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  4. Classic SIG Shines in Terminal List: The MK25

A classic SIG Sauer P-series handgun with a serious pedigree is getting a moment in the sun as part of a hit new series. 

The Terminal List, which debuted earlier this month on Amazon Prime, is based on the best-selling novel by Navy SEAL veteran Jack Carr and follows Navy Lt. Commander James Reece (Chris Pratt) after his entire platoon SEALs is ambushed during a covert mission overseas. Besides Pratt-- who has fast become a staple of Hollywood sci-fi/action films, the series stars Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Jai Courtney, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and, oh yeah, a SIG P226 MK25. 

 

Terminal List MK25
Besides a slew of serious hardware and edged weapons, the MK25 gets a lot of screentime, especially in the first episode, and is even included in the opening credits. 

 

The gun is such a key plot point, in fact, that you can't get two seconds into the trailer for the series without seeing it. 

 

 

What is the MK25?

 

Going as far back as 1984, at least a few West German-made SIG Sauer P226s were in use with the Navy's growing SEAL frogman community. Even when the Army went with the Beretta 92F in the XM9 pistol trials-- beating out the P226 due to a lower price point per gun-- the Navy's Special Warfare community opted for a gently modded P226 made just for them, the MK24.

This gun, developed by SIG to include specially phosphated internals, a chrome-lined bore, and a "curved" accessory rail on the dustcover at a time when very few pistols had rails, was adopted around 1990. The guns included an anchor engraved into the slide and, eventually, a UID label for tracking purposes. Being a West German-made gun, the early MK24s used zipper-backs triple-S Sauer-made magazines, utilizing flush-fit 15 rounders and extended 20-rounders. Chris Bartocci over at SADJ covers this in more detail if you are curious. 

 

Navy SEAL MK24 P226 pistol
"A U.S. Navy SEAL surfaces with his weapon drawn during a combat swimmer training dive on May 18, 2006." (Photo: U.S. Navy/Senior Chief Petty Officer Andrew McKaskle)
Navy SEAL MK24 P226 pistol
"California (11 Jan. 2012) Navy SEALs conduct training in a remote area." (Photo: U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Martin L. Carey)

 

The MK24 later morphed into a version with a better breechblock, a standard M1913 Picatinny rail, and night sights around 2011 to become the MK25. While the previous version wasn't available in a commercial format except for a brief commemorative run in 2004, SIG knew right away the MK25 would be a hit with consumers.

 

SIG Sauer MK25 9mm pistol
SIG's marketing for the new MK25 in late 2011. 

 

When first introduced, the commercial MK25 was a standard P226R in DA/SA format with a 4.9 inch-barrel, black Nitron coated stainless steel slide, Picatinny accessory rail, Siglite night sights and black polymer grips. What set it apart was it had the phosphated internals, anchor engraving and UID label. 

 

SIG Sauer MK25 9mm pistol
A P226 MK25 Navy in the Guns.com Vault. 
SIG Sauer MK25 9mm pistol
Note the anchor and UID label. 
SIG Sauer MK25 9mm pistol
These guns accept standard P226 parts. 
SIG Sauer MK25 9mm pistol
SIG also produced the MK25 with an extended threaded barrel until 2017. (Photo: SIG).

SIG Sauer MK25 9mm pistol

And in an FDE "Desert" variant that was available between 2014 and 2017.

A P226 was used by Medal of Honor recipient, Navy SEAL Master Chief Britt Slabinski, in Afghanistan. 

SIG's Custom Works in 2019 created a special MK25 for Slabinski, uniquely finished with a high polish on the slide with 24k gold engraving while the frame is left in a matte black “as a nod to the warrior.”

 

SIG Sauer MK25 9mm pistol commemorative
SIG's MK25 presentation pistol to honor SEAL Master Chief Slabinski.
A pair of SIG MK25 1962-2012 50 Year SEAL Team Commemoratives at the company's headquarters in New Hampshire. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

 

Back to the Terminal List

 

Not to give away any spoilers, but the series includes a ton of other great guns that Gary Tuers with Xtreme Props has been detailing. The company worked previously with Pratt on "The Tomorrow War" and has an eye for detail. Besides the P226 MK25 in a BP Tactical conceal holster, there is also a G19 that has been much-modded by Taran Tactical to what is now known as the "TTI Terminal Package," a Beretta 1301 tactical shotgun tricked out by Aridus Industries, a Remington 700 in .300 Win Mag with big Night Force glass, and HK 416s running Vortex AMG UH-1 Red Dot and PEC-15s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Terminal List" is a co-production from Amazon Studios and Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television, in current worldwide availability through Amazon Prime. While the critics hate it due to toxic masculinity and other screeching, it currently has a 95 percent fresh audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been trending as the most-watched series on the platform since it debuted over the Independence Day weekend.
 

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