The Beretta M9 pistol

[Private Sanders]

So, I am in the process of enlisting in the US Army in a military intelligence MOS. Regardless of which military intelligence MOS I get, I must qualify with and will be issued an M9 pistol. Now, I've heard some horror stories about the slide flying off and whacking people and the magazines not working properly. What, if anything, can I do to avoid falling victim to one of these problems?  

[Requiem ex Inferni]

Some of the problems are inherent to the pistol itself. Beyond that, proper handling and maintenance is a rather good idea.

Also, it sounds like the magazine problem is mostly fixed.  

[Fresnel]

Not qualify in 1993? They fixed the slide problem in the first few years of the gun, something about the slides being made by neither Beretta Italy or Beretta USA, but I don't remember who actually made them. And besides that it only happened on 100,000+ round pistols, and it only happened a couple of times. The magazine problem, IIRC, is because the mag contract went to Check-Mate instead of Beretta like it should have, and Check-Mates jam more often than OEM. So they switched to Mec-Gar. rolleyes  

[Whence it Flows]

Mec-Gar's pretty much the s**t for making magazines.

Bring personal magazines, if it gets down to it. Doubt you can for basic, though. Open the magazine up, put CLP on the spring and the internal of the magazine. Makes me feel better, at least. CLP the ******** out of the part where the slide rides the frame. Same with the feed ramp at the back of the barrel.  

[Recon_Ninja_985]

I was never issued an m9.

but I do have a beretta 92 which is pretty much the same thing except for a minor angle difference at front of the frame.

it's heavy. but they're built to last. it's a gun you wanna keep lubed. a little grease on the rails and the contact points and it should last you 500 to1000+ rounds with little problems.

oh, and dont let your magazines hit the ground and get in the dirt.  

[Recon_Ninja_985]

Pripyat Dawn

Mec-Gar's pretty much the s**t for making magazines.

Bring personal magazines, if it gets down to it. Doubt you can for basic, though. Open the magazine up, put CLP on the spring and the internal of the magazine. Makes me feel better, at least. CLP the ******** out of the part where the slide rides the frame. Same with the feed ramp at the back of the barrel.

I'd prolly reccommend against putting any lube in the magazine, sounds like it could only accumulate dirt  

[Fresnel]

Recon_Ninja_985

Pripyat Dawn

Mec-Gar's pretty much the s**t for making magazines.

Bring personal magazines, if it gets down to it. Doubt you can for basic, though. Open the magazine up, put CLP on the spring and the internal of the magazine. Makes me feel better, at least. CLP the ******** out of the part where the slide rides the frame. Same with the feed ramp at the back of the barrel.

I'd prolly reccommend against putting any lube in the magazine, sounds like it could only accumulate dirt

I think graphite is the lube of choice for that very reason.  

[Valkyrie Hatter]

Recon what were you issued for a pistol?  

[Recon_Ninja_985]

Valkyrie Hatter

Recon what were you issued for a pistol?

not everyone is issued one, it all depends on your MOS too.

very few soldiers even get issued pistols.

and I doubt anyone in military intelligence gets them until they hit the WO or O-1 pay grade if they ever do get issued them at all.

which means our friend here is either going to have to go to college and get commissioned or is going to have to reenlist several times over the next 20 years.  

[Private Sanders]

Recon_Ninja_985

Valkyrie Hatter

Recon what were you issued for a pistol?

not everyone is issued one, it all depends on your MOS too.

very few soldiers even get issued pistols.

and I doubt anyone in military intelligence gets them until they hit the WO or O-1 pay grade if they ever do get issued them at all.

which means our friend here is either going to have to go to college and get commissioned or is going to have to reenlist several times over the next 20 years.

What I was told by my recruiter is that if I get sent to a war zone as a civil affairs analyst or a similar Intel job I'll be given a pistol for self defense.  

[Recon_Ninja_985]

Jackie Flores

Recon_Ninja_985

Valkyrie Hatter

Recon what were you issued for a pistol?

not everyone is issued one, it all depends on your MOS too.

very few soldiers even get issued pistols.

and I doubt anyone in military intelligence gets them until they hit the WO or O-1 pay grade if they ever do get issued them at all.

which means our friend here is either going to have to go to college and get commissioned or is going to have to reenlist several times over the next 20 years.

What I was told by my recruiter is that if I get sent to a war zone as a civil affairs analyst or a similar Intel job I'll be given a pistol for self defense.

recruiters can tell you any nonsense that sounds good to you.

my advice is to talk to some other soldiers and ask them if you will get issued one. sign yourself up for an AKO account and talk to some soldiers who are in that MOS.

self defense is what an m4 is for, I dont see why they would give you anything else unless you were an MP,aviator,armor crewman,officer or medic.
I could have been issued a pistol if I was in a flight company but I was stuck in a maintenance company instead.

civil affairs isnt even in the same category as intelligence either, and even there it's likely that only officers get pistols like most MOS's

here's a list of intelligence MOS's
http://www.us-army-info.com/pages/mos/intelligence/intelligence-mos.html  

[Whence it Flows]

Recon_Ninja_985

Jackie Flores

Recon_Ninja_985

Valkyrie Hatter

Recon what were you issued for a pistol?

not everyone is issued one, it all depends on your MOS too.

very few soldiers even get issued pistols.

and I doubt anyone in military intelligence gets them until they hit the WO or O-1 pay grade if they ever do get issued them at all.

which means our friend here is either going to have to go to college and get commissioned or is going to have to reenlist several times over the next 20 years.

What I was told by my recruiter is that if I get sent to a war zone as a civil affairs analyst or a similar Intel job I'll be given a pistol for self defense.

recruiters can tell you any nonsense that sounds good to you.

my advice is to talk to some other soldiers and ask them if you will get issued one. sign yourself up for an AKO account and talk to some soldiers who are in that MOS.

self defense is what an m4 is for, I dont see why they would give you anything else unless you were an MP,aviator,armor crewman,officer or medic.
I could have been issued a pistol if I was in a flight company but I was stuck in a maintenance company instead.

civil affairs isnt even in the same category as intelligence either, and even there it's likely that only officers get pistols like most MOS's

here's a list of intelligence MOS's
http://www.us-army-info.com/pages/mos/intelligence/intelligence-mos.html

I worked with CA people in Iraq, they all carried an M9. They're supposed to be more civilian than others, so they don't carry M4's.  

[uryu ishida]

I mean, ********, my recruiter told me I'd be a high-speed joe, The Eyes of Death. I signed up in a combat MOS.

I'M STUCK BEHIND A DESK. Actually, AT a desk, with a number of other people, reading the field manual about my job and playing games on our phones. And when we hit the 'box? I'll be stuck at the TOK, with my only actual job being to yell out s**t when we get mortar'd, so I'll be stuck with guard duties and details all the time.

I don't get a pistol either. I don't even get an M4. I get an M16A2. Yes, an A2. THey took away my M4 so the officers would have them, even though they are even more emplaced in the TOK than I am, since I CAN be taken outside the wire if I can weasel in on a patrol.  

[Private Sanders]

Recon_Ninja_985

Jackie Flores

Recon_Ninja_985

Valkyrie Hatter

Recon what were you issued for a pistol?

not everyone is issued one, it all depends on your MOS too.

very few soldiers even get issued pistols.

and I doubt anyone in military intelligence gets them until they hit the WO or O-1 pay grade if they ever do get issued them at all.

which means our friend here is either going to have to go to college and get commissioned or is going to have to reenlist several times over the next 20 years.

What I was told by my recruiter is that if I get sent to a war zone as a civil affairs analyst or a similar Intel job I'll be given a pistol for self defense.

recruiters can tell you any nonsense that sounds good to you.

my advice is to talk to some other soldiers and ask them if you will get issued one. sign yourself up for an AKO account and talk to some soldiers who are in that MOS.

self defense is what an m4 is for, I dont see why they would give you anything else unless you were an MP,aviator,armor crewman,officer or medic.
I could have been issued a pistol if I was in a flight company but I was stuck in a maintenance company instead.

civil affairs isnt even in the same category as intelligence either, and even there it's likely that only officers get pistols like most MOS's

here's a list of intelligence MOS's
http://www.us-army-info.com/pages/mos/intelligence/intelligence-mos.html

This is where I get my info:

http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/intelligence-and-combat-support.html  

[Private Sanders]

uryu ishida

I mean, ********, my recruiter told me I'd be a high-speed joe, The Eyes of Death. I signed up in a combat MOS.

I'M STUCK BEHIND A DESK. Actually, AT a desk, with a number of other people, reading the field manual about my job and playing games on our phones. And when we hit the 'box? I'll be stuck at the TOK, with my only actual job being to yell out s**t when we get mortar'd, so I'll be stuck with guard duties and details all the time.

I don't get a pistol either. I don't even get an M4. I get an M16A2. Yes, an A2. THey took away my M4 so the officers would have them, even though they are even more emplaced in the TOK than I am, since I CAN be taken outside the wire if I can weasel in on a patrol.

Damn. I thought the 16 was relegated to training these days.