https://contracting.tacom.army.mil/confls/awd/W56HZV12D00110005/0000.pdf
According to the above recent award, The Government pays $636 for an M9, bought in certain quantities. Bud’s will charge me $526 for a civvie M9 (including shipping).
Presumably the military contract pistols get some extra QC/testing or something, but I wouldn’t have thought it being over $100 worth. Is this just the negotiated price at the time of award?
Someone correct me if I am wrong here, but I believe that also involves spare parts and maintenance on the platform as well?
I would think that maintenance would be handled by military armorers.
The military model contains all metal parts whereas the current commercial version has several plastic parts. Beretta will charge you extra for them.
True, but they would need to get the parts from somewhere. Would figure a bean counter would have the intelligence to work those parts into the contract. Thought that the contract Remington got, yeah I know different company and contract, stated that Remington would be supplying parts and maintenance to the rifles they were supposed to supply.
The army also gets whatever quantity they want per the contract and never have to wait for buds to get them back in stock. 
I would guess lots of spare parts come with those.
Issued M9s have the plastic parts now.
Our new ones we got in 2007 and 2010 had plastic triggers, guide rods, and magazine base plates.
My current issue M9 is from 2011.
The recoil guide rod is steel. The trigger is pitted really bad and made of steel. The other parts I’ve never noticed what they are made of.
KevinC
It is a common misperception that military contracts yield lower prices, it is often the case they pay a higher per unit price
My issued M9 also had a plastic guide rod and plastic trigger. The rear sight was also of the “two dot” design instead of single dot in the rear. These seems to be the newer design as we have a spattering of M9s with all metal parts in inventory.
This is very true however according to our property book the unit price of an M4 is in the 500 dollar range. I guess when you buy in the thousands and tens of thousands companies can give you a multiple purchase discount. Didn’t take notice of M9s but ACOGs are more than twice the price of an M4.
Its not just the cost of the unit.
You have the support, parts, shipping, QC checks and that is not even taking into account the contracting cost that is tacked on as well.
The government is like a bunch of seperate businesses. Even within departments and agencies, they charge each other for sercvices. A contracting office is going to charge the program office for the work they do. That budget goes towards running the contracting office. Its a resource game.
the value listed in the property books may not be all that accurate; I know of one new system that lists its cost at under half what they were bought for
At least when terminal lance or private snuffy loses that item, they don’t have to pay full price!