It’s ambidextrous, ergonomic, compact and easy to conceal — but for now, this handgun is only available to a few select Marine Corps personnel.
The branch has a new handgun for devil dogs and civilian personnel who require a concealed carry weapon for their day-to-day duties: the Glock 19M pistol, which the service has taken to calling the M007 after James Bond. Smaller than the M9 Beretta it’s meant to replace, the Corps claims the sidearm is a better fit for those Marines who need to maintain a low profile while remaining armed
“The M007 has a smaller frame and is easier to conceal, making it a natural selection to meet the Marine Corps’ conceal carry weapon requirement,” Gunnery Sgt. Brian Nelson, the Individual Weapons project officer with Marine Corps Systems Command said in a Nov. 8 statement.
After working with the FBI, which adopted the Glock 19M in 2016, the Marines acquired 400 of the handguns in May and began issuing them to service members and civilians with the Corps’ Criminal Investigation Division and those serving with Helicopter Squadron One, also called Marine One, which is tasked with transporting the president.
The M007 comes with a flared magazine well, making it easier to reload, and its grip ditches finger grooves in favor of a textured frame for improved ergonomics and a more comfortable handling experience for a wide range of shooters. It also has an ambidextrous slide and customizeable magazine release, which makes it easily useable by lefties and righties alike.
Beyond the weapon’s specs, it’s the speed of the acquisition that the service is most keen to highlight.
“When we conducted market research, we discovered that the FBI was in the process of buying a new pistol and their test data was very methodical,” Barb Hamby, a spokesperson for Marine Corps Systems Command told Task & Purpose. “We had never seen a pistol perform to that standard and with such a high level of reliability, the cost estimate over the life of the pistol was paltry.”