Retired Special Operations operator Larry Vickers says factory magazines are hands-down the best for the M9. (David M. Fortier)

During time spent in Iraq, this author spent a considerable amount of time interviewing U.S. soldiers about how their weapons performed in actual combat. Of all the weapons mentioned, none was so disliked as the current U.S. service pistol, the Beretta M9. Basically, the combat-arms soldiers I spoke with universally loathed this design. Soldiers felt the weapon was unnecessarily big and bulky.

To be honest, the Beretta is a chunky girl, especially compared to more modern designs. However, their disdain for it went further, much further. They also cursed it for being unreliable. This is a charge which at first makes one scratch the head, as the basic Beretta design is quite sound and typically very reliable.

Lastly, they hated the cartridge it chambered - the standard 9x19mm NATO round. Restricted to M882 ball ammunition, they felt its terminal performance was lacking.