SIG Sauer M17

The SIG Sauer M17 and M18 are service pistols used by the United States Armed Forces.

M17/M18
XM17/XM18 Modular Handgun prototype
TypeSemi-automatic pistol
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service2017–present
Used byUnited States
Production history
Designed2017
ManufacturerSIG Sauer, Inc., Newington, New Hampshire, U.S.
Produced2017–present
No. built100,000+
VariantsM18
Specifications
MassM17 834 g (29.4 oz)
M18 737 g (26.0 oz)
LengthM17 203 mm (8.0 in)
M18 183 mm (7.2 in)
Barrel lengthM17 120 mm (4.7 in)
M18 98 mm (3.9 in)
Width35.5 mm (1.40 in)
Height140 mm (5.5 in)
Cartridge9×19mm Parabellum
ActionShort recoil-operated
Muzzle velocity360 m/s (1,200 ft/s)
Feed system17 or 21-round box magazine

On January 19, 2017, the United States Army announced that a customized version of the SIG Sauer P320 had won the Army's XM17 Modular Handgun System competition. The full-sized model will be known as the M17 and the smaller-sized carry model will be known as the M18.[1]

Modular Handgun System competition

When the requirements were formulated for a new handgun for the U.S. Army, one of the tenets of the proposal was that an existing model handgun was desired to fulfill the requirements laid out in the Modular Handgun System Request for Proposal, known as the XM17 Procurement. SIG Sauer submitted a P320 with a number of modifications for the XM17 Modular Handgun System competition.

Modifications include:

  • Slide cut out to facilitate the addition of a reflex sight; this is the slide from the RX Series.[2]
  • Ambidextrous thumb safety
  • Loaded chamber indicator
  • Improved slide sub-assembly to capture small components when disassembled
  • Improved trigger "mud flap" to prevent foreign debris from entering the pistol action
  • 120 mm (4.7") barrel length in full size M17
  • 98 mm (3.9") barrel length in carry M18
  • Chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum; unable to adopt other calibers or frames because of the spanner screw on the frame's chassis
  • Pistols chambered in 9mm can feature a 17-round magazine in standard with optional 21-round extended magazines available.[3][4]
  • Steel components are given a physical vapor deposition (PVD) corrosion-resistant finish[5]
  • Using spanner screws instead of normal screws to resist disassembly farther than field stripping by non-armorer users[6]

History

SIG Sauer wins the award

On January 19, 2017, the United States Army announced that the SIG Sauer P320 MHS variant had won the military's Modular Handgun System trials. The P320 is known as the M17 (Full-Size) and M18 (Carry) in U.S. military service. Though the pistol will remain chambered in 9 x 19mm NATO rather than a larger caliber, the contract allows the Army and other services to procure SIG Sauer’s proposed XM1152 Full Metal Jacket and XM1153 Special Purpose ammunition.[7][8] The ammunition chosen to go with the pistol is a "Winchester jacketed hollow point" round; similar in appearance to the Winchester PDX1 round but with some differences to the design of the hollowpoint petals. The M17 has better accuracy and ergonomics and tighter dispersion than the M9 and will be fielded more widely, being issued down to squad and fireteam leaders. Special forces dual-arm all of its members with a pistol and rifle. Junior leaders in regular infantry units who were previously excluded from carrying sidearms will be given more choices and options in close quarters battle situations under a new policy. All Army units are planned to have the M9 replaced with the M17 within a decade.[9][10]

U.S. military services adopt the M17 and M18

In May 2017, the Army announced that the first unit that will receive the M17 would be the 101st Airborne Division by the end of the year. At the same time, the rest of the U.S. Armed Forces revealed they also intend to acquire the handgun, making it the standard sidearm for the entire U.S. military. The services plan to procure up to 421,000 weapons in total; 195,000 for the Army, 130,000 for the Air Force, 61,000 for the Navy (M18 compact version only), and 35,000 for the Marines.[11][12]

The U.S. Marine Corps is replacing its M9, M9A1, M45A1, and M007 handguns with the SIG Sauer M18 handguns. The M9 and M9A1 were produced by Beretta while the M45A1 was made by Colt and the M007, which was only recently accepted as a variant, is made by Glock.[13]

Although it has been announced that the U.S. Coast Guard is also adopting the M17/18 handgun, there are no purchase numbers as yet.

In November 2019, SIG Sauer announced the delivery of the 100,000th M17/M18 handgun to the U.S. military.[14]

Ammunition award

As part of the MHS procurement a new source for ammunition was solicited. The two types to be procured are the 9×19mm Parabellum, 115 grain XM1152 Ball and 147 grain XM1153 Special Purpose, now the M1152 and M1153. Olin Corporation (Winchester Brand) has received that award for approximately 1.2 Million rounds of ammunition. The ammunition mentioned here In the infobox is Winchester Civilian issue.[15]

Assessment recommendations

The first annual report for the XM17/XM18 Modular Handgun System (MHS) program assessment recommended the Army:[16]

  1. Upon identification of the root cause of the double ejections and ball ammunition reliability problems, confirm fixes to both the XM17 and XM18 in future testing.
  2. Work with the vendor to identify and eliminate cause of variability in the manufacture of the trigger group mechanism.
  3. Consider redesign of the slide catch lever or operator training changes to prevent engagement by operators while shooting the pistol.

SIG Sauer P320-M17 and P320-M18
SIG Sauer P320-M17 with magazines and rounds

The 2018 SIG Sauer catalog features the Civilian P320-M17 version of the full-sized M17 military handgun. It shows the new model to be in a color called Coyote Tan and is configured nearly identical to the military M17. The P320-M17 stainless steel slide is PVD coated and the control elements feature a black finish like found on later military M17 service pistol batches. It is available with and without an external manual safety and is announced as being limited to a production run of 5,000 units.[17]

The 2020 SIG Sauer catalog features the Civilian P320-M18 version configured nearly identical to the smaller-sized military M18 handgun. Like the P320-M17, it is also based on the pistol used by the U.S. military.[18]

Other purchasers of the P320
M17 as delivered to the 101st Airborne Division, November 2017
FDE P320
Civilian P320
  • Denmark has selected the SIG Sauer P320 XCarry model to replace its current m/49 (SIG P210) handgun. This was the result of trials in which handguns from Canik (TP9 SF), Glock (Glock17 Gen 5), Smith & Wesson (M&P9 M2.0, out early due to not produced in Europe), Beretta (APX) were all tested.[19]
  • The Royal Thai Police have purchased 152,468 P320 handguns.[20]

United States
  • Bismarck Police Department: Adopted the P320 after also testing the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0, and the Glock 17 and 19. The BPD's police chief Dan Donlin said that the "SIG Sauer, in the majority of opinions, outperformed the Glock" and that it "provided a lot more overall comfort and handling in the varying hand sizes of our officers," referring to the P320's three grip module sizes. He further added that the "SIG [Sauer P320], out of the box, was very accurate. Even our best shooters couldn't believe how much better they shot with the SIG versus the Glock."[21]
  • North Dakota Highway Patrol[22]
  • Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office[22]
  • High Point Police Department[22]
  • Oklahoma Highway Patrol[22]
  • Hawaii Department of Public Safety[22]
  • Pasco County Sheriff’s Department (Florida)[22]
  • Elkhart Police Department (Indiana)[22]
  • Milwaukee Police Department
  • Texas Department of Public Safety
  • Ohio State Highway Patrol

Although the P320 is not exactly the same as the M17/M18, they are closely related and will be sourced from a U.S. factory in Newington, New Hampshire and a German site at Eckernförde, Germany.

References
  1. OMelveny, Sean. "Army Picks Sig Sauer's P320 Handgun to Replace M9 Service Pistol". military.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  2. "Details on the U.S. Army's new Sig Sauer M17 Sidearm". tacticalcache.com. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  3. "SIG SAUER Unveils the P320 MHS Edition - The Truth About Guns". thetruthaboutguns.com. October 18, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  4. Times, Military. "GearScout". militarytimes.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  5. Ammo, Guns& (2017-07-13). "Exclusive Test Fire of the Army's new MHS pistol, the SIG Sauer M17/18t". www.gunsandammo.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  6. Ammo, Guns& (2017-07-13). "Exclusive Test Fire of the Army's new MHS pistol, the SIG Sauer M17/18t". www.gunsandammo.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  7. "Contracts Press Operations Release No: CR-012-17 Jan. 19, 2017". defense.gov. defense.gov. Retrieved 13 February 2017. Sig Sauer Inc., Newington, New Hampshire, was awarded up to $580,217,000 for a firm-fixed-price contract for the Modular Handgun System including handgun, accessories and ammunition to replace the current M9 handgun. Bids were solicited via the Internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 19, 2027. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-17-D-0016).
  8. Army Confirms 9mm for Modular Handgun System - Kitup.Military.com, 26 January 2017
  9. In a first, the Army’s new handgun will be issued to team leaders - Armytimes.com, 29 November 2017
  10. Army Explains New Dual-Arming Policy for Modular Handgun System - Military.com, 1 December 2017
  11. Army Names First Unit to Receive Service's New Pistol - Military.com, 3 May 2017
  12. MHS Update: Services Embrace Army’s New Sidearm - Kitup.Military.com, 3 May 2017
  13. "USMC Plans To Replace Newly Fielded Glocks With Modular Handgun System". Soldier Systems. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  14. "SIG SAUER Delivers Milestone 100,000th M17 / M18 Handgun to U.S. Military". www.sigsauer.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  15. "Winchester® Awarded as Ammunition Supplier for the U.S. Army Modular Handgun System (MHS) Program". Winchester.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  16. FY17 ARMY PROGRAMS XM17/XM18 Modular Handgun System (MHS)
  17. "SIG SAUER 2018 Product Catalog". Sigsauer.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  18. "SIG SAUER 2020 Product Catalog". Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  19. "Denmark selects SIG Sauer P320 X-Carry pistols". Janes IHS. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  20. "Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha Approves Royal Thai Police's Purchase of 152,468 SIG Sauer Model P 320 Pistols". Chiang Rai Times. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  21. "Bismarck Police Department Adopts the Sig Sauer P320". Tactical Life. 2018-04-11. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  22. "SIG Sauer P320 Gains Government Contracts". Shooting Times. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
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