1 Feb 2019
A lot and not much has changed in military handguns since I last wrote about it in 2006. The mechanisms are the same. Most today use the short-recoil system developed by John Browning for the M1911 and used in the FN Hi-Power. The high capacity double-stack, single feed magazine developed by FN for the Hi-Power is practically universal. Striker-fired has become more common than hammer-fired. But a brand new Hi-Power would still be a competitive handgun.
Where things have changed start with the presence of a Picatinny rail on the grip frame. The rail enables either a flashlight or a laser pointer to be mounted on the gun in alignment with the barrel; and the weight of tone reduces muzzle flip.
Finishes have changed. Instead of traditional blueing bluing, new coatings such as duracoat, cerakote, and melonite are the fashion. They not only prevent rust but some also camouflage the gun. Typical colours are flat dark earth, desert tan, and basic black.
Let’s review the contenders to replace the WWII era Inglis. Two years ago, the U.S. military completed its selection process for a replacement handgun, and Canada has no need to re-engineer the wheel. The principal contenders for the XM-17 contract were: Beretta, CZ, FN Herstal, Glock, Sig Sauer, Smith and Wesson. I’ll add a couple of Turkish companies to this list.
The U.S. Army opted for the Sig P320. The serialized part of this “gun” is just a chassis, holding a trigger assembly, slide rails, and magazine mount. This chassis fits into a grip frame, and then you add a barrel, slide, recoil spring, and magazine to complete the gun. Such modularity enables grip frames of different sizes to be made to fit hands of different sizes; and you can choose both the both length of the gun – full size or compact - and the calibre: 9 mm, .40 S&W, or .357 Sig. All work in one P320 system.
The Glock 17 is extremely popular with police forces and militaries around the world. Glock hoped to win the competition with a Glock 19 upper on a 17 lower. Glock didn’t win because the Sig proposal was half the cost of Glock.
The Beretta M9 was the standard Army pistol, but Beretta offered their APX design instead of the M9A3. The single pull trigger requirement disqualified an M9 variant.
Colt supplies the USMC with its M45A1 offering. The M45A1 is your granddaddy’s M1911 but with Novak sights, dual recoil spring, desert tan finish, and accessory rail. The M45A1 is all-steel and in .45 ACP (naturally.)
The Smith and Wesson offering was its M&P 2.0 with a C.O.R.E. slide option. It comes with the rail, changeable backstrap, tall iron sights, and is optic ready.
The FN 509 is FN’s take on the M&P 9, which is S&W’s take on the Glock 17, which, is an improved, striker-fired Browning Hi-Power. The 509 is FN’s striker-fired replacement for the Hi-Power Mk III. The CZ P-07 is like a hammer-fired 509.
My Turkish contenders are the Tisas BR9 and the Canik TP9. Why Turkey? High quality – surprisingly - and low price. The BR9 is a clone of the Hi-Power Mk III, while the Canik TP9 is clone of the Walther P99.
The Turkish guns can be had retail for about $500 to $700. On the high end, the Colt retails for about $2,000, while the Sig P320 can be had retail for about $1,200. It would take a lot of magazines to fill a $50 million contract for 20,000 guns.
The half-life of a collection of plastic “wonder 9s” is about 15,000 to 25,000 rounds, or fifteen years of daily service. Most contenders have polymer lowers which reduces their cost, lightens their weight, and lessens their long-term durability.
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