Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Taresha Hill | Sgt. 1st Class Rocky Butler, a signal support systems specialist from Regimental...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas— Officers and senior noncommissioned officers from the Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Troop and the Regimental Support Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, fired the M17 Modular Handgun System for the first time during a weapons qualification range Jan. 19, 2018, here.
The 3rd Cavalry Regiment received the new side arms at the beginning of January, making it the first unit on Fort Hood to receive the Army’s upgraded pistol. The M17 is replacing the Army’s current M9 pistol after 30 years and is a variant of Sig Sauer’s publicly available P320 pistol.
“It’s a good step forward,” Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brian Myers, a command and control systems integrator with the headquarters troop said about the M17 replacing the M9 pistol. “The Beretta M9 is an outdated system and I think the Army chose the right weapons system to replace it with.”
Staff Sgt. Brian Perrin, an infantryman with the headquarters troop said the Army did a good job in selecting the right side arm to replace the M9 pistol.
“It was long overdue,” Perrin said. “The M9s are worn out, bulky and the grips are too large for most peoples’ hands.”
After shooting the M17 at the troop’s weapons qualification range, Perrin and Myers both agreed that the new side arm is a definite improvement and more user-friendly.
Perrin said, “It’s smaller and lighter. I think it’s a very easy weapon for the average person to shoot.”
Despite experiencing more recoil while shooting the M17, Maj. Timothy McGee, the Regimental human resources officer, said that he prefers the M17 to the M9 pistol.
“I think it’s a great weapon to have,” said McGee. “It has a higher capacity for rounds and better stopping power.”
In addition to being smaller, lighter, and able to shoot more rounds, the M17 has many other features, which sets it apart from the M9 pistol to include: an external safety; an integrated Picatinny rail for the attachment of light and laser systems; self-illuminating night sights, and the capability of accepting a sound suppressor.
The Army will continue fielding the M17 over the next 10 years.
| Date Taken: | 01.23.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.23.2018 18:48 |
| Story ID: | 263030 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 343 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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