Mil/Agency Weapons

[kwb377]

Some US manufacturers are doing this. Recently, I picked up a SCCY CPX2 in 9mm enticed by its very simple design. I was impressed by its quality as evidenced by the absence of interior and exterior machining marks, practically perfect finish, and its flawless performance at the range over the course of several hundred rounds, ~40% of which were JHPs.

Obviously, the SCCY CPX is not a LE or military service weapon, but the thinking is there.

My experience with the CPX2 was completely opposite.

My soon-to-be daughter in law came over a couple of months ago and said, "My brother gave me a gun...". Having never handled an SCCY before, I fondled it for a little while, noticing the atrocious trigger (it exceeded the 12lb. maximum reading on my Wheeler digital scale) and horrible grip feel. The backstrap section with the oval cut-outs is completely superfluous and makes the grip overly large.

Took her/it out to the range...she wasn't able to reliable operate the trigger due to the pull weight. I consider myself an above average shooter, and I was shooting 12" - 14" groups at 10 yds., fighting through the trigger (and the numerous malfunctions). I sold the SCCY stupid cheap and bought her a Ruger Security 9...it's not sexy at all, but my parents have a pair and I wound up buying both my sons an S9 each...the trigger is better than any of the Glocks I've owned (nine of various generations) and all of them have been 100% reliable.

[WobblyPossum]

Sig P320, Colt M4, Remington 870, Sig MPX. 9mm Glocks are in widespread use as POWs.

The Remington 870s only exist as less-lethal munitions guns or breaching guns for SRT now. The MPX hasn’t seen widespread issue, currently also only being fielded by SRT. The Sig P365 family is also an authorized POW option that’s pretty popular. Gen5 Glocks have been authorized as of this year too. MRDS equipped handguns are also getting more common as new folks are getting to the academy or folks in the field are getting through the transition course.

[Ed L]

It most certainly was. Reduced number of parts = reduced points of failure. Modularity and ease of mantenance are there but also a liability for those who substitute aftermarket parts of dubious quality or think that "more Dremel is good Dremel."

Larry Vickers once said that if you treat a gun like a 1911 you will start to have 1911 type problems.

[HCM]

Why are most all of the mil/agency firearms foreign manufactures?

SIG, Glock, FN, Benelli, Beretta, HK, etc have US manufacturing plants and American engineers but...

Why are there so few actual American firearms brands represented within the mil and agency contracts?

Depends on how you define “American”

SIG USA is now a U.S. company and much larger and more successful than the “original” SIG in Switzerland. SIG Sauer Germany is now essentially defunct due to German export laws.

The P320 (aka M17/18), the 516, 716 and the MCX which is the basis for the new M5 SPEAR rifle are all USA designed and built.

Re: Beretta and Benelli - There is an element of art vs science to shotguns and the Italians are artists.

[HCM]

The AR-15 is an American weapon, so that's one example.

It's disappointing that design goals of simplicity, modularity, robustness, and reliability have not been used in many other American guns. The S&W TDAs are a good counterexample of these principles in firearms design. That was an easy win for Glock.

The AR is a good example of “good” American design influences flowing the other way. I.e. the AR based HK 416/417 which is now one of the most popular / prolific infantry rifle systems in NATO /Europe.