Beretta M9A3 Is this modular enough?

[shootist26]

I saw a pic of this at some convention earlier this year. Remember reading here that the safety lever was redesigned to make it harder to accidently put on safe. The picture had the lever in some weird intermediate position...couldn't tell if it was supposed to be like that or not.

[opmike]

I don't understand the slide mounted safety. I presume the MHS requires a manual safety. But why on earth would they not use their frame mounted design??

This is the same company that stopped production for years on the Brig, Vertec, Elite II, 92G-SD, etc., teased with extremely limited-run frame mounted safety models like the Steel, Stock, and Combat, but felt it wise to come out with the 90-TWO and PX4. Oh, and the G decocker and dovetail front sight isn't standard across their lineup...in 2014. Beretta is anything but a "rational agent" in a lot of their decisions.

[5pins]

I don’t think this is for the new contract proposal.

The improvements include design and material enhancements resulting in increased modularity, reliability, durability, and ergonomics. They are being submitted via an Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) in accordance with the terms of the current M9 contract.

Sounds to me like an end-run around the new contract by showing that they can bring the DoD a pistol what they want with a simple modification to the existing contract.

[RJ]

I don’t think this is for the new contract proposal.



Sounds to me like an end-run around the new contract by showing that they can bring the DoD a pistol what they want with a simple modification to the existing contract.

Could be. The way my contracts (USAF) work, I'd have to respond to a Request for Proposal, then submit an ECP.

It may also be that the M9 contract language allows for an unsolicited ECP.

Either way, they absolutely want to be in this race.

[JSGlock34]

I saw a pic of this at some convention earlier this year. Remember reading here that the safety lever was redesigned to make it harder to accidently put on safe. The picture had the lever in some weird intermediate position...couldn't tell if it was supposed to be like that or not.

I had posted this in the uber-Beretta thread but I'll repeat here...

I remember a few months back this pistol appeared at AUSA and was reportedly a M9A3 prototype.



Clearly not a Vertec frame in this iteration. Grips appear to be a G10 golfball. But the FDE finish, threaded barrel and dovetailed front sight is there. Some information indicated that this pistol used the 92A1 captured recoil spring and buffer, and also incorporated a redesigned safety that went above 90 degrees in order to prevent the weapon from being place accidentally 'on-safe' while clearing a malfunction. I'm curious if any of these features found their way into the M9A3 that Beretta USA just announced.

Interesting move by Beretta to introduce this under an Engineering Change Proposal - conceivably these could enter the force prior to the MHS selection?

[Robinson]

I'm curious as to what Beretta users think of the straight vs. arched backstrap / MHS ?

[GardoneVT]

Let me know when the funding document drops for greater 9mm training ammo allocation.

So long as Granny PistolClass outshoots a military support troop, the finish and frame of the service pistol is pointless.

[JTQ]

When I was in the Air Force we were not allowed to use it for anything but decocking the pistol. The safety was too difficult for too many to reach.

I suspect practically nobody uses the safety/decocker for anything other than a decocker.

Reaching it isn't a big deal since you are usually decocking at ground speed zero rather than needing to operate it as a safety (like a 1911) at speed.

[Lomshek]

Just strikes me as odd given that a slide mounted safety is one of the biggest gripes of the M9 I've heard. When I was in the Air Force we were not allowed to use it for anything but decocking the pistol. The safety was too difficult for too many to reach.

I suspect practically nobody uses the safety/decocker for anything other than a decocker.

Reaching it isn't a big deal since you are usually decocking at ground speed zero rather than needing to operate it as a safety (like a 1911) at speed.

It's not that hard with some (very little) quality training on proper methods of working the lever but then quality training and military handgun aren't exactly a common pairing.

[Jeep]

Let me know when the funding document drops for greater 9mm training ammo allocation.

So long as Granny PistolClass outshoots a military support troop, the finish and frame of the service pistol is pointless.

Training ammo, Gardone? Training ammo? Get a grip on yourself! Next you'll be saying that the purpose of the military is not to be a uniformed version of the Peace Corps or that money should go to training rather than "green energy" projects that are run by large contributors to the party in power.

We won't be getting a new pistol (though perhaps someone will agree to take this as a substitute for the M9 if it really is cheaper) any time in the near future. And we certainly won't increase the amount of training ammunition when we aren't officially fighting a war (though for some reason the HQ of the 1st ID is now in Baghdad).