Civilians will soon have a chance to purchase an exact replica of the Army's new handgun.

Firearms maker Sig Sauer will sell 5,000 of the M17 Modular Handgun System 9mm pistol in May, Army Times is reporting. Each of the handguns will have an individualized serial number with matching coin and certificate of authenticity.

The price for the weapon, as well as where they will be available, has not been announced.

A commercial version with an optional thumb safety but without special coatings for parts or an anti-tampering mechanism will be made available at the same time.

Last year, Sig was awarded a $580 million contract to provide as many as 238,000 service pistols to the Army, beating out firearms manufacturers such as Glock, FN America and Beretta USA. Over the next 10 years the Army will distribute the new handguns to all units to replace the M9 pistol, which has been in service since 1986.

In November, troops at Fort Campbell-based 101st Airborne Division were the first to receive the weapons as part of a 190,000-pistol buy.