NAS Kingsville Security Getting New Handgun

Photo By Rod Hafemeister | Chief Petty Officer Edward Salsberry, at NAS Kingsville, is one of the first instructors in Navy Region Southeast certified to train and qualify security personnel on the new M18 pistol.  

KINGSVILLE, TX, UNITED STATES

07.14.2021

Story by Rod Hafemeister 

Naval Air Station Kingsville

A compact sand-colored pistol in his hands, Aviation Ordnance Chief Petty Officer Edward Salsberry proceeded to shoot holes in silhouette targets, changing positions and location as directed by loudspeaker.
Having qualified with the new M18 service pistol, Salsberry became the first Navy Region Southeast instructor authorized to train base security forces on the pistol.
Salsberry is the firing range manager for NAS Kingsville.
“I really like this pistol,” he said. “I think it’s a big improvement over the M9.
“I think the smaller grip will be better for those with smaller hands – and it still fits mine fine.”
The size certainly didn’t hamper his shooting; on a series of different firing positions with a maximum possible score of 240, Salsberry shot 238.
Lt. Michael Ellis, NASK security officer, said Salsberry went to training on the new pistol earlier this year.
“He came back and really stayed on top of the program, getting everything ready to start training our sailors and civilians,” Ellis said.
“He really took charge of it.”
The M18 and its slightly larger sibling, the M17, are 9mm semiautomatic striker-fired pistols based on the Sig Sauer P320 platform.
The pistols were accepted for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force after several years of a competition to determine a Modular Handgun System to replace the Beretta M9 adopted by the military in 1985.
The Army began fielding the pistol in December 2017 and by late 2020, Sig had delivered more than 200,000 pistols to the services.
The Navy is scheduled to purchase 60,000.
Officially called coyote tan, the finish includes both the stainless steel slide and the polymer frame. Black controls include ambidextrous safeties, a reversible slide release, sights and trigger. There is an accessory rail under the barrel.
People coming through the air station gate will see the tan grips in gate guard holsters within the next couple months – NASK is supposed to complete the transition to the new pistol by the end of September.
“We’re going to totally exceed getting everyone qualified before the deadline,” Ellis said. “We’re still waiting on some pistols, but we have more than enough to get everyone qualified.”

• Date Taken: 07.14.2021
• Date Posted: 07.26.2021 17:52
• Story ID: 401757
• Location: KINGSVILLE, TX, US