The Army’s Modular Handgun System competition continues to chug along, shedding contenders which don’t make the cut. The latest victim, according to Smith & Wesson’s own SEC filings, is the S&W M&P9.
The concept behind the MHS competition is to find one firearm platform that can be modified to fit any role, from full size combat handguns for front line troops to compact concealable versions for investigators and military police. Previously the military had to stock completely different firearms to fit each specific role which had the unfortunate consequence that none of the magazines or spare parts fit and the gunsmith spare parts kit size pulled a Donald Trump.
We have already seen a couple competitors fall away, and S&W isn’t a surprising addition to the discard pile. Still in the running are the top competitors in my opinion: GLOCK and SIG SAUER. The GLOCK 17M and 19M have a lot of parts commonality and can achieve the requirements of the contract with an existing and proven system. SIG SAUER’s P320 on the other hand is tailor made to exactly meet the spirit of the contract by providing an extremely modular handgun system. Personally I think the P320 is going to be the eventual winner but we will have to see.