The Sig P320 is replacing the Beretta M9. Is it worth it?

Every Sailor has probably heard the news by now: the Army just selected the Sig Sauer P320 to replace the Beretta M9. The Navy is expected to follow suit and replace their arsenal of aging M9’s for the much newer, much more expensive handgun. So why the change? Is it worth it?

The Navy is in a unique position in that we carry sidearms much more frequently than the other branches. Ask your Marine, Soldier, or Airman buddies: sidearms aren’t terribly common. You might see a machine gunner carry one, or an officer, but ordinarily, they’re worn by the other branches’ military police. There are tons of exceptions, of course, and I’ve got no doubt somebody knew an entire platoon who all had sidearms.

Almost every watchstander in the Navy, on the other hand, carries an M9 on watch. While standing topside rover, or messenger of the watch, or officer of the deck, you can now expect to be carrying the Sig P320, now rebranded as the M17.

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You can’t deny it looks kind of sexy.

There are obviously a lot of people apprehensive about the change. There’s the old guard, many of whom insist the M9 was a superior handgun to all handguns because it was the one they used. Still, others will claim the old M1911s were better, and they might be right too.

The fact is, the P320 is a better handgun. It’s lighter, much more ergonomic, easier to shoot, and did away with the poorly-placed safety that many veterans claim was the only real problem with the M9. The issue when discussing the M9 vs. the P320 isn’t so much that the P320 isn’t an improvement, the question is will it be worth the trouble?

How much is the bill?

Let’s talk cost. Look at the above picture. If you saw that pistol in a gun shop, would you think it’s going to be cheap? Probably not.

Surprisingly, you’d be wrong. The cost-per-unit that the military paid for the M9s was $263 each (according to TacticalGear.com), and the price agreed on for the P320 will be $207. When we’re talking huge numbers of units ordered, that adds up quick. So Sig might be cutting the US military a deal with these guns.

This sounds like a whole lot of work.

As soon as the announcement was made that there was a new pistol in town, every rate’s members either praised or cursed the change. One rate, however, almost universally cursed it: the Gunner’s Mates. You’d think the rate responsible for working closely with handguns would welcome an upgrade, but you’d probably be wrong. Did you think about how much time these things will take to teach thousands of Sailors to use and maintain?

The M17 is going to be a modular pistol. That means that parts can be changed out, including changes that can be made to the barrel to increase the caliber from 9mm to .45 ACP and even .375 SIG and .40 S&W. While it might not be too likely to see your average watchstander carrying .40 caliber ammunition on watch, the possibility of having to catalog and account for three new, previously unavailable ammunition types is daunting.

What do you think of the changes coming down the pipeline? Let us know in the comments below, and make sure and check out Navy Crow’s new line of badass, not-sold-in-stores Bronze Star gear! Do you know a veteran who earned a Bronze Star? Let them know you appreciate their bravery with one of these badass shirts or mugs! They’re selling fast, so get them before they’re gone! Click the image below to check them out!

 

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