Sometimes when combat gets a little too close to comfort, a rifle or carbine no longer does the trick and a soldier is forced to turn to their pistol to stay in the fight.
That’s why the U.S. military has been equipping its officers and soldiers with sidearms ever since the time of the American Revolution. Handguns have always served as valuable weapons for close quarters combat or as backup guns for when a soldier loses their rifle or runs out of rifle ammunition.
But which specific pistols has the American military trusted enough to issue to its soldiers for use on the battlefield? That’s what we’re going to find out today.
Here are 25 sidearms the U.S. military has issued from the Revolution to the present day:
1 – Kentucky Flintlock Pistol
As with rifles, there was no standard issue handgun for American forces during the Revolution. As a result, most colonists who signed up to fight the British used whatever pistols they already owned or could get their hands on.
But one of the most popular flintlock pistols used in the war was the Kentucky flintlock pistol. These pistols were often carried either on a soldier’s person or in a holster attached to his horse’s saddle.
2 – Modele 1763 Flintlock Pistol
Another widely used flintlock pistol by the Americans in the Revolutionary War was the French-made Modele 1763 pistol. The Modele 1763, along with other French-made pistols, were common throughout North America from the time of the French presence on the continent.
Several French weapons, including Modele 1763 pistols, were imported into North America thanks to the influence of Marquis de Lafayette, a French general who helped train and lead American forces during the war.
3 – Harper’s Ferry Flintlock Pistol Model of 1805
The first official standard issue handgun of the United States armed forces was the Harper’s Ferry Flintlock Pistol Model of 1805.
These .54 caliber pistols were built at the Harpers Ferry armory in West Virginia and were issued widely to American cavalry during the War of 1812. Less than 300 original models exist today, which makes them prized collectors’ guns.
4 – Colt Model 1848 Dragoon
The .44 caliber Colt Model 1848 ‘Dragoon’ cap-and-ball revolver was the first revolver that was used in wide numbers by the American military.
Previous revolvers, like the Colt 1836 Paterson and the Colt 1847 Walker, saw very limited service due to issues with fragility and reliability.
The Dragoon rectified these issues and proved to the U.S. military that revolvers were viable as sidearms.
The Dragoon was used throughout the 1850s and the Civil War. Over 18,000 were issued to the military in total.
5 – Colt Model 1851
While the Dragoon was an effective revolver, it was also large and heavy. The .36 caliber Colt 1851 ‘Navy’ revolver was much lighter and easier to carry.
It became one of Colt’s most successful guns up until that point, as well as one of the most widely issued revolvers by the Union during the Civil War.
After the war, several were converted to fire cartridges like .38 Short Colt. Over 250,000 1851 Navy revolvers were produced in total.
6 – Starr Model 1858/1863
Colt could not produce enough 1851 and 1860 revolvers to fulfill demand during the Civil War, so the Union turned to revolvers from other manufacturers to help supplement the Colts.
Two of these were the .44 caliber Starr Model 1858/1863 revolvers.
The Model 1858 was a double action revolver, which was very unique for the time period, while the 1863 like you see in the above photo is a single action.
The 1863 was simpler to operate and more reliable.
Starr became the third most widely used revolver brand for the Union in the Civil War, after the Colt and Remington revolvers.
7 – Remington Model 1858
Another widely used revolver for the Union during the Civil War to help supplement the standard issue Colts was the .44 caliber Remington 1858.
The 1858 was more durable than the competing Colt revolvers due to its solid frame.
It also had the ability to swap between pre-loaded cylinders in the frame for a faster reload, but this was only possible if the cylinders were machined precisely to each gun.
After the Civil War, several 1858s were converted to fire cartridges like .44 Colt and .46 Rimfire.
8 – Colt Model 1860
The standard issue revolver of the Union during the Civil War was the .44 caliber Colt 1860 ‘Army’ revolver.
The 1860 was built on the same frame as the 1851 Navy, but it also has a longer cylinder to accommodate the larger .44 rounds.
After the war several were modified to fire cartridges like .44 Colt. Over 200,000 units were produced in total.
9 – Smith & Wesson Model 3
The Smith & Wesson Model 3 in .44 S&W American was the first factory cartridge revolver that was adopted by the United States military in 1870.
In 1875, Model 3s were designated as the ‘Schofield’ due to improvements to the loading latch that were made by a U.S. Army Major with the same last name.
The Model 3 was soon phased out as the standard sidearm in favor of the Colt Single Action Army due to logistics with ammunition (as the military opted to go with the SAA’s .45 Long Colt cartridge) but it remained in limited service up to the Spanish-American War.
The above example is very well worn.
10 – Colt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army (SAA) in .45 Long Colt, otherwise known as the Peacemaker, was the standard issue sidearm for the United States military from 1873 until the mid-1890s, when it was replaced by the Colt Model 1892.
The SAA quickly phased out the S&W Model 3 when the military decided to go with the .45 Long Colt cartridge as standard issue, which the Model 3 could not chamber.
The SAA (and its many reproductions) is one of the most prolific firearms ever produced and an icon of the Old West era.
11 – Colt Model 1889/Model 1892
The Colt Model 1889 in .38 Long Colt was the first double action revolver with a swing out cylinder that was adopted by the U.S. military.
The military later adopted the improved Model 1892 in the same chambering, which had an added bolt to better hold the cylinder in the firing position.
The 1892 would continue to be improved into the 1900s.
It was soon discovered that the .38 Long Colt round was underpowered, which meant that the more powerful Colt SAA’s in .45 Long Colt continued to be used in conflicts such as the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War.
12 – Colt M1903/M1908
The .32 ACP Colt M1903 (and its .380 ACP counterpart in the form of the M1908) were issued to general officers in the U.S. Army and Air Force from the early 1900s up until the 1970s.
The guns were often engraved with the names of the officers to whom they were issued.
The 1903 and 1908 pistols were also issued by the OSS (Office of Strategic Services – which would go on to become the CIA) due to how reliable, slim, and compact they were.
13 – Colt M1911
The Colt M1911 in .45 ACP was adopted by the U.S. Army in, well, 1911 and by the other branches in 1913. It was the first semi-automatic pistol to be adopted as standard issue by the American armed forces.
The M1911 saw extensive service throughout World War I, and to help keep up with high demand, the U.S. government contracted other companies to produce it as well, including Remington and Springfield Armory.
14 – Colt M1917
Following America’s entry into World War I, there weren’t enough M1911 pistols being produced to meet demand, so the U.S. military requested Colt to produce a modified version of their existing New Service revolver by re-chambering it from .45 Long Colt to .45 ACP.
Designated the M1917, the new revolver was issued in large numbers to American troops and continued to see service into Korea and Vietnam.
15 – Smith & Wesson M1917
Colt was not the only company to make an M1917 revolver.
The American government also contracted Smith & Wesson, who responded with a .45 ACP version of their Hand Ejector 2nd Model. S&W M1917s revolvers generally have a nicer fit and finish than the Colts, and are instantly distinguishable due to the latch in front of the ejector rod.
As with the Colt, the S&W M1917 continued to be issued into the Korean and Vietnam wars.
16 – Colt M1911A1
After World War I, the M1911 pistol was upgraded into the M1911A1, which featured a shorter trigger and an arched mainspring housing to make the pistol easier to shoot for those with smaller hands.
Around 2 million M1911A1s were produced in total and it continued to serve as the standard issue sidearm for the U.S. military until its replacement by the Beretta M9 in the mid-1980s.
It continues to be used by the military in very limited numbers today, and is the longest lived U.S. service pistol in history.
In addition to Colt, M1911A1 pistols were also made by Ithaca, Remington Rand, and Union Switch & Signal.
17 – Smith & Wesson Model 10/15
During World War II, the United States Navy could not get enough M1911A1 pistols to equip its personnel, so they turned to secondary handguns to supplement the M1911A1 instead.
One of these handguns was the Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver in .38 Special; the Model 10s made for the Navy in WWII were named the ‘Victory’ model.
Model 10s, along with the Model 15 (essentially a Model 10 with adjustable sights), were also commonly issued to pilots in both the Navy and Air Force who preferred the lighter weight of these revolvers over the heavier 1911s.
18 – Smith & Wesson Model 39
The Model 39 was Smith & Wesson’s response to the U.S. military’s request for a double action, single action 9mm pistol to replace the M1911A1 following World War II.
While the program ultimately fell through and the M1911A1 would remain the standard sidearm for a few more decades, the Model 39 impressed the U.S. Navy SEALs.
They adopted a variant of the Model 39 with raised sights and a threaded barrel to accept a suppressor like you see in the above photo.
This gun was designated as the Mk 22 Mod 0 ‘hush puppy.’
19 – Beretta 92FS
The 9mm Beretta 92FS famously replaced the Colt M1911A1 as the military’s standard issue sidearm in the mid-1980s.
Designated as the M9 for military service, it beat out many other contestants including the SIG Sauer P226, Smith & Wesson Model 459, Walther P88, Steyr GB, and the Heckler & Koch P7.
The M9 is currently in the process of being phased out by the SIG Sauer P320 (M17/M18).
It has seen extensive service throughout the War on Terror.
20 – SIG Sauer P226
Even though the SIG Sauer P226 narrowly lost to the Beretta M9 as the army’s standard sidearm, it earned the attention of the U.S. Navy SEALs in much the same way as the Smith & Wesson Model 39 did years earlier.
The P226 ended up being selected as the standard issue pistol for the SEALs as the Mk 25 Mod 0, a role it maintained until the late 2010s when it was replaced by the Glock 19 as the Mk 27.
21 – SIG Sauer P228
After the adoption of the Beretta M9, the military realized that they would also need a smaller pistol to accommodate aircraft/vehicle crews and military police, and general officers.
In the early 1990s, they adopted the 9mm SIG Sauer P228 as the M11 pistol for this role.
The P228 is basically a more compact version of the P226. As with the M9, the M11s currently in service are being phased out by the SIG Sauer P320.
22 -SIG Sauer P229R DAK
SIG Sauer upgraded the P228 to the P229 by giving it a heavier slide so it could handle heavier cartridges like .40 S&W that the P228 can’t.
The United States Coast Guarded adopted the P229R DAK (double action only) in .40 S&W as their standard sidearm in the early 2000s, and is currently in the process of transitioning to the Glock 19.
23 – Glock 19
The Glock 19 in 9mm currently serves as the standard issue sidearm for the U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command), Army Rangers, Delta Force, Navy SEALs, and the Coast Guard.
Glock also submitted a variant of the 19 called the 19X (basically the 19 with a longer grip) to replace the M9, but it ultimately lost to the SIG Sauer P320.
24 – Heckler & Koch MK23
The Heckler & Koch Mk 23 in .45 ACP was built as an offensive handgun for the U.S. SOCOM in the early 1990s.
The Mk 23 was put though some of the strictest torture testing possible, including being forced to maintain accuracy at 30,000 rounds and to fire reliably after being buried in sand, mud, and ice and while being subjected to extreme temperatures ranging from -25 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Mk23 is still being used in limited numbers to this day.
While a very reliable pistol, its massive size makes it a little unwieldy in contrast to smaller pistols.
25 – SIG Sauer P320
The SIG Sauer P320 was selected as the U.S. military’s new sidearm to replace the M9 in 2017; it beat out several other contestants, including the Glock 19X and the Beretta APX.
The P320 was selected by every branch of the military with the exception of the Coast Guard, who went with the Glock 19 to replace the SIG Sauer P229 DAK.
The full-sized model of the P320 is designated as the M17, while the compact variant is designated as the M18.
