This week we focus on five classic metal-framed 9mm pistols. These five world-class handguns all shoot the 9mm Luger (9x19mm) cartridge. Most have been used by military and police forces as well as used by civilians for sport-shooting and defense. This Editor has shot all five pistol types and owned three. I can recommend all of them. Metal-framed pistols typically have a lower center of gravity and weigh more than Glocks and other polymer-framed handguns. Consequently, they tend to have less muzzle flip, and less perceived recoil than polymer-framed handguns.
SIG Sauer P226
The SIG Sauer P226 is a high-quality, ultra reliable single-action/double action handgun with a proud Swiss/German heritage. It has a very ergonomic grip that fits most hands very well. Standard P226s do NOT have a manual safety, but the P226 has a decocking lever drops the hammer safely. This Editor has trained new shooters with a Sig P226 and Glock 17. For 80% of my trainees the Sig P226 pointed better due to the superior grip design. This meant that the sight picture was better, and the trainees achieved better results with the P226 vs. the Glock 17. The P226 is also a very reliable firearm. I have over 6000 rounds through my P226 with not one single jam. That’s impressive. The first video, reviewing the SIG P226, has over 1.4 million YouTube views, indicating it is very popular with pistoleros.
HK P7 Series (PSP, P7m8, P7m13)
This Editor has shot a P7m8 extensively. It is superbly accurate. With a very low bore axis, it has much less muzzle flip than most 9mm pistols. And with a fixed barrel, the slide moves straight back during cycling. The HK P7 blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol was designed and manufactured by German gun-maker Heckler & Koch (H&K) from 1978 to 2008. It is thin, superbly accurate, with a precise trigger that shames the Glock. The P7m8 features a unique gas-delayed blowback system, which uses gas from the cartridge to retard the rearward motion of the slide. This works via a barrel port and a piston inside a cylinder under the barrel. The signature feature of the P7 series is the “squeeze cocker” on the front of the grip. Squeezing the cocking lever cocks the firing pin. When the front of the grip is released, the weapon is fully de-cocked, making it safe with a round in the chamber.
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic handgun with a legendary heritage. This handsome all-metal pistol was based on a design by American John Moses Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal, Belgium. J.M. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized. FN Herstal initially named the design the “High Power”, which alludes to the 13-round magazine capacity, almost twice that of other designs such as the Luger or Colt M1911. The name was later shorted to “Hi-Power”. The Browning Hi-Power has served military forces and police in many countries throughout the world. It is a very well-balanced pistol, with a nice, crisp trigger. After 82 years of continuous production, FN Herstal announced that the Hi-Power would be discontinued in 2018. However, in 2022 FN resumed Hi-Power production, so this classic lives on.
CZ 75
The CZ 75 is the flagship pistol of CZ-USA and has been a staple among 9x19mm fans for over 45 years. Originally introduced in 1975, hence the name, the CZ 75 remains viable as a defensive pistol. CZ claims the CZ 75 is “used by more governments, militaries, police, and security agencies than any other pistol in the world”. The CZ 75 is very reliable and works well for both defense and IDPA competitions. The ergonomics are good, controls are intuitive, and the trigger is very nice. Over the years, CZ has made numerous variations of the CZ 75 pistol, but the original is still an excellent handgun.
Beretta 92FS and Military M9
For Americans, the Beretta 92 series of pistols is best known as the official sidearm of the American military for 30+ years. The United States military replaced the .45 ACP M1911A1 pistol in 1985 with the Beretta 92FS, designated as the “M9″. The M9 and the civilian models 92/92FS have a distinctive, recognizable feature — the cut-away slide which exposes most of the 9mm barrel. The metal frame also has an attractive grip design. The 92FS pistols we’ve shot were accurate and reliability was good. There have been various modifications and upgrades over the years. However the M9 was replaced in 2017 by the new polymer-framed SIG Sauer P320, adopted as the military’s M17/M18 modular pistols.
This Hickok 45 video review of the Beretta 92FS has over 2.5 million views:
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The U.S. Army wanted a harder-hitting round than the 5.56×45, so H&K is delivering. Heckler & Koch Defense Inc. will provide 5,000 to 6,000 complete 7.62×51 rifle weapon systems to the U.S. Army, which plans to deploy them as M110A1 Squad Designated Marksman Rifles (SDMR). The new weapon is a variant of HK’s G28/HK417 which shoots the 7.62×51 NATO round. The goal is to provide a weapon that can better defeat body armor. “The HK SDMR system will add much-needed capabilities to virtually every squad in the Army”, stated HK-USA Executive Michael Holley.
According to Military.com: “In May 2017, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told Senate Armed Services Committee members that the service’s current M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round will not defeat enemy body armor plates similar to the U.S. military-issue rifle plates such as the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert, or ESAPI.” Accordingly, the U.S. Army decided on a larger round.
The HK SDMR rifles will be an interim solution. The U.S. Military is working on a completely new rifle which will fire a higher-velocity 6.8mm round. Military.com explained: “In the long term, the Army is working with gun-makers to develop the new Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) that is slated to fire a special, government-produced 6.8mm projectile that promises higher velocities at greater ranges[.]” The military will develop two new 6.8mm weapon, one to replace the M249 squad automatic weapon and lighter replacement for the M4 Carbine.
New U.S. Army M110A1 Will Be Similar to this HK G28 Designated Marksman Rifle:
The new HK M110A1 rifles, which are manufactured in Oberndorf, Germany, will arrive in the HK facility in Columbus, GA early next year. There, HK-USA workers will install scopes and mounts purchased by the Army under a separate agreement. Additionally, HK-USA staff will kit the scoped rifles with additional accessories from 12 other US-based manufacturers to round out the complete SDMR weapon system.
This award, combined with the recent USMC M27 contract, solidifies Heckler & Koch as a major provider to the U.S. Military. Other recent HK major contracts of record include: U.S. Marine Corps – M27 Rifle; U.S. Army – CSASS/SDMR Rifle; French Army – 416 Rifle; British Army – SA80 upgrade.
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Two Hundred Bucks. A Pair of Benjamins. Now THAT’s a serious rebate. Save now with the HK Days Rebate Program. Here’s how it works. If you purchase a new, qualifying Heckler & Koch firearm, you will receive a Visa Card with $200.00 worth of built-in credit.
Heckler & Koch USA is offering the $200 VISA card with a new HK firearm purchased from November 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014. The offer covers new HK firearm models: USP, P30, HK45, Mark 23 (shown below), and MR rifles. These are very fine firearms. This Editor has owned two HK USPs in .45 ACP. They were both rugged and extremely accurate — accurate as in being able to put an entire magazine into a quarter-sized hole at 10 yards.
How to Get HK Days $200.00 Visa Card
NOTE: The eligible purchase period starts on November 1, 2014 (so you’ll have to wait at bit.) Retail customers need to complete a reply coupon and send it to Heckler & Koch along with a dated copy of their sales receipt. Coupon forms are available at most HK authorized dealers or can be downloaded at http://tiny.cc/HKDays. For more information, contact Heckler & Koch at 706-568-1906 ext. 6551, or send email to: promo [at] heckler-koch-us.com.
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There were many semi-auto “tactical” rifles on display at MEDIA Day 2013, but one that caught our eye was the new MR762A1 LRP from Heckler & Koch (HK). The HK MR762A1 LRP (“Long Range Package”) looks similar to the H&K G28 rifle, Germany’s new Designated Marksman Rifle. But the G28 has a steel upper receiver, unlike the MR762A1, which evolved from the HK 417.
Bedecked with quad rails up front, this black and tan rifle screams “tactical”, yet it is surprisingly comfortable to shoot. The grip is comfortable in the hand and the thick rubber buttpad on the adjustable buttstock did a good job of mitigating recoil. Jason said the trigger was crisp and the gun was very accurate. With a gas-piston system (rather than direct gas impingement), this rifle runs very clean. The proprietary, polymer HK magazine worked perfectly with zero feeding issues. We liked these better than the metal mags we’ve tried on other makers’ AR10-type systems.
The MR762A1 is a direct descendent of the HK416/417 series, only in a semi-automatic rifle configuration developed for civilian users. The MR762A1 LRP employs the same HK proprietary gas piston operating system found on current HK rifles and carbines, using a “pusher” rod in place of the gas tube in the original M16/AR15/AR10 design. According to HK, the op-rod design “virtually eliminates malfunctions common to direct impingement gas systems since hot carbon fouling and waste gases do not enter the receiver area. The MR762A1 stays cleaner, reducing heat transfer to the bolt and bolt carrier, and drastically reducing wear and tear on other critical components.”
The MR762A1 uses the same 10- and 20-round translucent polymer box magazines made for the HK417; a 5-round magazine is also under development. Additional accessories and add-ons for the LRP variant of the MR762A1 include an ERGO Pistol Grip from Falcon Industries, the same Blue Force Gear sling used on the HK M27 IAR supplied to the USMC, and an OTIS cleaning kit. The rifle package, complete with one 20-rd mag and one 10-rd mag, is shipped ready to use with the scope attached in a 42″-long Model 1720 Pelican case.
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The U.S. Marine Corps. has ordered $23.6 million worth of gas-piston M27 full-auto rifles from Heckler & Koch to replace aging M249 SAW machine guns. Designated the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR), the Marines’ new 11.62-lb weapon is a heavy-barrel variant of the highly successful Heckler & Koch HK416 used by military, law enforcement, and special operations units in the U.S. and throughout the world. The HK416 is basically an AR15 that HK “fixed” with a gas piston assembly and other tweaks to improve reliability, particularly during full-auto fire.
The M27 IAR replaces the heavier, M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) which has been used by the Marines in infantry squads since the mid-1980s in the automatic rifle role. Both weapons fire the 5.56×45 mm NATO cartridge. The Marines plan to have one M27 IAR per four-man fire team, with three M27 IARs per squad, 28 per company and more than 4,000 across the entire Corps. The M27 IAR is already being used in combat in Afghanistan. CLICK HERE for M27 combat photos
The five-year, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract calls for possible delivery orders up to $23,600,000 for the production, delivery, and associated support of the Marines’ Infantry Automatic Rifle program. The Marine Corps approved the full production and fielding of the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle during the summer of 2011.
The M27 contract has drawn fire because critics say the M27 IAR is simply a “more reliable M16/M4″ that lacks key features required by any practical squad automatic weapon — belt-feeding, and interchangeable barrels. With belt-fed ammo and interchangeable barrels, an automatic weapon can produce large volumes of fire, over a sustained period, to pin down the enemy. An M27 operator must change box magazines every 30 rounds. On the other hand, the M27 IAR is about half the weight of the M249, and that seems to have been a key factor in the Marine Corps’ decision to replace the M249 SAW. Marine spokesman Major Joseph Plenzler declared: “The fielding of the IAR will significantly enhance the ability of our infantrymen to … reduce their fighting load and provide them a more ergonomic and accurate weapons system that can keep up during the assault.”
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