UK Armed Forces get new guns: Browning out, Glock 17-9mm in

[Tender Branson]

Glock 17 9mm pistols replace Browning for UK forces

British forces are to be given a new standard issue handgun for the first time in more than 40 years.

The Ministry of Defence has signed a £9m contract to provide the Armed Forces with more than 25,000 new side-arms and holsters from Austria's Glock.

It will replace the Browning 9mm pistol which has been in service since 1967.

The Glock 17 9mm pistol is lighter than the Browning and can be fired faster, within a second or so.



Colonel Peter Warden, from the MoD team introducing the new weapon, says that after well over four decades in service, the pistol from US manufacturer Browning was no longer the ideal weapon and had become increasingly expensive to maintain.

"We began to lose a little bit of confidence in its reliability. So we trialled seven different weapons, and got down to the Glock as the best of the bunch," he says.

After a tendering process which lasted just two years from start to finish, the MoD is buying the side-arms to issue to all three services.

Among the first people to get the new Glock over the coming weeks will be troops serving in Afghanistan, where the enemy can sometimes attack at very close range.

The pistols are most effective at a range of between 10 and 25 metres, and the Glock 17 is lighter, more accurate and its magazines can carry more bullets than the Browning it replaces, according to the trials team.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20978842

[AkSaber]

Whoa. So the Hi-Power is out. Never woulda guessed.

Can't go wrong with a Glock in 9mm. Though I wish they'd have gone for a metal-framed pistol instead of a polymer one.

[useful idiot]

Can't go wrong with a Glock in 9mm. Though I wish they'd have gone for a metal-framed pistol instead of a polymer one.

I would be very interested to know what other weapons they put through trials, the BBC says they considered 7 other handguns. I'm assuming the HK USP and Sig P226 were in the mix, which leaves 4 other mystery weapons. I'm definitely not surprised they went with a polymer-framed pistol, they've proven themselves every bit as reliable over the last 25 years; add in the lower cost and its a no-brainer. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the P226 was the only metal-framed gun they considered, and on average it's a good 250-300 dollars more per pistol than a Glock. The USP is polymer and around the same price as the Sig; I have no idea why agencies and militaries are still using that over-priced thing...

[Silent Hunter]

Polymer frames are lighter and frankly a soldier does not want to carry any more weight than they have to.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Is it just me, or does this thread reek of semen?

[AkSaber]

I would be very interested to know what other weapons they put through trials, the BBC says they considered 7 other handguns. I'm assuming the HK USP and Sig P226 were in the mix, which leaves 4 other mystery weapons. I'm definitely not surprised they went with a polymer-framed pistol, they've proven themselves every bit as reliable over the last 25 years; add in the lower cost and its a no-brainer. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the P226 was the only metal-framed gun they considered, and on average it's a good 250-300 dollars more per pistol than a Glock. The USP is polymer and around the same price as the Sig; I have no idea why agencies and militaries are still using that over-priced thing...

My hunch is they also looked at the CZ-75, Beretta Px4 Storm, and some of the other HK variants (the P2000 and P30). Yeah, Sig is expensive, but they put so much workmanship in their pistols you'd be hard-pressed to find a more reliable and accurate off-the-shelf automatic.

Polymer frames are lighter and frankly a soldier does not want to carry any more weight than they have to.

True, and they're cheaper. Perfect for bean counters. But they're not much heavier. A Beretta M9 with a fully loaded 15 round magazine weighs 41 ounces, while a Glock 17 with a full 17 round magazine weighs 32 ounces.

Is it just me, or does this thread reek of semen?

Ok...

[minionofmidas]

Is it just me, or does this thread reek of semen?

Guns, like fast cars, tend to be mostly for men who've lost that capability or never had very much of it, Al.

[Silent Hunter]

True, and they're cheaper. Perfect for bean counters. But they're not much heavier. A Beretta M9 with a fully loaded 15 round magazine weighs 41 ounces, while a Glock 17 with a full 17 round magazine weighs 32 ounces.

That's still a quarter of a kilo difference.

[AkSaber]

That's still a quarter of a kilo difference.

Yeah, it's noticeable for sure.

But on a polymer-framed pistol like a Glock, the steel slide and barrel make the pistol feel top-heavy. It definitely isn't as well balanced as an all metal pistol. Also, the weight difference isn't as drastic for some.