The Army’s XM17 handgun will no longer be XM17. It’s now M17. The X designated “Experimental,” and experimental it is no more.
The Army is issuing about 2,000 of the pistols to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The “Screaming Eagles” unit is the first to receive the new 9mm pistol which is replacing the Beretta M9.
The new Modular Handgun Contract was awarded to Sig Sauer based on the company’s P320 to replace the M9, the sidearm of service for more than 30 years. The M17 is a little bigger and with improved safety features since the recall on the civilian model.
Photo from U.S. Army by Lewis Perkins
