Safe Ammo for a Beretta 92FS

Considering the 92FS was specifically DESIGNED to fire the 9mm NATO loading, there is ZERO concern about firing such ammo.

Military M9s fire hotter NATO ammo their whole lives. You'll be fine.

yeah, that pistol is built like a tank.

Any factory 9x19mm load.

geo57 said:

Thanks, guys. When using the word safe I was not concerned really of it blowing up but more so of it greatly shortening it's life span and for that that's my fault in the word I chose.

Click to expand...

The locking block is really the only likely failure from a steady diet of hot ammo. They're replaceable and inexpensive, about $30-$35 for one in a kit w/new recoil spring.

http://www.berettausa.com/en-us/beretta-92-96-locking-block-kit/le9201/

I put a recoil buffer in mine to help reduce wear. I can feel a slight difference in shooting w vs w/o the buffer when shooting my hot reloads. Milder loads I don't notice a difference.

http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Shok-Buff-Recoil-Buffers-Beretta/productinfo/700B/

Be careful shooting hot ammo in a Beretta long term.

This did not work out for the SEALs. The slides can crack and come back and blow a hole in your skull.

Cooldill said:

Be careful shooting hot ammo in a Beretta long term.

This did not work out for the SEALs. The slides can crack and come back and blow a hole in your skull.

Click to expand...

Is there a "smiley" emoji missing here?

Cooldill said:

Be careful shooting hot ammo in a Beretta long term.

This did not work out for the SEALs. The slides can crack and come back and blow a hole in your skull.

Click to expand...

.......unless you believe this is something other than an internet myth.....

(The SEALs use the Sig P226, BTW, with a few Glocks, HKs and others having been carried as well)

Yep, I was being a bit "faseeshis".

Beretta added metal circle to prevent it. Truth be known, plus P, even the extremely hot NATO round, won't harm the M9 (B92FS).

Just change your recoil springs every 3,000 rounds or so.

I bought my first 92F in April of 1986 and shot it to frame failure in February of 1997. Took somewhere north of 35,000 rounds. I broke a locking block at about the 18,000 round mark. I should have been more organized in swapping out the recoil spring every year and the gun would've lasted longer.

As it was, Beretta replaced it for free

geo57 said:

A new, Italian made Beretta 92FS is headed my way. Is it ok to use a moderate amount of near +P rated ammo such as Winchester NATO for practice without hurting anything or should I stick to std. pressure such as Federal AE 124 gr. FMJ ?

Click to expand...

Replace the recoil spring every 5,000 rounds and the locking block at 15,000 rounds. I understand that Beretta has changed it’s replacement recommendation to 20,000 rounds for the latest locking block design.

geo57 said:

For a defensive load I'm planning on buying Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. so again please recommend to me if I should go +P or stick with standard pressure.

Click to expand...

As for self-defense most JHP bullets are very dependent on velocity for reliable expansion. Generally they need around 1100 fps which means use of +P.

Oh use FMJ for range practice only.

Cooldill said:

Be careful shooting hot ammo in a Beretta long term.

This did not work out for the SEALs. The slides can crack and come back and blow a hole in your skull.

Click to expand...

Oh boy. When will repeating this myth stop?

The slide on the FS can not "come back and blow a hole in your skull." The FS is designed to prevent that from happening.

Your point about velocity not being the only factor in bullet expansion is well taken but velocity is the most important factor in JHP from a handgun.

I don't have a lab to set up scientific experiments with ballistic gel calibrated to FBI standards so all I rely on in bullet testing is shooting stuff in my backpasture and watching youtube videos. I also think too much weight is assigned to the FBI standards. A big flaw with ballistic gel is it does not reproduce bone density.

In my part of the country I can't be sure that if forced to shoot someone they will be bare chested. With winter coming they may have heavy coat or layers of clothing on. I may also have to shoot through a barrier of some type. So for me I want the extra push the +P gives.

Your question suggests you are considering carrying it for self-defense. My edc has been the Beretta 92FS for over a year now. (Kansas has open carrying so concealment is not a issue for me). As you note the 5" barrel gives us the most velocity possible. Personally I carry 124 gr. XTP +P for self-defense in the Beretta. I am currently evaluating Hornady Critical Duty. If I decide I like it I will have to choose between carrying it loaded in the gun or in my spare magazine.

In fairness I reload most of my ammunition so they are not at +P pressures. However if I was rich enough to afford exclusively shooting factory +P ammunition I would not have any concerns about wearing out my gun as long as I stick to the recommended maintenance schedule.

Shooting The Bull Ammo Quest youtube videos are professionally done using FBI test criteria. While I don't necessary agree with all of his conclusions it is very informative.

Ernest Langdon has excellent videos about the 92FS on youtube along with some practical shooting drills which my wife and practice everytime we go shooting.

The Beretta 92FS is a great, full-size fighting handgun. Set your concerns aside and shoot it a lot.

About NATO 9mm....

What is allowed under STANAG 4090, varies to the extreme, but are not that far from SAAMI 9mm (35,000 psi - max average, 37,800 psi max). The pressure limits set forth in STANAG 4090 are that the average pressure shall not exceed 33,359 psi and no single pressure reading shall exceed 38,500 psi. The pressure for +P are the average pressure shall not exceed 38,500 psi and no single pressure shall exceed 41,500 psi maximum. In short NATO 9mm ammo is no where near as hot as +P ammo, and in some cases might be weaker.

If you actually look at the bullet weights and velocities used by military 9mms, they are easily achievable in NON +P loadings, 124 grain at 1125-1150 fps, or at the bottom end of the +P scale, 115 gr at 1200-1250 fps.

By the way, The U.S. Military Cartridge, 9mm, Pistol, Ball, M882 is a tad warmer than STANAG 4090 specs, it has a max pressure limit of 36,500 psi at the case mouth or 37,800 psi mid-case, which is exactly the same as SAAMI specs for NON +P ammunition.

EDIT: If you really need/want to shoot +P get a pistol that is recommended by the manufacturer for it. And, honestly, if you need something more than 9mm, get a bigger bullet....

lysanderxiii,

How many Beretta 92's have seen that are worn out or unserviceable due to shooting +P ammunition?

Of those that you have seen what was the round count and was the recommended schedule followed for replacement of the recoil spring and locking block?

This may be of some interest to the OP. It's about the condition of some Beretta 92's used by a top-level competitive shooter after hundreds of thousands of rounds.

ATLDave said:

This may be of some interest to the OP. It's about the condition of some Beretta 92's used by a top-level competitive shooter after hundreds of thousands of rounds.

[video]

Click to expand...

I notice he is using a 92 Brgadiers with reinforced slides.....

BSA1 said:

lysanderxiii,

How many Beretta 92's have seen that are worn out or unserviceable due to shooting +P ammunition?

Of those that you have seen what was the round count and was the recommended schedule followed for replacement of the recoil spring and locking block?

Click to expand...

I am just stating that some manufacturers state, unequivocally, their products can withstand a steady diet of +P ammunition.

Like Glock....

The problem of cracked slides and other damage to the 92's in the military was to a few pistols that where test shot using extra high pressure foreign military ammo made to be used in blow back Sub machine guns and was never intended to be used in a handgun. Militaries do not necessarily comply with SAAMI, CIP or even NATO standards and load ammo to excess pressure all the time for special use. Over the years there have been several times where surplus foreign machine gun ammo has made its way into the civilian US market ruining civilian firearms until it was taken off the market.

As others have suggested it would be a good idea to replace the recoil spring since you have no idea how many rounds where shot in the one that's in your used pistol.

You can shoot any commercial ammo, standard or +P without any problem in your Beretta 92. No reason to shoot $1 a round +P defense ammo for general practice when you can get good quality brass case standard pressure ball ammo for 20 to 30 cents a round.