I still think that currently, the M9 is fine for the job.
Respectfully, as a long time user of and instructor for
that pistol, used for
that job...I'll disagree.
The 92/M9 was "cutting edge" in 1983 when it was evaluated for adoption (even though it was simply a re-worked 1951 Brigadier). But it has since been surpassed by better 9mm hi-cap pistols...in the same manner the 1911 was surpassed in terms of newer and more desirable features.
Fielding the Beretta was akin to buying Chinese mountain bikes at Wal-Mart. OK bikes for kids to ride around the neighborhood...but not anything found on serious trails ridden by competitive riders.
I do agree that they aren't as durable but one guy on the Beretta forum wore out his Beretta after 100,000 rounds.
And there are always those stories. There are always outliers along a Bell Curve. Hell, my last military issued 1911A1 was built in 1942...and I carried that one in Iraq in 2011. It fired more accurately and reliably than any Beretta I've ever handled, even after 68 years of use. But
most military 1911's eventually wore out after providing that 50-80 years of service...although that was admittedly a pretty good return on investment for a handgun fleet purchase. I think the American taxpayer got value added out of the 1911 procurement program...but not so much when we paid for the M9.
My last issue M9 had its locking block let go after about 4K rounds. Fortunately that happened out on the range. But I've had guys on my Team staring ruefully at broken pistols while standing in Bosnia (where that M9 was the primary armament) and be mission incapable until we could get a replacement...which took days. I've had my guys standing in the middle of nowhere Afghanistan with dead-lined M9s...and the nearest replacement pistol 500+ miles away and not able to be brought in by MC-130 re-supply flight until the next dark of the moon. I had 3 issued Berettas crap out on my 15 person team in Baghdad during an 11 month period. For those that have been there, that was a pistol rich staff environment with lots of support available. It still took days or even weeks to get those weapons repaired or replaced...in a place where most daily meetings with Iraqis were conducted pistol-only. You didn't walk into an Iraqi Commanding General's office waving your M4A1 about.
Sure...lot's of Berettas have held up, but most haven't. My current personal 92FS has been chugging along just fine, but one I owned previously suffered from breakage when the locking block tied up the gun. More importantly, the ones assigned to my Teams broke frequently, including while deployed to locations where repair/replacement was not a simple matter, and we had need for something more than a non-functional paperweight.
I don't care if Team Beretta claims they have produced a 9mm Perpetual Motion Machine, made of Unobtanium, and powered by Cold Fusion...in the real military world, the Beretta M9 has simply not held up. Which is why it
had to be replaced...unfortunately with more Berettas.
For most of the non-shooters in the military, the issue is invisible, as they don't care about the pistol they are issued, will never fire that pistol in anger...or even fire it that extensively in training. The new pistols will break with boring regularity, Beretta will get paid, maintenance shops will code out the pistols that can't be returned to duty, and TPTB have a million other pressing issues on their mind besides pistol replacement.
Too bad.
The discussion doesn't really matter, because the decision to re-equip with replacement Berettas has already been made. The US Military will use the M9 design for the next 25 years or so. At which point, our kids or grand kids will bitch about the old warhorse, argue on the internet about the procurement history of a pistol adopted before they were born, and push for a modern replacement. (Not one of those tired Old School Glocks grandpa used!)
Somebody in 2035 will inevitably suggest 1911s. A small minority of very vocal folks will think that's a great idea. We will buy Phasers instead, with the selector permanently welded to "Stun Only". They will be made by Hi-Point and use a NATO standard battery pack...whose nuances will be endlessly debated by THR members. You'll still be able to find brand new 1911s in the gun shops. I'll be a long-retired cranky old man clinging bitterly to my 1911s (perhaps even my Beretta...out of a sense of nostalgia). The World will continue to wobble along.
Sound familiar?