I tend to think the Glock just seems to thrive in an environment of abuse. If you put pistols in a test environment you tend to see very similar results with the top tier guns, that includes the Beretta. The problems come when the weapon becomes general issue for line soldiers; who are incredibly hard on equipment since they have no vested interest in them whatsoever. Pistols are not well documented as to how many round they�ve had through them, and maintenance (in the field) can be awfully spotty. Another hindrance to the Beretta (and Glock would have had the same problems) is the �developmental� aspect of learning what makes the pistol tick, and what kills it. Bad magazines and the learning curve of the locking block have really hurt the Beretta. Too bad, any idiot who actually knew a thing or two about handguns could have told you the locking block on the Beretta would be a wear part; just look at the history of the P-38.
Glock has had their share of issues, so had the Glock been chosen as the US service pistol, there�s no doubt it would have suffered in reputation just like the Beretta. One of the issues would have required replacement of all the frames; that�s a big deal. Most other issues would have been very easily dealt with since the Glock is so darned easy to work on.
The big problem with the M9 is the lingering doubts the end user had. Is this one TRULY up to date? How many round has that locking block had? Am I using an after-market magazine? Hand me a brand new M9 and I�d have a lot of confidence. Hand me an M9 out of inventory and I�m a bit concerned, and it will take more than a few rounds and weeks for me to have much confidence.
I really can�t stress the value of military service for a small arm, the learning curve is sharp, and the lessons learned are extremely valuable. There are very few small arms that have entered military service and had no significant issues. The 1911, BAR, and M1 Carbine are perhaps the most shining examples of trouble free service. The 1911 has not required any meaningful changes in manufacturing or design, the BAR, while requiring good maintenance to remain reliable, didn�t require much in the way of changes to manufacturing or materials. The M1 Carbine is truly amazing because not only did it never have any issues, but the whole project went from drawing board to line service in less than a year. The M1 Carbine also featured a whole new gas system that hadn�t really been tried before; truly amazing.
So weapons that just enter service and work perfectly are the exception, not the rule.
