There have only been three standard issue sidearms for the US Military since 1911. Sig’s M17, based on the popular P320, is the current model. And of course, the infamous .45 caliber 1911 was the first semi-auto handgun the military issued. Between those two was the Beretta M9 which served from 1985 to 2017.
That’s an impressive stretch of nearly 114 years for just three handguns. It’s also a rare bragging right for any gun company to have on its resume.
I greatly respect the 1911 and Beretta M9 pistols, and they will forever be legendary. But today we are talking about the current military sidearm, the Sig M17, and the EDC holster from Safariland.
Sig Sauer M17 Handgun
I have an M17 pistol with approximately 1,800 rounds through it over the past five years and it has performed flawlessly.
One stipulation from the military was that it has a manual thumb safety, which is a noticeable difference from the P320.
One of the most popular features of the P320 and M17 is the interchangeable grip. Most of the time, an interchangeable backstrap is used to adjust the size of a grip for the shooter. But there are limitations on how much you can adjust the size. With the M17’s design, the trigger frame and assembly are considered the “firearm” and not the grip.
When ordering a different grip module, keep in mind the M17 is different from the P320. Because of the manual safety, the grip module will need to have the slot for the safety to slide into. One of my favorite ones for the M17 is the Wilson Combat M17 grip module in black.
Changing the grip takes only a few minutes and does not require any tools. Simply remove the takedown pin after the slide is off the gun and pull the trigger group out. Place it into the new frame and you’re ready to go.
Safariland 578 -GLS Pro-Fit EDC Holster
When you start looking for holsters for the M17 handgun, you find a lot of combat and duty holsters. This makes sense because it’s the standard issue military handgun, right?
But what if you want to make the M17 your everyday carry gun? A large duty/tactical holster is obviously too large for this.
Safariland’s 578 – GLS Pro-Fit Holster is the perfect solution for everyday carry. This open-top holster uses the Grip Lock System (GLS) which is ideal for this type of carry. The GLS system is a retention device that is deactivated when you grip the gun. When drawing the handgun, your middle finger naturally falls against the release lever.
This process eliminates the need for any other action to release the gun as other holsters do. For self-defense purposes, this is ideal. When holstering the gun, the locking mechanism resets, keeping the gun secure in the holster.
Because the 578 Pro-Fit holster uses Safariland’s three-hole pattern, you can use a paddle or belt loop attachment. With the paddle, the holster stays against your side and offers the most concealability for such a large handgun. It’s also easy to put on and take off for daily use, which is why I like the paddle system.
Another great feature of the GLS Pro-Fit is that it’s designed to work with multiple handguns. Because of the way it’s made, my Sig X-Ten (10mm P320) also fits in the 578 holster.
Is this a seasonal gun/holster combo?
Even though this holster keeps the gun close to your body, it’s still an OWB holster carrying a full-size handgun. This means you won’t be able to conceal it wearing only a tank top, T-shirt, or other single layer of clothing. But it’s easy to conceal with some type of outer layer of clothing like a jacket or coat.
I always carry the largest handgun I can reasonably conceal. This means the weather and type of event I’m attending dictate the size of handgun I can carry. During the winter months, it’s easy to conceal a full-size handgun, which makes the 578-holster ideal.
On the range with the Sig M17 and 578 Pro-Fit Holster
One thing I have always liked about the M17 is its balance and ease of shooting. It has a somewhat 1911 feel to it and a pretty good trigger for an out-of-the-box gun.
Most of the time, I prefer not to have an external safety because it’s one more thing to miss during an incident. But because I grew up shooting a 1911 pistol, flipping the thumb safety off as I draw the gun feels natural. I wish they would have made the release just a little bit larger, but that’s just my preference.
When you purchase the M17, you get a 17-round flush-fitting mag and two 21-round extended mags. During range drills, I’ve never had any issues with mags falling freely from the gun during reloads. I do think a flared magwell would have been a great feature to add to the gun.
Using the slide release is easy enough and as I mentioned above, the take-down process is easy. Like the Beretta M9, the M17 has a take-down lever that does not have to be removed. Simply lock the slide back, flip the take-down lever to the six o’clock position, and then pull the slide off.
I performed some Bill Drills with the M17 and 578 Pro-Fit holster as this is an ideal way to train for self-defense. Drawing the M17 from the 578 holster is not much slower than drawing from an open-top holster with no retention. The recoil on the M17 is low and because of the barrel length and grip angle, it’s easy to shoot fast.
Ready to try a 578 Pro-Fit EDC holster?
Safariland makes the 578 holster for a variety of handguns and it’s one of my favorites for OWB concealed carry. It offers some retention while maintaining a low profile.
Sig’s M17 has always been a great shooting gun for me, and the overall shape and ergonomics make it easy to handle on the range. If you are thinking about adding the M17 to your mix of EDC guns, check out the Safariland 578 GLS Pro-Fit holster to go with it.
