M9

The M9 is an American handgun firing the 9x19mm NATO pistol round. There was a competition for the 9mm pistols that may serve the American Armed Forces, to replace the M1911, which was an aging design, and used the non-NATO standard .45ACP round. The winner was the M9 pistol, first put in service in 1985, largely replacing the M1911. The M9 was a controversial weapon to be frank, as many people did not like the 9mm round compared to the .45ACP round, which provided more stopping power. That is how the M9 isn't used by everyone using a pistol, with some units sticking with the M1911.

The M9 is unlocked straight away, meaning the player can already equip this moderately powered handgun to suit their needs. It is about as powerful as the Glock 17, and has less ammo. Not much of a worry though, since you have 15 bullets in each mag (and one in the chamber) and more reserve ammo. The best use of it would be with a Muzzle Brake, to counter the upward kick, the laser just to make the hip fire spread a bit smaller and a sight, with either the VCOG for longer ranges or the Delta/Mini Sight for normal combat ranges.

Effective Range
The M9 has the bonus of equipping the VCOG sight, along with the 5 hits to kill.
 * Semi, default sight: 150 studs
 * Semi, alternate sight: 180 studs
 * Semi, VCOG 6x: 225 studs

Offensive
The M9 used to be crap, but it's good now, so it's k.
 * The M9 should be used as a mid-range (or long range if you equipped the VCog) Primary or a backup weapon.
 * The former two ways should be used when equipping a CQC-oriented weapon- i.e. the FAMAS.
 * Any loadout can use the M9 in the latter way, although it may be best not to use the VCog when considering using the M9 like this.
 * Ever heard of the term "pistol sniping"? Well, the M9's VCog completely turns this into a brand new level. The M9 can get headshot snipes of up to 300 studs away when used with a good player.

Defensive

 * The M9, when used as a CQC weapon, is not the best backup Pistol to use. Emphasize on this by mowing them down with a gun that specializes in close quarters- for example, the aforementioned FAMAS.
 * If the user uses the M9 with the VCog and for pistol sniping, you will have time to react due to its low damage model at range; s/he will have to take four-five shots at extreme ranges. In turn, take cover, move around so that you're not an easy target, and pick them off with a true ranged weapon- i.e. the MK11- if you have one.

FactionGuerrilla
''If I'm honest, both of these loadouts are more for a "troll-esque" feel to them. The VCog M9 can be kind of viable, but its recoil may or may not be a pain, whilst the "Special Ops" loadout is more for the feels because it removes its advantage of having a 5-shot range against the G17.''

Loadout 1: VCog
I usually use this when I'm using a CQC-oriented weapon, such as the Remington 870.
 * Optic: VCog 6x Scope- No, the VCog loadout is called that for absolutely nothing.
 * Barrel: Muzzle Brake- I feel that the vertical recoil is too unruly for the M9, so I use a Brake to lower it. Sure, it raises the horizontal recoil, but usually you won't be able to feel it due to the M9 being semiauto.
 * Other: None- The laser doesn't appeal to me on the VCog. I dunno why. Your choice whether you want to put it on or not.

Loadout 2: Spec-Ops

 * Optic: Half Ring Sight- The regular sight is too low, and is a bit obtrusive with the Suppressor added.
 * Barrel: Suppressor- If you're going to use a Suppressor on a Pistol, why not use the maximum-strength one?
 * Other: None- I'm pretty sure that IRL the Laser would give your position away, so I ditched it.

In Conclusion
The M9 used to be one of the worst guns in the game. If you want a semi pistol for close range exclusively, the G17 will be better, but like the M1911 from CoR 5, the M9's niche lay in its long range damage. The M9 may still be a shell of itself in terms of the range of the 3-hit kill, and there being a 5-hit kill, but a small 3-hit range is better than no 3-hit range at all.

Trivia

 * It is the only handgun as of yet to equip the VCOG sight.
 * It used to deal 40-25 damage during the Alpha, but was changed to 40-20, the same damage as the average CoR 5 pistol, then nerfed to 33-20 damage, and now buffed to 34-20.
 * The M93R is the burst-fire machine pistol variant of the M9, which is now usable within the game, and much better then the basic M9 when used right.