SIG Sauer M18 Sets New Standard for Army MHS Reliability Testing

SIG Sauer announced the company’s M18 compact pistol successfully completed a recent Lot Acceptance Test (LAT) by the U.S. Army. Moreover, the M18, which exhibited zero stoppages during testing, is the compact variant of the Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS).

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Although Lot Acceptance Testing allows up to 12 stoppages to pass, during testing, three M18 pistols fired 12,000 rounds each. According to SIG, the entire test group delivered zero stoppages throughout the MHS Material Reliability Test. Additionally, the pistols passed a parts interchange test and met all accuracy and dispersion requirements, according to SIG. Further, requirements included firing pin and trigger pull measurements to ensure consistency. Also, the pistols conformed to all workmanship standards, according to SIG.

SIG Sauer M18 Testing

“The MHS meets or exceeds requirements for accuracy, lethality, ergonomics, and safety,” and “…both the XM17 and XM18 are operationally effective and suitable,” said findings published in the Director of Operation Testing and Evaluation (DOT&E) Annual Report. The report provides an independent review and analysis of the U.S. Department of Defense weapons systems, according to SIG.

Ron Cohen, President & CEO of SIG SAUER, Inc., began, “the results of this testing for the M18 pistol is truly impressive. The M18 withstood the harsh testing and performance requirements set forth in the MHS contract and has set a new standard for reliability in service pistols.”

SIG’s M18 is a 9mm, striker-fired pistol featuring a coyote-tan PVD coated stainless steel slide with black controls. Moreover, the pistol utilizes SIGLITE front night sights and a removable night sight rear plate. Finally, a manual safety rounds out the package.

Following an exhaustive testing process, the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard all adopted both M17 and M18 pistols, according to SIG. Additionally, SIG won the MHS contract for the full-size M17 and the compact M18 with the P320-based pistol platform, according to SIG. Above all, the contract calls for SIG to deliver 480,000 pistols over 10 years. To date, SIG produced 20,000 pistols since January 2017.

“For this testing the U.S. Army set very high standards for quality and performance, and at SIG we relish the opportunity to meet a challenge and exceed expectations. The performance of the M18 not only surpassed the U.S. Army’s testing requirements, its performance was simply outstanding and nothing short of perfection,” concluded Cohen.