This manual provides guidance on the operation and marksmanship of the M9, 9-mm pistol, and the M11, 9-mm pistol. It reflects current army standards in weapons qualifications. It is a guide for the instructor to develop training programs, plans, and lessons that meet the objectives of the US Army marksmanship program for developing combat-effective marksmen. The soldier develops confidence, knowledge, and skills by following the guidelines in this manual.
The Beretta 92FS semi-automatic pistol that the United States Armed Forces use is known as the Beretta M9, or officially the Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9. In 1985, the United States military decided to use the M9 as their service pistol.
The 92FS won a competition in the 1980s to replace the M1911A1 as the primary sidearm of the U.S. military, beating many other contenders and only narrowly defeating the SIG Sauer P226 for cost reasons. It officially entered into service in 1990. The M9 was scheduled to be replaced under a United States Army program, the Future Handgun System (FHS), which was merged with the SOF Combat Pistol program to create the Joint Combat Pistol (JCP). The JCP was renamed Combat Pistol (CP), and the number of pistols to be bought was drastically cut back. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps are replacing the M9 with the SIG Sauer M17 and M18.
The SIG Sauer P226 is a full-sized service pistol.
A compact version of the P226, the P228 is in use with various law enforcement agencies and also with the United States Armed Forces, where it is designated as the M11.