[Zackmeister]

I was thinking of getting a Kimber Custom II, but it ended up being out of my price range. I picked up a used Beretta 96 instead. I haven't gotten a chance to shoot it yet, but I wanted to hear y'alls experience with them.

[nvrquit]

If it's a standard slide 96(in other words, not a Brigadier, Elite or Elite II), then I would recommend running a 14 or 15 lb. recoil spring(Wolff). If you're going to run stiffer ammo on a regular basis(CorBon and such), then include the use of a buffer to help save on frame wear.

Beyond that, perhaps a trip to Langdon for Level 1 or Level 2 trigger work would be good.

Other than that, find an economical load that is the most accurate and then practice with that round as much as you can afford.

For more, drop on over to this forum for a little Beretta kinship:

http://www.berettaforum.net/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi


Oh yeah, welcome to the Beretta family! :D

[Zackmeister]

I'm pretty sure it is the standard 96. If it were a brigadier, etc, it would say on the slide, right? What will replacing the recoil spring do? Lessen recoil or save on frame wear? What is some good low pressure .40 ammo? Is Winchester White Box hot, medium, low? Sorry for all the noob questions. :o

[g56]

Regular 96 will have the front sight as part of the slide, I'm pretty sure the Brigadeer front sight is mounted in a dovetail.

[9mmepiphany]

the elite and vertec models have their front sights dovetailed into the front of the slide while all the other 96's have their front sights as part of the slide.

i've found the 96 to be the smoothess and most accurate alloy'ploymer framed .40 i've been able to find. my 96 has also been extremely reliable without a FTF or FTE in several thousand rounds.

i also got my 96 used, i had langdon replace the springs and pins of the top end and his level 2 tigger tune and consider it money well spent. if you feel like shooting 9mm to save money, all you need to add is a 9mm slide and barrel

[Zackmeister]

Yep, then it is definitely a regular 96. I will see about getting a Wolff recoil spring for it. Does anyone know a place to get 10 round magazines cheap?

[Black Snowman]

For magazines check CDNN Investments (http://www.cdnninvestments.com/) for factory or Mec-Gar magazines. ProMag can be OK range magazines, avoid USA, no-name, and most other magazines as they'll cost more to get running right than the differance in buying a quality mag to start with.

[Zackmeister]

Hey thanks snowman! This is my last bump, I promise. Last question, 14 or 15 lb Wolff spring? Is there a big difference?

[Hammer-Ed]

I have a 96 Brigadier and have added the heavier than stock recoil spring. The 96's will fail in the slide before the 92's will Recoil buffers are a good idea, but haven't tried them.

While your at it with Wolff, get a lighter than stock hammer spring. This "D" model spring is the same one used in the DAO Beretta and reduces the trigger pull noticably. Standard change on all Beretta's. One of the first thing Langdon does to any pistol.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/207900.jpg

The bridagier slide is thicker through the middle with more beef in the mid slide area (notice the bump) to enhance strength AND reduce recoil. The Brig slide pisols all have front and rear sight dovetails. As a result, Brig's will not generally use the same holsters as the normal slide 92 or 96 pistols.

Can't say enough about the reputaion of Langdon's work on these pistols. He's practically a God.

Ditto the comment about CCDN. Won't regret it.

I shoot Magtech's 165 and 180 JPH and FMJ at the range. Shoots clean and straight. The Winchester ammo always seems to fire dirty to me. At least I go home with a dirty face. I personally choose to stay away from it.

Love those Berettas though.

[Kamicosmos]

I've had my 96 for almost 10 years now. (Gasp! has it been that long?)
I've had one failure to feed in that time, and that was a messed up handload, so it pretty much doesn't count.

I've been thinking about sending mine off to Langdon as well, just cause it's had alot of rounds through it now, I'd kind like to have an expert look it over to make sure it's cool.

It is my night stand gun however, and I'm planning on getting a .40 Storm to go along side it with my tax return this year. :)

[10-Ring]

I have owned a few 40's and of the bunch, the 96 was the nicest...ironically, it was the 1st one I sold off during the consolidation

[sfhogman]

I had one for a couple of years and finally sold it as I wasn't shooting it very much. Never much cared for the feel of the thing and found that I shoot other pistols better. This is just me- the friend I sold it to loves it, and I have first right of refusal should he ever want to sell it, which I doubt.

I found it to be really beautifully made, and it never bobbled in the time I had it- about 2500 rounds. A friend has one of the very first ones, with over 40,000 hot loaded rounds through it. No failures to feed, no real problems. He's replaced the recoil spring a couple of times, and I believe that's it. The gun is still tight, and as accurate as 96s get. I'd trust my life to his Beretta, or mine.

Jeff