Glock, Inc., filed an official Government Accounting Office bid protest to Solicitation Number W15QKN-15-R-0002, which we know better as the Modular Handgun System or XM17. The Army announced on Jan. 17, 2017, that a variant of the SIG Sauer P320 was the winner and headed for the next batch of testing solo. This is the more than $580 million, 10-year contract to replace the aging U.S. M9 pistols in U.S. Army inventory.
Source: American Rifleman | MHS Update: Glock Protests SIG Sauer Result
Going on pure memory, but if it serves me right, Glock arrived late to the Joint Service Small Arms Program back in the mid 1980s when the Beretta 92 was selected as sidearm. Hell, back then SIG did not pass the initial rounds of testing and now it got the contract.
I’d be pissed off too.
At least the cries of how shitty the Beretta was and what a disservice it was for our soldiers and done silenced and buried. The Beretta M9 served well and we can only hope the military stock would find its way to civilian homes that will cherish them.
Actually the SIG did pass back then. But it was non-select due to pricing…and something about the Italians buying some F-16s…..
“After being submerged then fired wet and dry repeatedly over an extended period
of time, the M1911 functioned flawlessly. The H&K, Beretta, and S&W passed with near-perfect scores, but
the SIG scored only 79 percent in the dry mud phase.
The Walther failed both wet and dry mud tests.”
American Rifleman: 25 years of Service: The Beretta M9.
Actually SIG got more help than Beretta. You perform only to 79% and your competitor performs almost perfect, you shouldn’t be in the race anymore, yet they allowed SIG to continue. They did not have a factory capable of producing the amounts required by the US Military either. Their only “advantage” was that they underbid Beretta initially and that is why they “made” it to the final round.
Of course there was a lot of bitching from Beretta and both companies were asked to resubmit bids and this time Beretta came out with the lowest winning.
Dry mud phase is one thing. But overall, the last two competitors standing were SIG and Beretta. The Beretta was selected allegedly because of pricing.
Many of the Problems that plague the M9 are the result of either non-Beretta mags (there are several companies that make M9 magazines, not all of them good, this was also and issue with M16/M4 mags) and that guns were left in the system that should have been thrown away.
The military has such little concern for handguns that guns well past their normal life or in need of maintenance were shuffled off to units were it was assumed nobody would every use them. Again, the same thing happened with long guns. There were National Guard units that did things like fuel supply that had M16’s that dated to Vietnam. They should have been disposed of but everyone assumed that the gas pumpers would never need a rifle so gave them the ones more combat ready units threw away. Then we started fighting insurgents that targeted these non-combat units and their 40 year old rifles didn’t work.
So some guard guys or Transpo units get worn out pistols with no maintenance schedule, no replacement parts, and an armorer that knows nothing about the gun; they get ambushed and the gun doesn’t work and the Beretta gets a bad rep