The 240-Year Evolution of the Army Sidearm – Popular Mechanics

Perhaps one of the most famous uses of the M1911 came when Alvin York won the Congressional Medal of Honor. In October 1918, during the battle of Meuse-Argonne, York was charged by a squad of Germans. As they came into pistol range, York drew his M1911 and killed six attackers. That day he single handedly killed a total of 25 German soldiers and captured 132 more.

This painted scene depicts Alvin York at the Battle of Meuse-Argonne with an M1911 pistol in hand.

Frank Schoonover

In 1926, after some lessons learned during World War One, Colt overhauled the M1911 by including a shorter trigger and frame cut-outs behind the trigger, a longer spur on the pistol grip safety, an arched mainspring housing, a wider front sight, and a shortened hammer spur. Following these changes, the pistol was designated the M1911A1, a weapon that would also fight a world warjust like its predecessor.

The Colt soldiered on into the 1980s until the U.S. launched the Joint Service Small Arms Program, which aimed to select a new pistol that could be used by all of the armed services. After a tough competition between designs from Colt, Walther, Smith & Wesson, Steyr, FN, and SIG, a winning design was selected, the Italian Beretta 92. The Beretta formally replaced the M1911A1 in 1986 as the M9.

Even though the military had found its new gun, the 1911 still remains in use by some units such as the U.S. Marine Force Recon Units and Special Operation Command as the refurbished M45, surpassing a century of service.

Marine Corps students using the M9 during rapid-fire drills, 2005.

Justin Lago/Marine Corps

But the M9 beat out the venerable Colt because it fired the smaller 9x19mm round, which made learning to shoot easier, and it had a much larger magazine holding 15 rounds while using a single-action/double-action trigger. While some complained it lacked the 1911's .45 ACP stopping power, the M9 served the U.S. military well for over 30 years.

It has seen hard service during the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War. In March 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom Marine Corporal Armand E. McCormick won the Silver Star when he drove his vehicle into an Iraqi position before dismounting and clearing enemy defenses with his M9.

But as technology advanced and new pistol designs emerged, the Army needed a new sidearm to match the times. In the early 2000s, a series of trials led eventually to the Modular Handgun System program. The Army wanted a lighter, more adaptable pistol which could be fitted to individual soldiers. After several years of testing entries from Glock, Beretta, FN, and Smith & Wesson, the SIG P320 won out.

The U.S. Army's newest pistol, the SIG P320.

Sig Sauer

The new pistol, designated the M17, is lighter, more compact, has a standard 17-round magazine capacity, and is fully ambidextrous. It has a fiberglass-reinforced polymer frame with an integrated Picatinny rail to allow lights and lasers to be mounted, much like the M9's slide-mounted manual safety.

But the most innovative aspect of the M17 is its modular design. The pistol's frame holds an easily removable trigger pack, which along with the barrel and slide, can be removed and simply dropped into another frame. This gives troops in different roles with different requirements some much needed flexibility.

The SIG P320 is completely unrecognizable from M1775, held in the hands of American founding fathers. Much like America itself, the soldiers' handgun has evolved massively over the last 240 years, but the principle of the sidearm remains the samethe absolute last line of defense.

Wars may not be won with pistols, but a soldier's sidearm can still be the difference between life and death.

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The 240-Year Evolution of the Army Sidearm - Popular Mechanics