by Welshy McSheeplove » Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:34 am
Standard issue handgun for Marines is still the M9. Also, very few infantrymen actually get issued handguns, so their use as "backup" weapons is pretty limited.
SIGs that SEALs are using are chambered for 9mm. Glocks that Army SF and AFSOC are using are 9mm and .40. So your "hurr durr can't stop a dude with a 9mm" argument just went out the window.
The Army are not making money off the M9. They, along with most of the branches, don't want to switch because because a.) handguns don't get used that much, for obvious reasons, and b.) you don't just "switch" a weapon willy nilly. It's a huge, convoluted, long term logistical shitstorm. The Marines just started issuing the M27 in 2011. You know when the IAR project started? 2006. The only branch that was able to successfully completely transition to a new handgun was the Coast Guard, because they actually use handguns a lot and because the entire USCG is smaller than the NYPD.
Most common complaints about the M9 are the poor construction of the magazines (same issue with the M4s, most problems can be traced back to the mags), and the just absolute shit ergonomics of the weapon. The ergonomics is the more common of the two, because the M9 actually sees very limited use overseas.
1SGTReaper, for the love of God, shut your tool holster.
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