TLP 204 Did The Military Pick The Best Handgun For Our Troops?

Welcome back to the Talking Lead Show episode TLP 204! This week Lefty delves into The XM17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition. The United States Army and United States Air Force competition for a new service pistol.

With so many complaints with the Beretta 92FS aka: M-9, after 2o years it was time to replace it with a more modern, more lethal, more modular handgun. For now, the M9’s replacement appears to be the Sig Sauer P320. Was the “best” handgun chosen? Was the MHS competition ended prematurely? Did the Government pick price over performance again? We discuss these questions and more in this episode of Talking Lead!

To help with the discussion we invited a qualified group of current and former Military servicemen to join in the discussion.

John Peterson:

A former Army Special Forces soldier with service before and after 9/11 overseas both as an SF troop and intelligence contractor. John has served as a full time firearms instructor at Smith & Wesson Academy and Sig Sauer Academy for 3 years each, then a tour in Afghanistan as a Special Forces soldier, then serving at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before becoming a contractor supporting the war effort. Earlier in his career, he served as an Infantryman in the U.S. Army during the Reagan era, before going in the Special Forces.

As an instructor, he has taught in over 60 types of firearms, tactics, driving, and intelligence courses as well as at 55 conferences to date. He has taught to police officers from all 50 states, all of the federal law enforcement agencies, and numerous allied countries as well as corrections, executive protection, private security, and several thousand private citizens.

He is a life member of the NRA, Second Amendment Foundation, Special Operations Association, and Veterans of Foreign Wars

John has written for both newsstand magazine and online outlets on firearms, training, and terrorism, such as Firearms News, Be Ready, Tactical Shooter, and the Journal of Counterterrorism and Homeland Security International. He is currently working on the first of three firearms books.
Twitter & Instagram: @jtfpeterson
ARFCOM/ AR15.com: jtfpeterson
Websites: www.iacsp.com and www.americanpreservationalliance.org

Nathan Love – Founder of Frontier Tactical:

Nathan served in the U.S. Army as an infantry soldier for almost a decade. As an infantryman, he was deployed to Kosovo and Iraq. His combat in Iraq resulted in the award of a Purple Heart and numerous other citations, awards and badges (such as the Expert and Combat Infantryman Badges).

Upon his honorable discharge, he attended the Colorado School of Trades for Gunsmithing. His career path led him to contracting for the military. As a contractor, he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan many times, over the course of seven years. He was recruited and deployed as a small arms repairer and inspector. The knowledge and experience he gained working closely with the military on their weapon systems in combat theaters proved invaluable in the creation of Frontier Tactical.

As a disabled veteran, Mr. Love makes the solid commitment to other veterans in his intent to provide training and employment for his peers. He recognizes that many companies have at best paid lip-service to veterans, and at worst have used veteran programs to their own advantage while circumventing any benefit to those who have served this nation.
Twitter, Instagram & Facebook: @frontiertactical
Website: www.frontiertactical.com

Kenneth F. Hein Jr.:

Ken graduated from Bentley HS in Livonia, Mi in 1983 and joined the US Army. After Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training as a Light Wheeled Vehicle and Power Generation Mechanic at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo and Basic Airborne School in Ft Benning, Ga. Ken was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC with the 82 nd Airborne Division.

During his time in the military he was deployed to combat during Operation Desert Storm 1990-1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom 2007-2008. Ken’s awards and decorations include The Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Master Parachutist Badge.

Ken served from 1983-2011 and retired as a First Sergeant (E-8) with a total for 28 years on active duty. After retiring from the US Army he continued his service as a civilian contractor in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Ken met Nathan Love during in-processing at Atterbury, Indiana in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan in 2012. The bond of the military brotherhood has no barriers and they instantly struck up a friendship. Following the end of his contract in Afghanistan Ken reached out to Nate and offered his leadership ability and expertise in logistics to bring energy to the team at Frontier Tactical. Currently Ken serves as the Chief Operations Officer and Jack of All Trades for Frontier Tactical.

Casey Griggs:

Casey is active duty with the Army National Guard. He has 15 years military service. Casey was deployed to Iraq twice, 04-05/08-09 Ballad Iraq and Taji. Casey’s qualifications include: Cavalry Scout, Small Arms Repair, Supply & Logistics, Instructor.