Watch: Beretta M9A1 Reliability Test
Kevin Felts 05.04.17
The Military Arms Channel on YouTube has a “gauntlet” test they run various handguns through. In this test, the Beretta M9A1 is run through a series of water, sand, dirt, and mud.
The Beretta M9 was adopted by the U.S. military in the 1980s and replaced the 1911. M9A1 is an upgrade to the M9 platform.
During the military trials for a new handgun in the 1980s, I read everything I could get my hands on. Then I read every article two or three times. In 1989 I turned 21 years old and made my first handgun purchase, that handgun was the Beretta 92F.
Let’s just say I was surprised with the results of the gauntlet test, but the results make sense.
Some people may say this proves striker-fired handguns are more reliable than handguns with a hammer. During one striker-fired handgun test, the handgun stopped working after being submerged in water and nothing else. The water got into the striker channel and prevented the handgun from working.
After watching the video, I am starting to lean more towards striker-fired handguns.
Then again, how many people put their handguns through conditions that ever come close to the gauntlet?
