Beretta 92FS: 30,000 Round Pistol?

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Several things I have read seem to indicate that the Beretta 92 is about a 30,000 round pistol. The locking mechanism seems to break at around 25,000 rounds. I know the aluminum alloy frame is not as durable as steel. What is the reasonable life expactancy of this pistol if it is given good care and not fed a steady diet of hot rounds - mainly light target or factory rounds?

I'm not a Beretta basher. I'm now a 2nd time Beretta 92FS owner. I really like the smoothness and accuracy of this pistol.
 
You can replace the locking block in about 10 minutes.

If you really think it's going to wear out in 30K rounds, then put a buck in a jar for every box of ammo you shoot. You'll have enough for a new Beretta after 30K rounds. My guess is that by the time your 9mm Beretta gives up there will be enough in the jar for several guns...

There's one guy on the Beretta forum who claims to have around 100K rounds through a model 96 Beretta--and the .40s are generally accepted to have a shorter service life.
 
Where have you read these "things".......internet gun boards?

You can read the same thing about every pistol ever made, Glock, Sig, Beretta, Colt, etc.

I have a 15 year old 92FS that has never given me a problem. The locking block did break this year. I emailed Beretta and got a new style locking block. I've put alot of rounds through that pistol and it just chews em up and spits em out :D

I've shot everything through this pistol CCI Blazer, UMC, Federal Hydra-Shoks, Winchester Silvertips and my own handloads (115gr FMJ & 7.0gr HS6).
 
The M-9s are only spec'ed to last 5,000 rds. :what: Of course, that's with M-882 ball which is considerably hotter than SAAMI spec 9mm.
 
The M-9s are only spec'ed to last 5,000 rds
Click to expand...
I would appreciate any further information you could provide to document/support this statement.

Thanks,

John
 
Ok, I know what's going on here. You are correct, the SPEC on the M9 purchase contract is for a minimum service life of 5,000 rounds. However, while the M9s were purchased under a spec that REQUIRED a service life of 5,000 rounds, in fact, they outperform the minimum requirements by a significant margin as noted here: http://www.berettausa.com/media/download.cfm?d_id=116
The Beretta M9 9mm pistol...exceed(s) all U.S. Military testing guidelines. ... Army tests established the average durability of Beretta M9 slides at over 35,000 rounds, the point at which testing ceased (and over 7 times the contractually mandated service life for the pistol). The average durability of M9 frames is over 30,000 rounds and the average durability of M9 slides was a remarkable 75,000 rounds.
Click to expand...
 
reasonable care should include regular spring replacement (i think the recommended interval is 5000 rounds for the recoil spring) and the locking block is just a slip in orperation. i got the latest generation block for about $35
 
I do not own my Beretta 92F any longer. In 2002, I and a group of folks fired 10,000 rds through 8 Beretta M9 pistols in an afternoon. No jams, cleaning, nothing. To this day I am impressed and like to tell this story.

I'm not a Beretta fan, but they work well, and they will be stand up to more than the normal firing of the normal Joe. I think 5,000 rds is being more than liberal.

Wags
 
I've put well over 5000 rounds through both of my 92fs' w/o a hiccup (and the inox I bought used ;) ). Don't worry about what might happen & just enjoy your pistol!
 
My sources have been various threads on forums, the Beretta website and excerpts from the military tests. They seem to indicate that the Beretta is more or less a 30,000 round pistol.

I would like to know if it can be expected to go beyond 30,000 rounds given proper care and mostly factory ammunition. Anyone have a documented account of the Beretta 92 pistols far exceeding 30,000 rounds? Any military M-9s going strong well after 30,000?

What kinds of things can be done to extend the life of the pistol? Proper lubrication? Stronger recoil spring?

Again, I am far from bashing the Beretta. I am honest curious seeker. I just bought one and want to extend its life as long as possible.
 
I didn't get the chance to work on a whole bunch of M9s when I was in Service , but I did go through one of the first Small Arm Repair Courses offered for the pistol.
The pistol is guaranteed to have a minimum service life of 10,000 rounds.
Rebuild is suggested at every 5000 rounds and from what I hear, if this is followed, the guns easily exceed 30,000 round service life.

Rebuild normally consists of replacing all springs and guage testing all component parts.
Anything out of specification is replaced.
Slides are normally replace at 10,000 rounds, barrels at 10,000 to 15,000 rounds.
Receiver failure does not appear to be an issue with these guns.

At one point locking blocks were being replaced at every 2000 rounds on USGI guns when possible slide/locking block failure became an issue but I think this has been changed back to the original 5000 round replacement requirement.

If the Military continues to field this pistol system I would like to see future orders incorporate a light rail on the dust cover and dovetail mounted tritium sights.
No more cheapest bid magazines and those two improvements would make this a very servicable handgun, even now in the 21st. century.
 
Without an exact round count, I'd estimate that between my brother and me, we've put upwards of 20,000 rounds through one M-9 that was purchased new in 1992 ... have replaced the recoil spring twice, the first time because it was getting weak and failing to cycle the slide, the second time recently just because ... no locking block failure. Caveat: this pistol has fired very few +P rounds ...

I'd bet some of our training commands have some M-9s that have fired well over 30K rounds... I have a lot of confidence in the durability of the M-9 as I've seen 'em take incredible abuse over the years by military personnel. With good magazines (I swear by Mec-Gar), conscientious cleaning and routine maintenance, these pistols will last a long time.
 
I'm with "The Drew" who cares? As an aside, plus P ammo seems to be more trouble than it's worth. I've never heard of a BG that "just wouldn't die until he got hit with a plus P". My feeling is that the gun wasn't specifically designed for plus P pressure. Plus it seems to me that there are a host of faster/hotter cartridges that would monkey stomp the 9mm when fired through guns so chambered.
 
There was an article in American handgunner a year or so ago written by Ernest Landgon(?) about the 92 he shot extensively.

If I recall he replaced all spring at 5,000 rounds, all internal slide parts, i.e. firing pin, extractor, etc and the locking block at 20,000 rounds. That was his 'schedule' to insure reliabilty and durability.

That's all I remember. :)
 
After observing rental guns in high use at an indoor range, Berettas were the worst when it came to durability. All guns in the case were fed commercial reloads with a copper plate, an even playing field.

Locking blocks broke quite a bit and the occasional craked frame, sliude and even barrel were known to happpen. However I would not have too much of a problem buying a Beretta unless it was going to be used for extreme high volume shooting especially with hot ammo.

I'd say most handguns out there in the world have well less than 2K rounds through them unless it like maybe a 22rimfire. If I owned a Beretta I'd just look for signs of breakage more often and maybe not shoot it as much as some of my more durable pistols.

I like the open top slide, seems to contribute to reliability, but it also seems to contribute to decreased durability. I've always been leery of the locking block concept too, has anyone ever noticed breakge in other guns that use it like the Walther P1/P38?
 
Steve in PA, why do you feel a rental gun is a poor indicator of basing a gun purchace, especially if you are worried about durability? Rental guns don't get the sand and mud tests of a military gun test but the extreme round counts and extreme abuse by customers/some range staff on these guns make me feel any gun that can take it is a consideration for ownership if you are worried about durability of a particular design.
 
If you can afford to shoot 30K rounds fast enough to worry about the gun wearing out, then I think you could afford a few bucks for the parts that it'll need as maintenance at that point...

You could get the taurus pt92 which is more or less a copy of the Beretta and has a lifetime warranty...
 
Several things I have read seem to indicate that the Beretta 92 is about a 30,000 round pistol. The locking mechanism seems to break at around 25,000 rounds. I know the aluminum alloy frame is not as durable as steel. What is the reasonable life expactancy of this pistol if it is given good care and not fed a steady diet of hot rounds - mainly light target or factory rounds?
Click to expand...
The 30k number was the average that the ARMY got for MTBF (mean time before failure) shooting hot +p+ 124 gr 9mm NATO ammo. It does NOT mean the pistols that failed could not be repaired, it just means they could not be repaired in the field with the typical spare parts they carry.

The locking block design has been beefed up, but even if it only averaged 30k rounds, that is pretty decent.

Shooting tame ammo, the gun could probably do 100k rounds. Many service M9 guns used on the firing ranges have fired twice that number with hot NATO ammo.

I would guess my 92FS has about 20k rounds fired on the original gun. No major parts replaced due to failure (just springs for normal maintenance).
 
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