Beretta M9

History of Beretta M9

In 1980, the US Army attempted to replace its old - albeit severely obsolete - Colt M1911A1 semi-automatic pistol as its standard pistol. In subsequent tests, the Italian company Beretta took its model series 92 as a starting point and modified the model to meet American requirements. The safety catch is ambidextrous, and the magazine catch is relocated behind the trigger guard.

A striker lock has been added as an extra safety measure, and the handle has been improved with grooves for a firmer grip. The hammer has been slightly redesigned to incorporate a half-cock notch.

However, all things considered, this pistol is clearly still a Beretta product, and functions and looks very much like its original form. As part of these changes, the weapon received the designation "Type 92SB".

After testing, the U.S. Army requested several other changes to the Italian product, including an extended magazine to extend the grip and a new trigger guard to improve the two-hand grip. A lanyard loop has been added to the bottom of the handle. Inside, the barrel is lined with chrome for durability, while the outside has a special coating called Bruniton.

Beretta responded and offered a modified model as "Type 92F". Satisfied with their pistols, the Model 92F was enlisted by the US Army as the "M9" in 1990 and remains the US military's standard pistol to this day (2013).

Externally, the M9 shares the same lines as its Italian cousin, with its rectangular bolt-on safety bars, a grip area for operating the bolts, ejection ports for spent cartridges, and front and rear mounted sight lines. Internally, the weapon comes standard with the barrel above the recoil spring. The hammer is mounted on the back and protrudes slightly from the slide rail.

The handle is well shaped and patterned to ensure a good grip. The trigger assembly flexes in the usual way, while the trigger ring is elongated and fits a gloved hand.

The M9 is loaded with the widely used German 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge, which holds 15 (staggered) in a detachable straight magazine that fits the bottom of the grip. The weapon is based on the short recoil principle of a cyclic semi-automatic action and uses an initial cocking action to deliver the weapon's first bullet into the chamber. The total weight is 952 grams unloaded, the overall length is 8.5 inches, and the barrel is 5 inches long inside. It has a reported muzzle velocity of 1,250 feet per second and an effective range of up to 50 meters (164 feet).

The M9 can be equipped with specialized optics, sights and lights to suit the shooter.

The M9 was in circulation when the United States invaded Panama (1989-1990) to overthrow Panama's dictator Manuel Noriega. From there, the U.S. military used the weapon in the 1991 Gulf War, and more recently in operations in Afghanistan (since 2001) and Iraq (since 2003).

At the time of writing (2013), the future of the M9 is in doubt as the US Army considers replacing the line with another, more modern pistol.

January 2017 - The US Army selected the SIG-Sauer P320 semi-automatic pistol to replace the Beretta M9.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes