Beretta 92FS vs. Taurus PT1911

[moewadle]

Never buy a Taurus

when you can buy a Beretta. I have heard loads of credible stories about poorly manufactured Taurus' and have never read or heard one about a bad Beretta 92FS or any other Beretta for that matter. Unofficial research says do not buy the Taurus. Buy Beretta, Smith and Wesson, Colt, Marlin....do not buy Taurus.

 

[P.B.Walsh]

Ok, then Beretta 92FS wins!!!!!

I'll probaly get a super uber duper custom 1911 later

But with around a $600 buget the 92FS wins.

 

[jpwilly]

^^^ Bla Bla bla...they're everywhere. Taurus Bashers. Most have never ever owned one. You know why...because they "heard" someplace that Taurus's suck. It's always the same BS. Seems nobody has any trouble repeating it. I've owned 5 Taurus still have 2 and haven't ever had any issues. I own 1 Ruger that was recalled but they took care of things I still love my LCP and I don't go around bashing Ruger.

By the way I've shot both the 92FS and PT92 the PT92's saftey wins hands down. Both were great pistols. My favorite wonder nine is neither. Go look at the CZ 75 used by more military and police world wide than than the M9.

 

[John Wayne]

I have owned two Taurus handguns.

One I love (see my review), the other was crap which was broken right out of the box. The company fixed it, but it was still a poorly-made gun.

 

[spyderdude]

I love my Beretta 92FS, it is one of the smoothest and softest shooting handguns around. I have owned several 1911s, and I can't practice with .45 ACP as much as I can with 9mm due to ammo costs. Both the 1911 and Beretta 92 are pleasing to the eye, but Taurus did not design the 1911 like Beretta designed the 92FS. Another thing I like about the Beretta 92 over the 1911 is that it can be carried with the safety off once put into double action mode, so if you ever need to use it in a stressful situation just draw and pull the trigger. Once you fire the first shot its all quick single action shots.



So sexy!

 

[GLOOB]

Pleasing to the eye is subjective.

To me, a 1911 is more pleasing to the eye. It's a classic. Like a '64 Mustang, it will never go out of style.

The Beretta is a Ferrari Testerossa. It was cool when Don Johnson was driving one in Miami Vice, but it's a little over-indulgent by today's standards. I first saw the 92FS in Lethal Weapon, and man it looked cool. But the 80's are over, lol.

 

[P.B.Walsh]

well, I've never scene Miami Vice or Lethal Weapon

 

[10-Ring]

I'm not a Taurus fan -- I"ve bought 2 over the years, one semi auto & one revolver -- both had fit & finish issues, both had sights that left a lot to be desired & the triggers SUCKED!
My Berettas on the other hand have been great shooters and are the most naturals guns to point & shoot

 

[hankdatank1362]

and have never read or heard one about a bad Beretta 92FS or any other Beretta for that matter.

Hmmm... you don't recall that handful of M9s breaking their locking block and sending the slide rearward into an unlucky shooter's sinus cavity?

The point is, bad stories about everything are out there. Taurus sells more handguns than many other manufacturers combined, so the overall number of shoddy weapons will be higher, while the true rate of failure could be par for the course, or even lower. I own at least two Taurus firearms, never had a problem with either.

The guy who said "get a 4506" had a good idea.

And just how deep in Alabama do you have to be to never have seen Miami Vice or Lethal Weapon? Miami Vice? Really?

 

[P.B.Walsh]

Well, I dunno, I've just never seen those movies, or mabey I need to.

 

[P.B.Walsh]

Still, can anyone answer my question as to which company has the better garrentte?

Thanks

 

[murph50]

I'm looking into getting a Beretta 92FS also. I was ready to get one a couple weeks ago but I found a good deal on a lightly used CZ75BD so I got that instead. The 92FS will be my next purchase once my wallet recovers from the last one.
My daughter has had several Taurus guns over the years and she likes them.
She did just recently trade one for an XD though.
I had a Taurus PT908 that I got back in 1988 that I sold a few weeks ago.
The front sight on it was loose and something ended up breaking with the takedown lever and the gun could not be field stripped. My gunsmith fixed it up a few years ago but I just couldn't quite trust that gun so it just sat in my safe except for when I would use it to test new reloads.
Not trying to bash Taurus--they are fine for what they are.
Some people bash Kel Tec--I have 4 of them and I like em.
If I had the choice between a Taurus or a Kel Tec and the 92 FS--I would get the Beretta. It's a proven format,high quality firearm that will last a lifetime

 

[REAPER4206969]

I prefer the Taurus as it has no plastic parts

All polymer parts on the Beretta are built according to United States Military specifications.

 

[jaybr]

I'm not sure which has the better guarantee, but based on my experience I can tell you which one you'll need the guarantee for.

I've got 5 Beretta shotguns, 7 Beretta pistols, and a CX4 Storm and none have had a single problem or defect.

I recently purchased a Taurus 941 because it was about the only 22mag revolver available, and the fit and finish leave alot to be desired. the cylinders are inconsistent, some the empty brass need to be pulled out. The rear sites are also off on my Taurus, they don't sit level.

I will say I owned a Taurus 357 revolver back in the early 80's and never had a problem with it.

So my experience:

2 Taurus - 1 with problems
13 Berettas - 0 problems

 

[blkbrd666]

Yes, you need to see them...I think you're the only person left who hasn't.

The only plastic on the 92FS would be the grips, the guide rod on the newer models, most of the magazine followers, and possibly some mag bases...although I haven't seen one. All kinds of grips are available...rubber, wood, aluminum, etc. Mags are cheap for the 92FS from CDNN. I don't know about their customer service...have never needed them with any of my Berettas. I recently decided to test the 92 to see how many rounds I could put through it before it got so dirty it quit functioning...I got tired of carrying a dirty pistol somewhere north of 1K rounds and cleaned it. It was still functioning fine.

Not trying to hijack here, but if anyone has ever needed their Beretta warranty or had to deal with their customer service...please mention it.

 

[REAPER4206969]

 

[P.B.Walsh]

What's the difference in the M9A1 and the Inox?

Thanks

 

[REAPER4206969]

The INOX has a stainless steel slide and barrel with silver anodized aluminum frame. The M9-A1 has more aggressive checkering and a M1913 Picattiny rail on the dust cover.

 

[13Bravo]

My next purchase will be a Beretta m9a1. I'd already have it, but I'm kind of deployed. I've got the 92fs with the crimson traces on it, and I love it, and having two similar pistols doesn't bother me one bit. I also have a pair of Kimber 1911s. I love my both my 92 and the 11s for the same reason. Reliable, and sexy.

 

[blkbrd666]

I like the artsy-fartsy redesign of the 92 to get the 90-Two...going to have to have one of those someday. The ONLY thing I don't like about the 92 and the M9, they fixed on the 90-Two, and that's the afterthought safety lever on the right side of the pistol. It just really should have a milled/machined lever like the one in the left or the one on the 90-Two in the post above.

 

[P.B.Walsh]

Ok, well, I think I'm set on the Beretta M9A1.

Thank you for all of the help on this topic.

 

[wditto]

price means nothing, buy the Beretta

 

[jaybr]

I like the artsy-fartsy redesign of the 92 to get the 90-Two...going to have to have one of those someday. The ONLY thing I don't like about the 92 and the M9, they fixed on the 90-Two, and that's the afterthought safety lever on the right side of the pistol. It just really should have a milled/machined lever like the one in the left or the one on the 90-Two in the post above.

I like them too, have one of each cal.

 

[Ken Rainey]

I saw a friends Beretta's slide release break only to be replaced by another one for free from Beretta and it also break! ...seemed to be bad castings...his was the stainless model. Doesn't mean that Berettas aren't a quality made firearm, they are, it's just that anything can happen...a few hundred rounds on the range will usually tell if a pistol is good to go or needs attention before being trusted for defensive use.

Personally, I prefer the Taurus PT92 model to the Beretta for the safety lever's location...and if you were to get a 1911 at a later time, you'd already be "thumb trained" in it's use. The original Taurus 92 models were made on Beretta's equipment that was left in Brazil after a contract was fulfilled - not sure if that's still the case but of all the firearms that Taurus makes, I trust the 9mm PT92 or PT99 models the most since they've made them for a long time.

As far as warranty, all Taurus firearms have a lifetime warranty - lifetime of the firearm, not just the original owner...I've read good and bad about their service. Beretta has a one year warranty but likely would repair any defect at any time, within reason, without cost as most responsible firearm manufacturers will do.

Having said all of that, between the two pistols you listed, I'd go with the Taurus 1911...I prefer my trigger pulls to be the same for each shot instead of going double action first shot to single action for subsequent shots. If fact, if you want a 9mm, I recommend a Glock 17 - extremely reliable, easy to operate and maintain.

Other inexpensive 1911s are RIAs - they seem to have a good reputation going so far ... next up in price would be one of the Springfield 1911s...or even Auto-Ordnance might be a good one since Kahr took them over. If you get a 1911, I recommend one with good sights for ease of shooting, not the small "government styled military-type" sights ...

You can also get a 1911 in 9mm but the cost is more than what you're looking at now...I recently got a Kimber Stainless II that runs great...well, ok, runs great with everything except 147 flat nosed bullets..sigh...ok, ok, ok..for a 9mm (with a consistent trigger pull) thats more likely to run wth anything you feed it go with a Glock 17.... ...heck, for about the best cost for quality, a Ruger P95 is hard to beat...but you're back to a DA/SA trigger pull again....



Anyway, Luck to ya, enjoy the hunt!
Ken

 

[PT1911]

Taurus provides great guns and a lifetime guarantee on the gun with no questions asked. What does beretta have, a gun with history that was changed from an original and better design because they caved to the military. The Taurus PT92 is simply better. The same can be said of the PT1911. Hell, you could find both used, still with the warranty, for a much more reasonable price than the Beretta and not feel like you payed too much for an overpriced, overhyped gun.