US Marines evaluating a possible replacement for the Beretta

Hmmm....As a Marine I can say its alittle drastic to replace the semiauto M9 with a fully automatic SMG like the P90 (kinda hard to holster too don't you think? Its near a foot long). However, I'd take the P90. I've never shot a MP7 though... I think we should go back to the .45 Colt 1911a1, that is a nice pistol. With better stopping power than our current 9mm(obviously...)


~LCPL R., 2/2 Camp Lejeune NC

[edit on 20042711 by alpha3marine]

i say take out the M-16...
and replace it with the P-90 as the standard weapon...excellent for close quarters combat and Urban warfare...
it would fill nicely as an interim weapon till the XM-8 comes online.
As for the sidearm, my preference is teh Five 7 as well....

The P-90 is an SMG so naturally it lacks the power, range, and accuracy of an assult rifle. P-90s are great at close range but I'd prefer an assult rifle because they work well enough up close but they work very well on an open battlefield. I think that we can stick with the M-16 for now until we get something like the XM-8 in full production.

EDIT: Spelling Errors

[edit on 11/27/2004 by cyberdude78]

They should go with the FN Five-SeveN Pistol.



The FN 57 pistol was designed around the 5.7 x 28 mm cartridge. That cartridge was specifically designed to perform certain tasks such as penetrating ballistic vests and helmets at a variety of ranges while still giving adequate stopping power on non-armored targets.

I have seen this thing go through both sides of a bullet proof vest and through both sides of a Nato Helmet. Amazing power for a hand gun the power of a FN-90 in the small size of a pistol.

www.defensereview.com... le&artid=2

Well, if they must replace the Beretta (as they should not have replaced the 1911) they should replace it with ..... you guessed it..... the 1911! An average 14 year old like me can shoot it, why can't a marine? (like my dad who has 2 1911's, one Kimber Custom, the other is a Springfield Armory 1911)
.45 is a much better round.

Well they wanna loose the Beretta because the range and stopping power is lacking.. Isn't it possible to solve that by improving the ammo being used? I'm sadly lacking in my knowledge of diffrent ammotypes..

Well John Browning designed both the 1911 and the Browning Hi-Power (as produced by...FN). The 1911 uses a swinging-link in the recoil and feed system (plz get someone else to explain that) and the Hi-Power was more refined in its action, but not more delicate.

Biggest problem with the 1911 is the capacity. 7 rounds. Why not carry a Webley .455? The Hi-Power nearly doubles that with 13.

Wasn't there a lot of controversy over the S&W 459 (is that the right model designation?) being dropped from trials in favour of the Baretta? Why not go for the S&W, it's a .45 with a proper capacity.

Well, Why not go with a Hk USP .45 if you like 1911's so much? perhaps a Para-ordernance(sp?) 1911 with high capacity clips?

I personally would pick the FN Five seveN if I had to pick a NATO weapon...

Otherwise i'd have some people design something superior, like a 9mm upgrade like the Ruski's...

Personally, I'm still in favour of the Five7. (never having fired it notwithstanding).

Originally posted by Janus
I can see the P90 being useful in certain circumstances, house Clarence for example but as a replacement for the Beretta i don't think it would work. The bane of any Soldier is weight, its ok for short deployment but when you are out in the boonies for weeks on end the extra weight can be a pain. Also theres the aspect of weapon maintainence and cleaning. Its ok battle stripping and cleaning a Rifle and pistol but i can see doing the same but with a P90 getting very tedious very quickly.

actually, the p90 is lighter than the p90.

it is also very very easy to field strip, since after all i have used one!

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Cooks and clerks and whatnot are issued rifles, not pistols. Pistols are usually issued to upper echelon commanders, platoon leader, radio operators, forward observers, medics, corpsmen and the like, for whom combat is not their primary function, even if they are assigned to line units.

While these weapons are smaller than rifles, the way they are carried would be cumbersome for those who have plenty of work to do in a firefight. As for the one that is strapped to the chest. How would you like to have your life saved from a shot to the chest which also renders your weapon useless? How could you do a low crawl with weapon that size strapped to your chest?

Frankly, I can see truck drivers, platoon leaders and special ops, and swashbuckling generals using these. I just can't see either one replacing the pistol completely.

[edit on 04/11/25 by GradyPhilpott]

Don't truck drivers already use the p90?

Originally posted by ebolazebra


actually, the p90 is lighter than the p90.

huh?

the MP7 is lighter by far than the P90.
by atleast a kilo.

Originally posted by Clownface

Originally posted by ebolazebra


actually, the p90 is lighter than the p90.

huh?

oops sorry about that!

OOO after reading the fact shets on both of the guns, i realized that the kl7 is way lighter than the p90. But i still think the p90 isa much better gun.

Why would they replace a pistol with SMG's? I think the beretta is good. Five Seven is okay..It was used in splinter cell. I choose to use a Sig Saur.

the MP7 can be used as a replacemnet for the beretta due to its one slug fireing mode (please exscuse dodgy writeing here folks, trying to actually get this post.)
it can also be held the same way as the beretta and fired the same way BUT has a fully auto mode as well.

I'd accually like to see the enforcer from unreal tournament go into battle with the marines...

Originally posted by Paladin327
I'd accually like to see the enforcer from unreal tournament go into battle with the marines...

dude then we would have people running around with double enforcers and some weird voice shouting , "multi kill" or "dominateing!"....ncie to see a fellow UT player.

supposedly the reason for replacing the Beretta is a combination of overpenetration in urban settings, coupled with more and more body armor being seen on the battlefield. Also the 9mm round while effective for civilian or police carry, has the same problem as the m-16 and I fear the 5.7 or hk will have the same. For some reason in wars you have to shoot someone lotsa times with small caliber weapons before they remember to tip over. This is why .308 and .45 cal rounds rocked, there was no chance you were going to forget to tip over after the 2nd shot! That being said if I had to pick the mp-17 gets my vote with the exception of tiny mag cap. which will be a problem. as far as range I think the 17 is listed at 250-400 meters effective I could be wrong. Both are amazing weapons on than the p-90's drop problem, aka you drop clip or gun and the mag spring goes wonky and you gotta take it apart and reload the clip.

Originally posted by devilwasp

Originally posted by Paladin327
I'd accually like to see the enforcer from unreal tournament go into battle with the marines...

dude then we would have people running around with double enforcers and some weird voice shouting , "multi kill" or "dominateing!"....ncie to see a fellow UT player.

So you guys like UT too. I think that for urban ops the shield gun would be pretty nice, that or the lightning gun. Sorry for getting off topic everybody.

For a marines replacement I think that they should use either the Five-Seven or a Colt .45, these are all around excellent pistols. I think that a lot of older marines would like to have the .45 over anything else.