COLUMBUS, Ohio (WDTN) – Troopers for the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be carrying new sidearms in the near future.
The department will transition from the SIG Sauer P226 DAK .40 caliber duty pistols it has used for a decade to the SIG Sauer P320 9mm. The current pistols are nearing the end of their 10-year duty cycle.
Customized versions of the SIG P320 called the M17 and M18 won the U.S. Army contract to replace the Beretta M9 that had been the Army’s official sidearm for nearly 30 years.
The division hasn’t finalized a date for when troopers will begin carrying the new gun.
According to a statement from the State Patrol, a firearms testing and evaluation committee was formed, comprising various job classifications across the department. The committee considered firearms from three manufacturers: SIG Sauer, Glock, and Smith and Wesson. Every member of the committee completed a survey after firing each weapon.
The P320 won the department contract because of:
- Maintenance and similarity to the the weapon the agency currently uses
- Safety features
- Customizable grip to each offers.
The new service pistol will cost $390 per gun and will be defrayed by the trade-in value of the current gun, which is $380.
The 10-year replacement plan for duty pistols was put in place to offset maintenance costs when upkeep becomes too costly. Guns usually stay in cycle 10-12 years.
SIG Sauer is based in Germany, but the P320 and the military versions are manufactured in Exeter, New Hampshire.
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