With a contract as big as the Army Modular Handgun System contract and competitors as big as SIG SAUER, GLOCK, and Smith & Wesson it was natural that someone would be very disappointed when the results were handed down. The contract isn’t just about the large purchase the U.S. Army will be making, but for the knock-on effect from other government agencies, law enforcement, and private citizens who’d also be purchasing the handgun for themselves simply because it’s the one that the Army uses.
With all that potential revenue on the table GLOCK is taking a poke at getting the Army’s decision reversed.
According to the Government Accounting Office GLOCK has filed an official protest of the MHS contract decision. It’s a smart move as far as GLOCK is concerned — given how much money and time they probably have invested into the project already. (Actually, how much money could they have spent engraving an “M” on existing GLOCK 17’s?)
The added cost of pursuing a protest is but a drop in the proverbial bucket. If they lose the appeal, it’s just another sliver of business development cost that will be passed on to the average GLOCK buyer. But if they win, it will mean a huge boost to the bottom line. Which would not be passed on to the average GLOCK buyer.
Will they succeed? Probably not. SIG SAUER hit it out of the park with the P320, not only meeting the written requirements of the contract, but also fulfilling the concept the Army was looking for. The GLOCK might meet the literal requirements but it isn’t in the same league in terms of modularity as the SIG.
In the meantime a XM17 P320 is scheduled to arrive at TTAG HQ in the near future. Stay tuned for a full review.