Military to use Glock pistols after 40 years of Browning

Thunderpussy · January 2013

Military to use Glock pistols after 40 years of Browning

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/military-glock-pistols-40-years-browning-000612010.html

LONDON (Reuters) - The military has changed its standard issue pistol to the Glock after using the Browning for more than 40 years, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday.

It said it had awarded a 9 million pound contract to Austrian arms firm Glock for 25,000 guns because their pistol is lighter, carries more bullets and is more accurate than the U.S.-made Browning.

"I have seen this pistol demonstrated in target ranges and am impressed that this new lighter, safer generation of pistol provides better value for money for the MoD," Defence Equipment Minister Philip Dunne said.

don p · January 2013

great!!....... lots of good reliable pistols on the market for bad guys to use against us!!!...

minigeff · January 2013

Wonder if the p99 was trialled

0073 · January 2013

"U.S. made Browning" ? And I was always under the impression that Brit forces used FN Browning High Power, which is Belgian.

Le Samourai · January 2013

0073 wrote:

"U.S. made Browning" ? And I was always under the impression that Brit forces used FN Browning High Power, which is Belgian.

You are correct. My guess is the writer knows nothing about firearms and just thought the name Browning "sounded American."

I'm rather surprised they didn't choose the SIG P226. The British SAS has been using them for years.

0073 · January 2013

Le Samourai wrote:

I'm rather surprised they didn't choose the SIG P226. The British SAS has been using them for years.

Maybe they didn't see the trouble of evaluating things thoroughly, and instead asked themselves WWFD (what would finns do) and since Finnish army had been using FN BDA since the mid '80s and switched to 4.gen Glock 17 in 2008, everything became clear and they went from FN to Glock!

PPK 7.65mm · February 2013

Also bear in mind that every time a miltary force updates their weapons, the purchase price of said weapons is a big facotor in which company gets the contract. While Sig Sauer makes fine handguns they are fairly expensive when purchased new, where as Glock pistols tend to carry a more affordible price as I understand.

@minigeff, I agree it would be ironic if the Walther P-99 was tested.

Silhouette Man · February 2013

John Gardner would be most displeased!

Polynikes · February 2013

Glock already supply to the police I suppose it makes sense to use the same supplier for the armed forces.

Silhouette Man · February 2013

Polynikes wrote:

Glock already supply to the police I suppose it makes sense to use the same supplier for the armed forces.

Well, that's a point.

thesecretagent · March 2013

Glocks are perfect for what they're meant to do. Fire accurately, consistently and reliably in the hands of somebody who is under great duress. That's why so many law enforcement agencies use them. The variables for mistakes are greatly reduced with a Glock. People will argue that they're boring, ugly and crude. But so is a hammer, but its perfect for what it does. If I was able to own proper handguns again, I'd probably get myself a nice PPK, a heavily customised 1911 of some sort and a .45 Colt peacemaker. I loved firing all these, and love the look of them. But if I needed to defend myself and family, I'd want a Glock in my hand.

Asp9mm · March 2013

Walther P99s were under evaluation back in 1999. Nottingham police used them for a short while.

The Glock is simple to operate and therefore requires less extensive training, so reduce costs. On top of that, Glocks are dead cheap as well. It's a no brainer they were chosen really.

PPK packer · March 2013

I've been carrying the Glock model 22 for fifteen years and before that the model 17. I can't tell you how many rounds I've fired through these weapons.

Depending on my tasking, perhaps as many as 3000 rounds a week.

I can count the stoppages on one hand and most of those would be from the slide hitting my body armour and causing improper feeding of the next round. CQB stuff.

It's not the most beautiful pistol, or the most comfortable, or the most accurate, and it's a bit difficult to conceal, but it can take a hell of a beating and keep throwing rounds where you need them.

A co-worker of mine was once asked why we didn't use something else, like the Sig or Beretta, and he replied "I've shot five people with this and none of them have got up to complain about it."

thesecretagent · March 2013

I've had several stoppages in a session with the Browning Hi-Power. And forget the cheapest practice ammunition - unjacketed lead it will just chew them up.

But ASP9mm is right, cost would have been a real factor. I'm surprised though that it was deemed necessary in this recession - I imagine there's been problems in Afghanistan with the sigs and Brownings to warrant a change. Seems odd really.

Asp9mm · March 2013

I think it's more to do with the age of the BHPs in service. Some are pushing 50 years old and the vast majority are at least 40 years old. Yeah, they had the upgrades on the safety and sear, but they are becoming so worn now that it is too costly to overhaul them V replacing them entirely with the Glocks.

There actually aren't that many Sig 226 and 228's out here, and are more confined to a SF role rather than being in the hands of the regular green army etc.

Coldheart96 · March 2013

Been out here in Afghanistan for a couple of months now (6th deployment for this AOR) and have had no problem with my Sig 229. Never had. Won't say it's my first choice, but it does the job and that's all I care about.

0073 · March 2013

The Finnish military had a limited number of both Sig P226 (for U.N. duties) and Walther P99 (for Spec. people), while the "Big army" had settle for the FNBDA. The Police and Border guard units had Glock 17 & 19, except for the Bear unit which had H&K. Now the Army goes to Glock, the Border people stays on Glock and cops go to H&K. Go figure.

Number24 · March 2013

The Norwegian military has used glocks since the 80's. Earlier they used a mixture of Brownings, Colt 45's and Lugers. I think their experiences with the Glock are good.

thesecretagent · March 2013

I remember practically being able to field strip service Brownings by holding the slide and giving them good shake!

Asp9mm · March 2013

Blimey. I never came across any that were that bad

Tecolote · March 2013

The Browning Hi Power was my first handgun back in 1966. It has been "retired" since the 80's when I went to a P7,which got retired in 2005 when I went to a Glock 19. Recently took the BHP,which is still bone stock,out for a spin,and it was still a champ.
However, Glock 9mms, in all three sizes, are still the best choice for me. They are simple to work,relatively inexpensive, and reliable. It will be interesting to see if the British military sticks with just the full sized 17, or whether the compact 19 and subcompact 26 will get used by pilots, close protection personnel and those in similar roles. IIRC, the Swedish Army issues the 17 and the Swedish Air Force issues the 19...

Regards,

Tecolote

PPK packer · March 2013

You really can't judge a firearm by who carries it. Every agency, department, organization, etc, has all sorts of personalities mixed into it. And they don't all know what they're doing.

I know a major police department that went against it's own firearms professionals selection/recommendations and purchased the Smith and Wesson model 5906. There were two reasons; firstly it was cheaper, and secondly they could get a fancy little picture of a Mounted Police officer on his horse on the side. Oops, I hope I haven't given away what department it is! They've had nothing but problems since. Don't get me wrong. It's a perfectly acceptable pistol for people who like shooting. But, it's not the best choice for people who couldn't care less about shooting or maintaining their pistol.

Also, I am familiar with a Military that purchased the Sig 226, a fine gun, but the bean counters noticed that there was a magazine available for the pistol that was cheaper than the one recommended by their experts... so they bought it. Or should I say they bought thousands of them... Well, it was the ten round magazine and not the fifteen round one. It took about five years to correct the problem.

My point is, agencies don't always make the best decisions.

0073 · March 2013

PPK packer wrote:

You really can't judge a firearm by who carries it. Every agency, department, organization, etc, has all sorts of personalities mixed into it. And they don't all know what they're doing.

I know a major police department that went against it's own firearms professionals selection/recommendations and purchased the Smith and Wesson model 5906. There were two reasons; firstly it was cheaper, and secondly they could get a fancy little picture of a Mounted Police officer on his horse on the side. Oops, I hope I haven't given away what department it is! They've had nothing but problems since. Don't get me wrong. It's a perfectly acceptable pistol for people who like shooting. But, it's not the best choice for people who couldn't care less about shooting or maintaining their pistol.

Also, I am familiar with a Military that purchased the Sig 226, a fine gun, but the bean counters noticed that there was a magazine available for the pistol that was cheaper than the one recommended by their experts... so they bought it. Or should I say they bought thousands of them... Well, it was the ten round magazine and not the fifteen round one. It took about five years to correct the problem.

My point is, agencies don't always make the best decisions.

True to the word! I've always enjoyed shooting the FNBDA while everyone around me moaned about how sh1tty gun it was and why could the army not get a "real" combat pistol. Then those same people would go out to a tour of U.N. duty and they'd come back telling stories how sh!tty the SS P226 is. I had a blast reminding them that it is the pistol of choice for both SEALs and SAS, no gear can replace practice and training.

Ammo08 · April 2013

I have recently been smitten by the Glock bug. I have a new Glock 22 in 40 S&W that I carry with me everywhere...especially on my farm. They are so simple,,,so utilitarian and so many accessories are made for it from laser sights to holsters...

Military to use Glock pistols after 40 years of Browning

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