Army includes special ammunition in hunt for new handgun: The U.S. Army competition to replace its M9 handgun has been expanded to include new types of ammunition for them.
The change to the service's draft solicitation for the new handgun project, called XM17 Modular Handgun System, was presented on Wednesday at an industry day for interested vendors at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.
"Expanding the XM17 Modular Handgun competition to include special-purpose ammunition will provide the warfighter with a more accurate and lethal handgun," said Richard Jackson, special assistant to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General for Law of War. "Other types of ammunition allow the XM17 Modular Handgun System to be optimized by vendors, providing a more capable system to warfighters across the spectrum of shooter experience and skill level."
Jackson told the industry day participants that federal, state, local and military law enforcement elements routinely use expanding and fragmenting ammunition, such as hollow point bullets, instead of full metal jacket -- or ball -- ammunition in handguns because of their increased capability and the Army is looking at doing so as well.
