Pros and Cons: The Beretta M9 Pistol – You military veterans out there may rejoice or groan about this sidearm. I’m talking about the M9 Beretta which had many fans and numerous detractors over the years.
One thing is certain, it had staying power and served military personnel throughout Operation Desert Storm, the Cold War ‘90s, and the Global War on Terror. Why did the Department of Defense keep this handgun in use for all that time?
Beretta M9: Could It Stop an Enemy In Its Tracks?
Early complaints about the M9 Beretta were focused on its 9x19mm round. It replaced the .45 caliber M11911, which was seen as having more stopping power than the 9mm Beretta. This had old-timers who had served in Vietnam huffing and puffing. These soldiers and marines believed that in combat, it would be assured that the enemy would be hit by the .45 and stay down for good. The Beretta was just a weak sister, according to some.
It Needed Variety
Others did not like the stripped-down version of the M9. It was not built to add accessories. Beretta listened, and in 2006 came up with the M9A1. This had a means in which personnel could use the Picatinny rail for attaching lights, lasers, and other add-ons.
Dust and Sand Were a Problem in the Middle East and Afghanistan
The front of the M9A1 is more prominent, and it has a backstrap stippling. Soldiers, marines, and other personnel could install wooden grips too. The beveled magazine allowed for ease in loading. The M9 also had a problem in the dry, sandy climate of the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Magazines and the pistol itself would jam in those environments. So, Beretta added Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coated friction-reducing magazines that helped lower the incidence of malfunctions and other problems.
Trigger Pull Is Not Ideal, But You Could Certainly Run Many Rounds Through It
Some still complained that the M9A1’s trigger pull was slow and heavy. On the bright side, it has a three-dot sight system. The ambidextrous safety also functions as a decocker. The slide is made with steel, and the exposed barrel can cool quickly.
Some operators claimed the M9A1 can shoot around 35,000 rounds during its lifecycle.
The grip on the M9A1 is 1.3 inches, which is somewhat large, and has a weight of 33.9 ounces unloaded. This may give it less recoil, although not all agree. The open slide design helps improve maintenance and allows a shooter to clear jams quickly.
The Conundrum About the M9 and Replacement Parts
One of the problems with the M9 was how it was issued and handled by personnel, which could have led detractors to complain. Many were assigned an M9, and it rattled around with gear and was not treated with care. This led to malfunctions that were not due to design flaws but to lackluster handling.
Beretta M9. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Personnel upon issue did not know if their Beretta pistol needed new parts. For example, soldiers and marines wondered if the recoil spring had ever been changed. (I have never changed a recoil spring.) This meant the spring could break at any time, but you couldn’t replace it until it broke. See the problem?
According to some soldiers, the M9 was not combat-effective if soldiers had to worry about ancient parts that could lead to malfunctions or inaccurate shooting.
On the Other Hand
The flip side of this criticism is that the M9 could be used for a long time because the armorer had plenty of spare parts. There were so many M9s in use that the U.S. Army could simply replace components and then give them to yet another new soldier.
Beretta M9. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
This meant personnel could hate or love the Beretta, but they knew that was the only pistol they would ever get. There was a certain relief to this situation. You never had to be trained on a new model and learn to shoot and maintain the replacement.
By Bye, M9Beretta
Speaking of replacement, the M9 is going away, giving some of its critics a chance to say “finally!” The Sig Sauer M17 and M18 will now be the official sidearm of the military going forward. The U.S. Navy SEALs had used Sig Sauers for years and the name is synonymous with quality. Let’s face it. A Sig is just cooler than the M9 and perhaps this will give haters of the Beretta a time to just be quiet.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
