Pistol 9mm

In the 1970s, in an effort to make all of the five branches of U.S. Forces' weapons sync, the Joint Services Small Arms Planning Commission was formed to test a variety of guns to find a replacement for the M1911. The 9 mm round was selected for compliance with NATO standardization. In 1980, the Beretta 92S-1 design was chosen over entries from Colt, Smith & Wesson,Walther, the Star M28, and various Fabrique Nationale and Heckler & Koch models.

The Beretta 92F survived exposure to temperatures from -40°F to 140°F, being soaked in salt water, being dropped repeatedly on concrete, and being buried in sand, mud and snow. Additionally, the 92F proved a MRBF (mean rounds before failure) of 35,000 rounds. That number is often touted as the equivalent to five or six times the pistol's service life. While this is normally true in European militaries, armed forces of the United States normally subject sidearms to much more extensive use. The Iraq War, which featured frequent urban and room-to-room combat, has necessitated American soldiers to rely more heavily on their pistols.[4]The result, however, was challenged by the Army, and new tests were done by the Army. In 1984, the trials started again with updated entries from Smith & Wesson, Beretta, SIG Sauer, Heckler & Koch, Walther, Steyr, and Fabrique Nationale. Beretta won this competition, but there was a new trial, the XM10 competition, in 1988. This resulted in two different trials that were more limited but resulted in the Beretta design being kept, with an update to it happening during the same time frame.

Pistol 9mm