Beretta 96
- Thread starter clin4580
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10-Ring
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The 92 was developed 1st & the 96 followed when the 40 S&W was developed to compete in the market. The one I have experience w/ has seen alot of rounds & is still as reliable & accurate as the day it was purchased. If I were in the market for a 96, I wouldn't hesitate. The 96 is the nicest 40 S&W pistol I've shot PERIOD 
BerettaNut92
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I few forumites have had problems with 96s, mostly Inoxes...not sure if they were Brigadiers.
I remember one saying the extractor went belly up (forgot who it was and what happened to it and why it happened and whether it was here or the Berettaforum) and another forum member whom I met in person suffer a failure in a bad way with his slide stop.
I think
I remember one saying the extractor went belly up (forgot who it was and what happened to it and why it happened and whether it was here or the Berettaforum) and another forum member whom I met in person suffer a failure in a bad way with his slide stop.
I think
SMLE
Member
I carry a 96 and LOVE it. I carry the Rem. 165grn golden sabers and have not had a single malfunction in approx. 1000 rounds fired. For practice, I shoot PMC 165grn flat point FMJs.
I am completly satisfied with mine, your milage may vary.
I am completly satisfied with mine, your milage may vary.
the 96 IS just a tweaked 92FS...the brig is the superior platform for the .40 round. having said all that...
my 96 rides in my duty holster and has had thousands (1k over a 2 day LTT class) of rounds through it without a FTF or FTE. it is the most accurate and controlable .40 i have handled. the extractor problem was with the stainless extractor breaking (actually broke 3, i believe) in an INOX model.
i had ernest langdon replace the locking block, with a 3rd gen, when he rebuilt the top end and did a trigger job. it was just for piece of mind...it was used when i got it
my 96 rides in my duty holster and has had thousands (1k over a 2 day LTT class) of rounds through it without a FTF or FTE. it is the most accurate and controlable .40 i have handled. the extractor problem was with the stainless extractor breaking (actually broke 3, i believe) in an INOX model.
i had ernest langdon replace the locking block, with a 3rd gen, when he rebuilt the top end and did a trigger job. it was just for piece of mind...it was used when i got it
Peter M. Eick
Member
My wifes 96 has been shot a lot. Frankly if I had to pick a pistol I own and it had to fire every time, I would be the 96. It just works all the time everytime. The only problem I ever had with it was the mag followers broke and the slide lock back would not work. Gun still fired though. 3 of them broken in a month or so, so I bought 5 followers at $12 per as I remember. Never broke one since......
JNewell
Member
Well, my experience with a 96 Brig seems to be a little different. It experienced a fair number of feeding failures with various different factory loads. I was shocked because I've got a lot of experience with 92s and have never had a single failure of any kind. I asked around on the Beretta mailing list and the Beretta forum and got a few answers from people whose agencies issue 96s that indicated that the 96s do not perform at the gold standard level of the 92s. These people have the numbers to see a pattern, so the 96 and I parted ways.
BerettaNut92
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9mmepiphany, LOL I was talking about another forumite I met in person (he was sitting with us)....forgot about the problems you had with yours
SMLE
Member
As I said, my 96 has been faultless. I have large hands and always liked the feel of the 92, but being an old time .45 shooter I couldn't quite bring myself to trust the 9mm. I have been looking at the .40 for a while and trying to decide if I really wanted one. I was thinking of getting a Sig 226 but then found the 96 I have now "used" for a very good price. When I say used, it's more like pre-owned, but never fired. Got the hard case, extra mag, all the papers etc. An aquaintance who is an instructor with the Albuquerque Police Dept. recommended the 165grn. Golden Sabres based on their field record with APD and with other depts. I also read Evan Marshall's latest book on street results with the .40 and the Sabres were ties with the .45 230grn Hydra-shoks. I found an online deal on the Sabres for $7.40 a box (they reatial for $19.95 here!) and bought 1K of them. I was then able to THROUGHLY test the pistol with what I would be carrying and also able to get totally familiar with its behavior and performance. I found the 165grn PMCs to work well and shoot to the same POA as the Sabres.
Kamicosmos
Member
I love mine. First auto I ever bought. Only one FTF in probably 5000 rounds, and that was a too-long reload, so it wasn't the 96's fault.
This gun is my nightstand gun. I trust it 100%.
This gun is my nightstand gun. I trust it 100%.
skunk - it wasn't i who had the problem with the extractor, i was refering to a member of the beretta forum...my 96 is blued and flawless since it's return from LTT...you must be refering to the doc
ernest was the one who told me how the heavier brig slide addresses any reliability problems that the 96 might have had...he also said that a 9mm brig in 9mm should run forever
ernest was the one who told me how the heavier brig slide addresses any reliability problems that the 96 might have had...he also said that a 9mm brig in 9mm should run forever
i beleive the elite IA mates the brig slide with the vertec frame...
The complaints and problems I have heard have been more in durability issues than reliability. Things such as locking blocks breaking and trigger springs breaking come to mind. I know that there are a lot of dao Beretta 96's for sale on the used leo gun market. Read into that what you will. I personally feel the 96 makes little sence. Why give up 4 to 5 rounds (92 vs 96) to gain a very marginal increase in raw power (muzzle energy and momentium) and very little in expansion and penetration. I can see if your trading say 1 or 2 rounds for a bit more power but 4 to 5. Anyway to each their own.
Pat
Pat
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