M9 Issues and Fixes

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jonnyc

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A good friend (a Lt.Col.) just got his orders for an extended Mideast vacation. I've heard many of the rumblings about problems with the M9 pistol, and since he'll probably get issued one, I wanted to give him a "care package" as a going-away gift with items to help ensure his return. Most of what I've read has centered around mags and mag springs. Anything else? If I give him a brace of mags, will he be able to bring and use them?
Thanks.
 
Yes he will.
There are plenty of factory 15 shot Beretta magazines available.
You should be able to find one or three for $30.00 or less each.
I would also send him off with a pack of Chrome Silicone replacement magazine springs for the guys over over there who weren't as lucky to have a friend such as you.
Wish the soldier the best of luck and good fortune.
 
There is also a locking block replacement. Supposedly both indestructable and less resistant to gritty dirt (sand). May have an NSN, but I have no idea what its called or anything. Tell you friend to ask the armory about it.

FWIW, most people I hear about who carry the M9 in battle today, and actually clean them and know how to shoot, are fairly- to completely-happy. Its a reasonably lethal gun, and it does go bang.

So, make sure he brings a quality cleaning kit also.
 
I forgot to ask;
Will mags and spring sets for a Beretta 92 fit an M9? Are there any differences I need to know about?
Thanks.
 
All the same.

Not much difference between an M-9 and a model 92, you could say our tax dollars payed for product development and the M-9 is an early model which has been upgraded more or less in line with the commercial offerings.

One of those chrome silicon recoil springs probably would not hurt either.

Make sure he knows how to disassemble and clean his magazines, he will probably have to do this on a regular basis.

Fine sand makes big problems for all firearms, regardless of make, model, manufacturer, or perceived invulnerability to bad conditions.
 
Chrome silicon recoil springs.

I have never heard of chrome silicon recoil springs. Who mfgs them? What are they made out of? How are they better than factory standard?
 
The most important things to keep the M9, or any weapon, operational, is cleaning and good magazines.
Send him with some factory high caps,a good cleaning kit and a good supply of dry lubricant.
 
Many thanks to all. I just ordered a brace of Mecgars for him, and a spring kit from Wolff. The cleaning kit I'll grab locally.
Pea, any suggestion on the dry lube?
 
http://www.ismi-gunsprings.com/

Though Wolff makes good springs as well.

Try TW-25B for lube, though CLP is OK.

One of my favorite ways to get the dust out is to shoot the firearm, but that may not be an option for him. ;)

Edit: you have to call ISMI, the website seems broken.
 
A spit-polish finish of TW-25B really will minimize buildup. And stuff comes right off with air or water while the lube is still there, protecting the surface.

Bestdefense.com
 
What unit of measurement is a brace? I must confess I have always thought a "brace of pistols" was just two.

So how many M9 mags is a brace.

Do the Zeros carry different gear than the enlisted? Is there a pistol mag only LBV out there. Am I looking too deeply into this?

Best luck to your bud. Great gift idea.
 
All parts for the 92 fs will fit the M9. Magazines too. As far as bringing his own mags if he's careful no one will notice. and you can rest assured that the equipment we give them over there is quality stuff ( for the most part) I can almost gaurantee that they are not going to allow a new locking block to be installed. I have checked into this because our training guns have such an issue with the locking block. I contacted our office and beretta and the new locking blocks do not have an NSN.

In order for the new locking blocks to be authorized they have to be written into the contract and then tested at the proving grounds. A process whcih takes years upon years.
 
There's nothing wrong with the Beretta, in my experience. I put many thousands of rounds through a civilian model with 5 factory mags and never had a problem.

I only got rid of it because I discovered the .45 ACP.
 
Main Entry: brace
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural brac·es
Etymology: Middle English, clasp, pair, from Middle French, two arms, from Latin bracchia, plural of bracchium arm, from Greek brachiOn, from comparative of brachys short -- more at BRIEF
1 : something (as a clasp) that connects or fastens
2 or plural brace : two of a kind : PAIR <several brace of quail>
 
Is he air force? If he is, have him to to base supply and ask for em. mags aren't tracked like weapons so he could probably get away with getting them for free.

I actually got a few 30 round M16 mags when I was over there.If you know the right people overseas and have something to trade, you can get about anything.
 
I took three of my personal factory magazines with me. Should have taken four so I would have had an extra to rotate. As long as he does not sign a hand receipt for M9 magazines and not pick them up, he won't have a problem taking his own. When we redeployed, we threw our magazines in our bags and took them home with us. I suppose they will ask for them when we get off leave, but I didn't sign for any. ;)
 
keep it clean..including the mags- get original mags if possible if not get replacement springs and followers for the checkmate mags.

Potential trouble spots for the Beretta and why are given below:

1. trigger return spring- their is a particular type (i think it is the brown one-rare nowadays) that is prone to breakage. Carry a couple or go to the Wolff INS trigger unit. In the field you can reset the trigger for the next shot using the finger of the none shooting hand.

2. trigger bar spring- sometimes will jump out and get lost during cleaning esp. if you remove the grip panels..

That's it..if I haven't mentioned don't ask, it's not a trouble spot e.g. locking block..
 
A SFC back from the Stan I talked to yesterday said they got the dreaded Checkmate mags, and he told his boys if you wanna come home alive, do as I do..... he sanded the crappy crinkle finish out of the inside, and every time they went out of the wire the gun (and magazine) had been cleaned inside and out, and they worked fine.

He had to use his several times and apparently with proper shot placement, did just fine.



Another interesting comment was that in Kabul, an M9 makes an excellent turn signal..... a blinker they will ignore, an arm out the window aiming a 9mm at the guy in the next lane gets the idea across and they let you in.

The funniest one I heard from him though was in downtown Kabul, if a guy was eyeballing you (possibly bad ju-ju or just curiousity) his way of checking on them was this: press a button on his Rhino GPS (which has absolutely no radio transmission capability, except little text messages to another GPS I think), start talking into it and looking at the eyeballer and at the sky several times as if watching for an aircraft.

If the guy's curious, he'll keep staring. If he's up to something, he knows American talking to radio and looking at sky= airstrike....... and they move off.. QUICKLY!

Even though we wouldn't normally call in an airstrike in downtown Kabul, they don't take chances.
 
My son popped an Iraqi in Baghdad in 2003 with his M-9, and two hits in the region of the solar plexus across a room dropped him just fine. Said Iraqi expired in about two minutes, without being able to take further hostile action. A medic ran up and tried to save him, to no avail.

Son said that the only problem he saw with the M-9 when properly maintained was the bad magazines. He swapped around a little and got Beretta originals and a Mec-Gar.

Lone Star
 
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