I recently bought a new Beretta Nano 9mm; it came with one 8 round extended magazine and one flush fitting six round magazine. The Nano does not have an internal lock or magazine disconnect, if it did I wouldn’t have bought it. I also bought night sights and an extra six round magazine.
First thing I did was check sight adjustment; I shot 25 rounds of 124 gr. Winchester Ranger T and made a minor adjustment to the rear sight. I subsequently replaced the original sights with night sights, taking care to put the rear in the adjusted spot, and applied some Loc-Tite.
Next shooting session was 200 rounds of four different types of ammunition, 50 rounds each.
Third session was 50 rounds of my handload (a Hornady 115 gr. XTP) and another 25 rounds of the Federal 124 gr. HST +P bringing the total rounds to 300.
Chrono results, in ascending level of KE, average for 5 shots:
Federal 124 gr. Hydra Shok @ 991 fps / 270# KE
Federal 147 gr. JHP @ 914 fps / 273# KE
Hornady 115 gr. XTP handload @1,110 fps / 315# KE
Federal 124 gr. HST +P @ 1,144 fps / 360# KE
Winchester 124 gr. Ranger T +P @ 1,184 fps / 386# KE
Ammunition performance in water filled jugs, average recovered diameter:
Federal 124 gr. Hydra Shok- back of 4th jug / ~.53
Hornady 115 gr. XTP handload- back of 3rd jug / ~.61
Federal 124 gr. HST +P- back of 3rd jug / ~.68
Winchester Ranger T 124 gr. +P- back of 3rd jug / ~.74
Ejection of brass:
Federal 124 gr. Hydra Shok: acceptable ejection pattern, majority at 3-4 o’clock
Federal 147 gr. JHP: erratic ejection pattern, some thrown close to or over my head
Hornady 115 gr. handload: very good ejection pattern, consistently about 3-4 o’clock
Federal 124 gr. HST +P: very good ejection pattern, consistently at 3-4 o’clock
Winchester 124 gr. Ranger T +P: erratic ejection pattern, some thrown close to or over my head
I bought the Nano as a potential pocket carry pistol. I don’t like the look of the Nano with the extended eight round magazine inserted and it would eliminate pocket carry; however, the eight round magazine is useful as a spare.
My choice in ammo is the Federal 124 gr. HST +P for the most energy and consistent ejection of brass, with my own handload as an acceptable (to me) alternate.
Summary, I shot 300 rounds of various ammo through my Nano with no malfunctions.
I included two pics showing the Nano beside a J frame for size comparison.
First thing I did was check sight adjustment; I shot 25 rounds of 124 gr. Winchester Ranger T and made a minor adjustment to the rear sight. I subsequently replaced the original sights with night sights, taking care to put the rear in the adjusted spot, and applied some Loc-Tite.
Next shooting session was 200 rounds of four different types of ammunition, 50 rounds each.
Third session was 50 rounds of my handload (a Hornady 115 gr. XTP) and another 25 rounds of the Federal 124 gr. HST +P bringing the total rounds to 300.
Chrono results, in ascending level of KE, average for 5 shots:
Federal 124 gr. Hydra Shok @ 991 fps / 270# KE
Federal 147 gr. JHP @ 914 fps / 273# KE
Hornady 115 gr. XTP handload @1,110 fps / 315# KE
Federal 124 gr. HST +P @ 1,144 fps / 360# KE
Winchester 124 gr. Ranger T +P @ 1,184 fps / 386# KE
Ammunition performance in water filled jugs, average recovered diameter:
Federal 124 gr. Hydra Shok- back of 4th jug / ~.53
Hornady 115 gr. XTP handload- back of 3rd jug / ~.61
Federal 124 gr. HST +P- back of 3rd jug / ~.68
Winchester Ranger T 124 gr. +P- back of 3rd jug / ~.74
Ejection of brass:
Federal 124 gr. Hydra Shok: acceptable ejection pattern, majority at 3-4 o’clock
Federal 147 gr. JHP: erratic ejection pattern, some thrown close to or over my head
Hornady 115 gr. handload: very good ejection pattern, consistently about 3-4 o’clock
Federal 124 gr. HST +P: very good ejection pattern, consistently at 3-4 o’clock
Winchester 124 gr. Ranger T +P: erratic ejection pattern, some thrown close to or over my head
I bought the Nano as a potential pocket carry pistol. I don’t like the look of the Nano with the extended eight round magazine inserted and it would eliminate pocket carry; however, the eight round magazine is useful as a spare.
My choice in ammo is the Federal 124 gr. HST +P for the most energy and consistent ejection of brass, with my own handload as an acceptable (to me) alternate.
Summary, I shot 300 rounds of various ammo through my Nano with no malfunctions.
I included two pics showing the Nano beside a J frame for size comparison.