .45 cal pistols to switch to. This is all about maintenance, use in CQ conditions, and knock down power. And these days there are plenty of handgun designs where one can take 13-15 rounds of .40 into combat in a light frame with all kinds of attachment capabilities depending upon mission conditions. The old M9 does not even have a rail system for these attachments, but later models did have some mechanisms for it. It is just time to adapt by getting a new sidearm.

Donald Polish said:

This good old Beretta is to be replaced by "a new modular handgun system that can be easily adjusted to fit all hand sizes" as the Pentagon has claimed. A new gun is said to be made of plastic. "Polymer pistols have become increasingly popular as lightweight and ergonomic, particularly among women". Does it mean that our Army will consist of G.I.Janes in future. Looking forward for the results of this change.

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Here's SIG's go at the contract: The SIG Army Modular Handgun System edition (3 PHOTOS)




You're focusing on hand sizes but that's only a small part of it. Please don't turn this into a "women don't belong in the military" thread. The Army primarily wants a stronger cartage, striker instead of hammer, a closed slide, ability to use a silencer (which means raised sights not just inserting a threaded barrel), and easily serviceable.


I lean more towards the FNP, lots to love in this sidearm:

Jerry said:

Here's SIG's go at the contract: The SIG Army Modular Handgun System edition (3 PHOTOS)

You're focusing on hand sizes but that's only a small part of it. Please don't turn this into a "women don't belong in the military" thread. The Army primarily wants a stronger cartage, striker instead of hammer, a closed slide, ability to use a silencer (which means raised sights not just inserting a threaded barrel), and easily serviceable.

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Could one of the possibilities behind this be the growing popularity of 3D printing? Maybe the army sees a future where weaponry can literally be printed in minutes and replace damaged or faulty weapons in the battlefield?

Hatuey said:

Could one of the possibilities behind this be the growing popularity of 3D printing? Maybe the army sees a future where weaponry can literally be printed in minutes and replace damaged or faulty weapons in the battlefield?

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The Army is currently conducting trials to replace the M249 with a new plastic machinegun that replaces brass casings for plastic: http://www.army.mil/article/42987/r...ightweight-technologies-slash-weight-in-half/

I'm not sure how that one's doing in the rankings but it's my favorite, certainly over the Marine's M27IAR.

Improving the weight, performance and lifespan of the SAW is a problem every branch has been working on for years. Composites and 3D printing seem to be the general direction the military is moving towards.

Jerry said:

The Army is currently conducting trials to replace the M249 with a new plastic machinegun that....get this...fires plastic ammunition: New plastic telescope ammo machine gun is light as a rifle

Improving the weight, performance and lifespan of the SAW is a problem every branch has been working on for years. Composites and 3D printing seem to be the general direction the military is moving towards.

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To be honest that seems really cool. It would definitely reduce costs in the long term, now if only the US would bar companies who did the the D&R from selling it to the highest bidder.

CMPancake said:

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When I was a kid, I had a friend whose dad had a hunting handgun that shot a .270 round. The recoil on it was insane.

SouthernDemocrat said:

When I was a kid, I had a friend whose dad had a hunting handgun that shot a .270 round. The recoil on it was insane.

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Somehow I feel like a .270 wouldn't leave much of anything if you shot it at an animal.

CMPancake said:

Somehow I feel like a .270 wouldn't leave much of anything if you shot it at an animal.

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Depends on the animal. I would imagine that .270s are the most popular deer rifles by quite a margin. In my Remington 700 bolt action .270 it doesn't kick too bad at all (in a handgun its a different story). I know people hunt elk and moose with 270s, but I think you are better off with something bigger with game that big. My dad hunts with a Remington 700 7mm Mag, and with a 180 grain bullets it will kick the **** out of you.

SouthernDemocrat said:

Depends on the animal. I would imagine that .270s are the most popular deer rifles by quite a margin. In my Remington 700 bolt action .270 it doesn't kick too bad at all (in a handgun its a different story). I know people hunt elk and moose with 270s, but I think you are better off with something bigger with game that big. My dad hunts with a Remington 700 7mm Mag, and with a 180 grain bullets it will kick the **** out of you.

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See I wouldn't know the slightest about hunting. The furthest I take my gun is out to the local range or the range near my Brother's when he wants to hang out. The largest round I take out to the range would be .357 or .45. (Both don't have quite the kick I've felt when I fired my Grandfather's S&W 500 magnum. My hand was sore when I woke up the next day.)