"Italian Thoroughbred"
1990 Beretta 92FS (Italy) 9x19mm
As the 1970's drew to a close and a disastrous war in Vietnam slowly vanished in the rear-view mirror, the United States military sought to replace the aging .45ACP cartridge they had been using since the First World War. As other nations began to adopt and standardize high-capacity double-stack 9mm pistols, the US military organized the Joint Service Small Arms Program in 1979 to hold trials for a new standard sidearm in tests that would eventually become the "XM9 Program" between 1979 and 1985.
The requirements would be daunting, as all submitted pistols would be subject to a level of torture and testing the likes of which had never been seen before in military pistol trials. Phase one testing to narrow down the top competitors involved a 12,000 round endurance test, which only two of the pistols survived. Of the eight pistols submitted, one alone would rise to the top during phase-two testing with a seemingly impossible level of accuracy, reliability, and durability the likes of which had never been seen in a military sidearm.
The Beretta Model 92's rugged frame and ingenious split firing-pin safety allowed it to survive a litany of drop-tests, its 180° ejection port allowed it to beat all mud and debris tests, and its solid construction allowed it to go an average of 35,000 rounds between parts failures; far exceeding the original requirement of 6,000 rounds. The Beretta 92 would be officially adopted by the US military as the M9 in 1985. In a hilarious example of companies behaving like sore losers, there was enough of an uproar and demand for a rematch that the tests were conducted a second time in 1988 as the "XM10 Program." Much to the chagrin of the challengers, the Beretta 92 came out on top again.
Adopted formally under the designation "M9", the Beretta would go on to serve all branches of the US military favorably from 1985 to the present day. Though it is in the process of being phased out for a more modern "modular" handgun, those who carried one into combat (like my father) swear by its accuracy and reliability in harsh combat environments.
