Beretta M9
The Beretta M9, officially the Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9, is the designation for the Beretta 92FS semi-automatic pistol used by the United States Armed Forces. The M9 was adopted by the United States military as their service pistol in 1985.
| Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | United States, Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1985–present |
| Used by | United States Armed Forces |
| Wars |
Russo-Ukrainian War 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1980s |
| Manufacturer | Beretta |
| Produced | 1985–present |
| Variants | M9A1, M9A2 (never released and cancelled) and M9A3 and M9A4 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Unloaded – 34.2 oz (970 g) |
| Length | 217 mm (8.5 in) |
| Barrel length | 125 mm (4.9 in) |
| Width | 38 mm (1.5 in) |
| Height | 137 mm (5.4 in) |
| Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum |
| Action | Short recoil, hinged locking piece assisted breechblock |
| Muzzle velocity | 381 m/s (1,250 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum firing range | 100 m (110 yd) |
| Feed system | Detachable box magazine; capacities:
|
| Sights | Iron sights |
The 92FS won a competition in the 1980s to replace the M1911A1 as the primary sidearm of the U.S. military, beating many other contenders and only narrowly defeating the SIG Sauer P226 for cost reasons. It officially entered service in 1990. Some other pistols have been adopted to a lesser extent, namely the SIG P228 pistol, and other models remain in limited use.
The M9 was scheduled to be replaced under a United States Army program, the Future Handgun System (FHS), which was merged with the SOF Combat Pistol program to create the Joint Combat Pistol (JCP). The JCP was renamed Combat Pistol (CP), and the number of pistols to be bought was drastically cut back. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps are replacing the M9 with the SIG Sauer M17 and M18.