Beretta 96 Reliability

[KevH]

I've heard from two people that the 96 is garbage. One of those people is a SFPD rangemaster (who facilitated their switch to Sig) and the other a junior ATF agent (who now carries a Sig 229). I love my 92 and have had great experience with it. It only has around 3,000-4,000 rounds through it, but thus far it has functioned flawlessly. I know Beretta seems to be getting a bad rap these days, but the pistol just feels right to me (even though it's not a 1911 or HP).

Who here has experience (not rumor) with the 96? What has it been? Is it a reliable pistol? Does it keyhole (bullet imprints sideways on the target)? Has the slide/frame fit stayed tight over time?

I'm considering an Beretta 96 Elite IA. I figured the Brigadier slide should make it even stronger. What are your thoughts?

 

[LMC]

I love mine,i have about 1,200 rounds thru it without a single malfunction,i personally think all those rumors are bs,i say shoot what you like and don't worry about everyone else, if you what some other opinions try www.berettaforum.com

 

[obm]

+1 on what LMC said.

the name brand pistols are ones that you can trust despite the anecdotal "that pistol sucks" opinions and inevitable lemons from all manufacturers.

good products stay in the market, bad one fade away.

a good example is the sig gsr. i'm not knocking the gsr, btw, i'm more complimenting sigarms' decision to halt production because of quality problems.

 

[bakert]

I have a friend that has a Beretta 96 thats had some few thousands of rds through with no problems. After shooting this gun myself, the only thing I didn't like was the trigger a bit heavy in S/A mode. And I will also say this having met a couple of each. Not all Rangemasters or ATF agents are as gun smart as they think!!

 

[BerettaNut92]

Paging Dr Jones and 9mm Epiphany....

 

[RAD]

I have approximately 12,000 through my duty weapon right now without any problems. It went through range instructor school with me which accounted for the majority of those rounds and I shoot 2x weekly.
It has never given me one problem. It's beat to hell but keeps going and going. I recommend it highly. Honestly I like the Glock 22 better but we are issued the 96G so......................
YMMV

 

[Matthew748]

I have a Beretta 96 and think it is a fine gun, I have never had any real issues with it. It loves 180gr bullets, so that is what I feed it. I have not shot it in while, but that is because I am low on 40 S&W ammo right now.

 

[TN-popo]

I bought a used police trade-in 96D...I haven't had a malfunction with it yet. I carried an M9 in the military...never had a malfunction then either. Most of what I'm hearing of military M9 problems are old mag spring/mag related problems.

It makes me laugh when I hear some cops (some of my co-workers) talk about certain pistols/calibers/ammo...many think because they carry a gun 40hrs a week, they know all there is to know about guns...just ask them

 

[_N4Z_]

I had a new 96 Inox w/ the factory hogue grips for about a year. Not one with the black plastic decocker, tigger, yada yada either. Was all metal and a fine looking piece.

I recently traded it for a ss .357 gp100 6" and some extras. Reason? Little over half a dozen ftf's in about 1100 rounds of factory ammo. Mostly WWB and UMC along with some PMC and Rem GS's. 80% of these were 180 grain.

Only a couple of these instances were maybe limp wristing. It had factory 10 round mags and was stock across the board. Was house kept, cleaned religiously after every use, all bearing surfaces lightly oiled, and I rotated mags every week.

Now I really liked this weap and it shot very well, but I am better with the wheel I traded it for, and I've suffered no ftf's since the switch.

I've read (ayoob i believe it was) that the 96 is not as reliable as it's 9mm cousin. In my experience I would have to concur with this.

 

[357SIG]

I had a Beretta 96G when I was a state trooper. It has never failed me in any way, shape, or form. The only thing that sucked is it only holds 11+1 rounds. Duty ammo is the 180 gr. Gold Dot and we practiced/qualified with the 165 gr. Blazers.

 

[Onmilo]

I owned a 96 INOX for about four years.
I didn't keep track of the actual number of rounds fires but about 500 rounds a year times four years makes for two thousand rounds fired.
No problems with reliability and no parts breakage.
I considered the Beretta to be the best choice in .40 S&W caliber weapons when I bought the gun, alas, it suffered from the same fault that every other .40 caliber pistol has that I have so far fired, a lack of acceptable accuracy.
I sold mine but still consider the pistols very good if the shooter isn't super picky about tight grouping ability.

 

[obiwan1]

My duty weapon is a 96D. The springs have been replace 3x. It has 5k+ rounds through it. The only malfunctions have been the result of a kinked mag spring. Do a search on the 96. There have been other threads on it.

Bottom line. Most of us don't like it, but if you learn its quirks its a fine weapon.

 

[IZinterrogator]

I used to have a Beretta 96 Inox, but I got rid of that thing. Yup, traded it in for a Beretta 96G-SD. What a coinkydink!

The 96G-SD is still new, but the Inox had thousands of rounds through it with no problems. So far, the 96G-SD is batting a thousand, also. Trust it enough for it to be my HD gun.

 

[Beethoven]

Here's my experience:

My first handgun was a blued Beretta 96.

At the time I was into Berettas (I'm not anymore) and I bought a stainless one to complement it.

Both were purchased 100% NIB and unfired, BTW.

The stainless one had to go back to the factory immediately for a bad trigger bar.

Shortly after that, I was at the range and the slide stop, which is made of MIM, sheared clean off the gun.

I promptly traded that back for a Desert Eagle which has been 100% reliable, tons of fun to shoot, and the favorite of pretty much every lady I've taken shooting.

But I digress....

The blued one has been OK, though I think it gave me some problems last time out. I suspect a bad mag or mag spring, but I haven't gotten around to changing it as I don't shoot the Beretta often because I don't care much for them anymore and do not like the .40 round to boot.

That's my experience: Stainless one was a lemon, blued is so-so.

I've never seen either of the two 96's I own keyhole.

If you are considering buying one, I personally would not recommend it unless you really, really like/want it.

I love the looks and feel of the Beretta 92/96, but I don't like either the 9mm or .40 cartridges, and the performance of the 92/96 series is average at best.

I'd recommend a Glock, 1911 or even a Sig over a Beretta. Heck, even my Desert Eagle has been more reliable and TONS more fun than both 96's combined!!!

You asked for my opinion/experience, and there it is.

 

[bountyhunter]

The 92FS was tested by the Army shooting hot +p+ NATO 9mm ammo (about 1300 fps/ 124 grain). Over a very large sample size, the average number of rounds fired before significant failure (not field repairable) was 30,000 rounds... exactly double the number the ARMY said they had to meet.

The 92FS is an extremely durable 9mm weapon. The bad news is, the 96 is basically identiacal in every way but is expected to handle the .40 round. I do not think it would be anywhere near as relaible and the slide would be highly suspect. There is so much material removed from the top of the slide it does not look ".40 proof" to my eyes.

 

[GunAdmirer]

The performance of the 92/96 series is average at best?

You stated it was your opinion. I accept that.

However, the 92 series pistol has been thoroughly tested and adopted by the U.S. and other militaries for its reliability. It is also known by law enforcement agencies/officers and civilians alike for its reliability.

It may be bulky. It may have periodic parts failures. What pistol doesn't?

I contened that the 92/96 series is well above average. It is one of the finest pistols ever made.

I've had two. I just bought an INOX 92FS. Both of them have been complelely reliable. No problems whatsoever. I've never had a misfeed or jam in a Beretta 92FS.

I am not a Beretta junkie. I own several 9mms from the different major brands. All of them have been completely reliable. I do enjoy shooting the Beretta the most.

 

[Gixerman1000]

No problems with mine