Print Friendly, PDF & Email

In many countries, new generations of handguns are currently being used by both the military and the police. The numerous new acquisitions at home and abroad have both technical and tactical backgrounds.

Despite partially parallel procurement programs, there are some differences between military and police requirements for handguns. The police officer usually carries the pistol as his primary weapon. The focus is therefore on high ergonomics, rapid fire readiness, handling safety and, in recent years, increasingly higher magazine capacity. The soldier, in turn, usually uses the pistol as a secondary armament for personal defense or in environments where a long weapon would be too bulky. For a long time, security was more important than speed. This is probably why manual safeties can be found even in currently introduced pistol models. However, since the beginning of the 2000s at the latest, the military has begun to change its thinking. The pistol became more important as a cross-sectional back-up weapon, which is why cross-sectional training on handguns has intensified since then. In addition, pistols also fulfill special roles, especially in the military sector, for example as weapons for special forces. The focus here is on use with special ammunition (e.g. for silenced use) or use in conjunction with night vision devices.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related topics

HK433 assault rifle family HK G38 for Hessen – medium-range weapons in two configurations Defense technology report Soldiers and Technology 2020 published News from CZ Joy and sorrow at SIG Sauer Systematic thinking – Current developments in hand weapons 70 years of Heckler & Koch – partner of the NATO forces on the Neckar Drone defense: US armed forces test fire control sight Czech army orders 39,000 small arms