Anyone here a fan of the Beretta 92FS?

Here's some quick (albeit crappy) pics of my 92fs Inox

For anybody with some time to kill, these are the official GAO reports on the investigations into the slide and frame cracks:
http://archive.gao.gov/d16t6/136824.pdf
http://archive.gao.gov/d15t6/137930.pdf
Should be required reading by anyone who's about to post something about slides flying off with such force as to kill soldiers, maim entire families, and travel back in time and kill Kennedy. As any good engineer/scientist would tell you, "Show me the data."
Another more casual read from American Rifleman: http://www.americanrifleman.org/Webcontent/pdf/2009-11/2009111213533-beretta92.pdf

But back on topic, I think they're great guns. Comfortable if you've got the hands for them, easy to handle, reliable, reasonably accurate, easy to strip and clean, fires whatever garbage ammo you found on discount in a bucket at Jim-Bob's Auto Salvage and Ammo Reloading, plus it readily takes +p/+p+ JHP if you've got issues with standard "wimpy" 9mm rounds. Some people complain about complexity, but that's only a problem if a complicated / hard-to-get-to part ever breaks. The most complicated part I've heard of breaking is the locking block, which is pretty rare and a 10-second swap if it does break, and the occasional spring that might break on any other autoloader. Everything else seems to just keep going.
And oh yeah... they're dead sexy.

The M9A1 I carried while spending 18mos in iraq left a bad taste in my mouth for Beretta's. It was beat to hell, abused, and not maintained. It looked like a holocaust survivor. I don't know if the open slide thing is a myth or not, but I can promise you a little sand on one that hasn't been properly maintained and it'll fire once and jam. Check out some of the videos on youtube. There's a guy dropping one in mud and it shoots and jams. Theres a guy with a 96 (40 cal) dropping one in mud repeatedly and it keeps shooting.

I think it comes down to how you maintain a firearm. If the slide mounted safety isn't a killing point for you, I say go for it. Take care of it though.

Not to suggest these are bad firearms. I want to buy one now, I was Glock fanboy for years and now I hate them with a passion and will only own firearms that have a hammer (SA, DA/SA, or even DAO).

They got my vote. Also check out the Cougars. Beretta or Stoeger (same thing) are both very fine firearms for the small amount they ask for them.

- ZI

The M9A1 I carried while spending 18mos in iraq left a bad taste in my mouth for Beretta's. It was beat to hell, abused, and not maintained. It looked like a holocaust survivor. I don't know if the open slide thing is a myth or not, but I can promise you a little sand on one that hasn't been properly maintained and it'll fire once and jam.

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I clean my Glocks once a year. I brush/swab the barrel once every several thousand rounds.

A Glock that went through the same treatment with a heaping dose of sand would still shoot and cycle - Glocks have four self-cleaning rails that clear the crud out of the slide when racked/cycled.

I took a brand new G22 and threw it into a dirt pile and kicked it around so it was completely filled with dirt/sand. Shook and cycled the slide a few times and ran my shooting match stages with no malfunction.

YMMV

Both a Glock and a Beretta will run in the dust and sand when LUBRICATED. A Glock will require less then a Beretta. Does that much CLP on a gun attract dirt/sand that is a pain to get out later, oh heck yes. However the tolerances in the weapons are such that if there is an adequate layer of lubrication on surfaces that they will function. Basically it'll start to sling sandy sludge all over the place when you shot, but it'll work. If you're really in a firefight in a standstorm, be prepared to dunk you're weapon in CLP almost most every couple of mags. It'll be a mess but they'll run.

-Jenrick

used one in the Navy for 4 years... never shot less than expert... don't own one but I wouldn't kick one outta bed for eatin' crackers.

Quite possibly my favorite semi-auto.

Yes, it is "big" for a 9mm, but what a great pistol! Smooth action +.

Fits my hand very well, and I have small hands.

I do carry it concealed at times, even if it does has a tendency to peek out a little from underneath my cover shirt.

Not a problem, since I live in an open carry State.

I carried one in the Marine Corps and I thought it was a VERY capable weapon. I've never found another weapon as smooth shooting as the Beretta.

It would be hard for me to describe how much I dislike the Beretta. As a result, I'll simply say that it might actually be the last handgun I pick up before I'm forced to resort to something made by the Ring of Fire.

Give me a Glock, Sig, Ruger... hell, give me a Taurus. Anything but a Beretta Model 92/M9.

YMMV. And probably does.

Way too fat and bulky for a 9mm pistol.
I don't care for the decocker/safety either.

I bought a new 92FS Inox Vertec a few years ago and added the factory adjustable sight and wooden grips. Have since added a Beretta .22 conversion kit and a 96FS upper. Everything was plug and play.
The .22 kit doesn't like the "D" spring mod (about 20% missfires) but aside from that the whole package works just fine.

Great gun, one of my favorite 9x19mm's. The main duty for my Inox is car gun and range gun, but it doesn't get used often for either purpose. I have CCW'd the 92FS without problems, though I'll readily admit CCW is not it's greatest strength as it is a service sized handgun, not a compact. It's strengths are that it feels good in the hand, has a reliable open slide design, it's easy to work on, parts are incredibly easy to find and it's accurate. It also carries 20+1 with the latest Mec-Gar mags, but I typically use the factory 15's with Wolff +10% springs. In addition to these strengths the military M9 and commercial 92FS is made with high quality parts, (except for the ones with plastic).

Weakness are that it's a little large for the caliber, the trigger return spring can break and the front sight of the 92FS model is not dovetailed. The trigger return spring problem is easily fixed with a Wolff INS trigger spring unit which will end the breakage problem. (Taurus PT92 has the same problem). Also, if you are shopping for one avoid the plastic parts models and hold out for an (almost) all metal gun, as they have started making those again.

A couple people mentioned the slide safety getting in the way when racking the slide, this can easily be overcome by having your thumb and index finger slightly below the safety. Also, if doing it fast without looking, it can be overcome by pulling slightly up when you pull the slide back.

And a some people also mentioned that up for fire is stupid. Well maybe on a frame mounted safety, but the 92FS has a slide mounted safety, therefore down for fire would be stupid. It is the same as most any other slide mounted safety, such as the one on the S&W 5906. If you think that pushing a slide mounted safety down with your thumb is easier than pushing it up, you're goofy.

Hobbesbuff said:

Afterward I went to the range gunshop and handled a new 92FS and was duly impressed with that gun! It wasn't as big as I thought (and I have small hands), felt good in the hand and had a nice trigger pull in both SA/DA. Breakdown is wildly easy and the controls seem well-placed.

My son, who often shoots with me, likes the feel of the 92 and I see no reason to discourage him from acquiring one when he earns the dough to do so!

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Yeah, while the gun is a tad large, I think the size issue is often overstated.

Doesn't use a Hi-Power type lockup, it uses the same lockup as the Walther P-38, which it basically is a modified version of.

Good looking guns.

I love them, my ex had an Inox that was a tack driver and I'm hoping to pick one up in the future.

I like my berreta 92fs but its not my favorite plenty of 9's out class it
and the 92 is specificly for tactical use so, i douby it would make a good bullseye gun even after a good smith takes a whack at it

I think the Army Marksmanship Unit has done some pretty crazy things to their 92s, I think with enough gumption and resources you can make any pistol into anything you want.

Bullseye shooter said:

I like my berreta 92fs but its not my favorite plenty of 9's out class it

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An argument and counter-argument can be made that all 9x19mm's outclass it since most are smaller.

Yet I would rather use it for defense than most other 9x19mm handguns, except for one exception, the Browning Hi-Power.

Beretta screwed the pooch and made their "safety" work the wrong way

and I cannot imagine a more dangerous situation than having 2 similar feeling guns with opposite controls

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Good point, to a point. The "solution" is to do what most law enforcement agencies (at least mine and others that I know of) do: carry the pistol with the safety "off". My agency actually required us to carry (per manual of arms) our Third Generation Smith da autos with the safety in the off position. No different than carrying a double-action revolver.

should have never sold mine....now I have a taurus 92 and 917c

SwampWolf said:

Good point, to a point. The "solution" is to do what most law enforcement agencies (at least mine and others that I know of) do: carry the pistol with the safety "off". My agency actually required us to carry (per manual of arms) our Third Generation Smith da autos with the safety in the off position. No different than carrying a double-action revolver.

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Yep. or a Sig. Hammer down on a loaded chamber, safety/decocker off. My only complaint is the placement of the safety. It gets in the way when racking the slide. For me.

Yes, was my first pistol and never gave me any trouble.

Great gun. Very accurate.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SwampWolf
Good point, to a point. The "solution" is to do what most law enforcement agencies (at least mine and others that I know of) do: carry the pistol with the safety "off". My agency actually required us to carry (per manual of arms) our Third Generation Smith da autos with the safety in the off position. No different than carrying a double-action revolver.

Yep. or a Sig. Hammer down on a loaded chamber, safety/decocker off. My only complaint is the placement of the safety. It gets in the way when racking the slide. For me.

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You're right about that. Same situation exists with Smith autos. Apparently, one of the unavoidable bugaboos associated with slide-mounted safeties.

Have owned two of them, love them, will not get rid of this one.
Highly recommended!