Beretta 96- compared to other .40s in market.

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el Godfather

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Dear THR:
How does Beretta 96 measure up to the other .40s in market?

Craftsmanship and reliability are top concerns with accuracy in second as only combat accuracy is accepted.


Thanks
 
I seem to recall reading that the 96's were more prone to slide cracking than the 92's.
 
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40's

S&W MP-40 has all you'll ever need in an updated syle of combat sidearm.
Not to say Beretta has not served me well; I've had a love affair with the 92& 96 thing for a long time.
Now it's time to give a pistol maker in the U.S.A. A GOOD LOOK.
MP CORE ; bigger sights , co-witness with optic, CRIMSON -TRACE GRIPS.
Not to mention ....modern polymer frame. What are the negatives?? I have found none yet.
 
The Beretta 96 is an excellent and very accurate pistol. It is not nearly as light or holds as many rounds as newer pistols, but it is a proven, reliable, and accurate pistol.
 
Classic sexy lines. Great ergonomics for someone with large hands.

Safety works as decocker/safety.

Some people love love love the 92fs/96 lines. I'm not one of them. I've owned several 92s and carried a M9 in Iraq. The 92 (and the 96) are quite large and heavy for what they do. Would not be in my top 5 choices...

But, they are overall reliable, durable, and combat accurate.

Parts and accessories are common.

If you don't mind extra weight and giving up a couple rounds and a little extra price (vs. the competition) then you might like the 96.
 
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I carried a 96fs on police patrol in Washington State. I never fired it in the line of duty but it performed flawlessly during training. It was a personally owned pistol. I chose it over others because i wanted the longer sight radius of the 5" barrel. It was easy to manipulate and shoot accurately with just my weak hand.
 
The Beretta 96 is what caused me not to give up on the .40 caliber cartridge.

I'd shot it in a Glock 22, H&K USP, SIG 226/229 and S&W 4006, and was very disappointed in the accuracy and shot recovery. The 96 was much more accurate and very smooth running.

If you're concerned about slide longevity, go with the Brigadier slide
 
The 96 was my second-favorite pistol platform for the .40 S&W. Since I'd packed an M-9 for many years in the military, I had no problem with the 96 and was pleasantly surprised by the excellent accuracy of mine. The size never bothered me, and I guess I'm one of the few folks for whose hands the Berettas were crafted -- for me, the 92/96 fit my hand well and point naturally.

As Shawn points out, the longer sight radius contributes to accuracy as well. Recoil is easily managed and I found the 96 was, for me, better in this department than my Glock 23.

Not having followed up on the 96 since selling mine, I was not aware of any frame-cracking issues.

Frankly, though, the one pistol that I believe is perfect for the .40 is the SIG-P226 ...

But, this is only one shooter's opinion (and I must qualify it by noting that I have pretty much given up on the .40, don't buy it or shoot it much anymore, having decided to invest my funds and efforts in other pistol calibers).
 
A bit too big to carry it is probably the best 40 out there....extremely accurate in my experience, hefty enough to soak a lot of the cartridge snappiness, the 5 inch barrel can boost bullet velocity a bit more compared to other pistols...
 
A very good, but big gun

My agency issued the BERETTA 96D Brigadier for about 10 years. The Brigadier was developed for our agency when the load we also had a hand in developing, the 155 grain jhp proved to much for all the .40 S&W guns submitted for testing.
In the second round of testing, the BERETTA Brigadier model and SIG 229 were the winners. We went with the BERETTA as the standard issue pistol.

The pro's are reliability, I have never seen a more reliable gun. Some others were just as good, but none better.
Accuracy was outstanding, I could hit a target at 100 yards with it. For me, that was outstanding.
The trigger, which was double action only was smoother than my SIG 229 and equal to the trigger on a S&W or COLT.
Sights were also very good.

The con's were mostly size and weight. It is as big as a 1911 and just as bulky.
The slides would eventually wear (not crack). The slots in the slide were the locking lugs slid up to would begin to round off. The gun then began to slow down. I could fire it and watch the slide recoil back and return to battery. That was strange, but the gun never jammed or misfired.
This was a problem with the 155 grain load we used and may not occur with the milder 180 grain or 165 mid loads. We were getting 1,200 fps or close to it. If you intend to shoot the high velocity 155 grain load, then I would try to get a 96 with a Brigadier slide, if possible.

Jim
 
A 96 Centurion is currently the only .40 I own. I've owned a few 40's in the past, and was not a huge fan of the cartridge in general - very snappy and hard to control as opposed to 45 & 9. I went looking for a 92, but found a great deal on the 96, so I just went with it.

Have to say the 96 is one of the best-shooting 40's I've ever tried. That extra weight helps keep the recoil nice and manageable, and of course the good single-action trigger option puts it ahead of the game for most plastic guns. Looks pretty good too. :cool:

beretta96centurion.jpg
 
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