Pistol Review: SIG Sauer's M17 - The Official Sidearm Of The U.S. Army

After many years and millions of rounds spent, a new icon in the firearms industry was born. The SIG Sauer M17 has passed one of the most rigorous and highly competitive review processes in the history of military firearms and as a result was rewarded with the Modular Handgun System (MHS) contract for the U.S. Army.

The M17 is based on the P320-platform and was selected for it's uniquely innovative modularity, exceptional performance, and remarkable capability.

Obviously, the M17's modular design is one of it's flagship features and the benefits from this design are tremendous. The entirety of the firing module is contained in the frame and the steel chassis can be easily removed and placed into a smaller frame. The slide and barrel are also interchangeable. This makes for exceptional versatility, especially in an institutional environment.

Another incredibly notable feature of the M17, it's durability. The rigorous testing from the military speak for themselves, however hundreds of civilians across the nation have performed their own testing the the consensus is clear, the M17 can easily handle literally thousands of rounds while both hot and dirty. If that's not exceptional, I don't know what is.

Moving onto the more technical features, the M17 is a service-size handgun, loaded with features that make for an excellent pistol. SIG Sauer has outfitted the M17 with an ambidextrous slide lock and a well-designed ambidextrous safety. While the teardrop-shaped magazine release isn’t ambidextrous it still works well for those who practice.

The frame is made from a durable polymer and the slide is stainless steel beneath the PVD coyote brown coating which ensures the slide will be enduring and dependable.

Another clear advantage of the M17 is the rear night sight plate which is easily removable and can be replaced with a red dot. The front sight is a SIGLITE tritium dot. The result of this combination is phenomenal, the sight picture is clear and shooting is made easier.

It doesn't stop there, the M17's handling is also great; it provides a sharper grip angle, compared to other polymer pistols, which provides a more firm grip while shooting. In addition, while in many polymer pistols, the slide is incredibly heavy and completely throws off the balance of the firearm, that is not the case with the M17. The slide and the frame match well and as a result SIG Sauer provides well-balanced pistol that makes for excellent shooting.

The M17 trigger breaks at around 6-6.5 pounds. While that may be a little more than people are accustomed to, the trigger press is very short making for excellent speed and rapid reset. A 29 ounces, this 9mm handgun doesn’t kick much and the grip spreads recoil across the hand.