Few days ago I did witness something that got me very scared...

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saturno_v

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A friend of mine showed me the Beretta 96 he bought new (so far about 500-600 rounds through it).
He does not shoot it often at the moment and when he doesn't carry it, he put it in the nightstand drawer with 2 fully loaded magazines (one in the gun and the other spare).

I took the magazine out and played with it as he was unloading the magazine just for fun......oh oh....at the last 3 or 4 rounds the follower get somehow "stuck" and unable to push up the remaining rounds....we look at each other as he reload the magazine and try again...same thing, the last 3 rounds the follower get stuck leaving the rounds "loose"....try over and over again, same thing....brand new magazine...I did took the spring out and look for signs of burrs or anything like that but I could not see anything wrong.....once reassembled we tested again few times...same issue.....well "I guess I have to return the magazine for a warranty exchange" he says perplexed....never happened before when he was shooting it....it seems that the spring/follower developed some sort of "set" in that particular spot in the magazine.

Wow....I admit that my faith in the new ultrareliable autoloaders got badly shaken.....a reputable gun maker and one of the most common service pistol out there....stuff like that can get you killed.....

What is your take?? Ever heard of something like that before and possible causes?? Should I switch to a wheelgun?? ;)
 
How does it shoot? I assume the ~500 previous rounds fired without incident. Thumbing cartridges off the top of a magazine is not necessarily a reliable test of its function, in a similar manner to working cartridges through the gun's action by hand. Revolvers are subject to their own malfunctions and breakages as well; despite their other positive attributes, they are not perfect either.
 
I have had similar experiences with Beretta factory magazines, the followers are sometimes suspect, nonetheless there is an easy solution. MecGar produces an 18 round 92FS magazine, and I believe a 13 or 14 round 96 magazine.

MecGar's are totally superior to any Beretta factory produced magazine, I have dozens of them for my collection of 92FS pistols...
 
Guns are not magic talismans.

If the gun SHOOTS fine, then leave it alone.

If you absolutely cant get over it, then sell it to me for $100 and go back to revolvers.
 
Over the years I've found all kinds of mags that have "snags". They get dented, crushed, rusty inside, etc. If sanding down the follower and the inside of the tube with fine sand paper doesn't make that paarticular magazine reliable again (clean thoroughly and lightly oil, etc), then discard. Magazines are not THAT expensive, and sometimes it is worth it to throw them out. Why put your defensive gun at risk of failure for a $25-$40 fix?
 
I have seen this before. When thumbing the round, you are can push the rounds down too, but not in an even manner like loading a magazine... if the follower gets kicked it could stick. This would not happen shooting the gun.

But, tell your friend I will give him $350 for his defective gun so he can sleep better at night :)
 
I assume the "Very scared" part is tongue in cheek? Guns are simple (and sometimes not so simple) machines, from time to time, something fails, or god forbid, comes from the factory with a bad part. Have it fixed and move on. I have not heard that this is a systemic problem with Beretta so chalk it up to a bad part just like anything else.
 
Maybe the follower is out of spec, or the spring is weak. If it shoots fine I wouldn't be to worried about it.

Don't loose faith in automatics. They are in fact a more simple machine than revolvers and when used properly and taken care of, are just as reliable.
 
REAPER4206969 said:
Beretta factory mags are Mec-Gar's.
Click to expand...

Not sure about the 92 but the Mec-Gars for my 84 are not cut anything like the factory Beretta ones. I much prefer the polished nickel, Mec-Gar mags but either have worked 100% in the 84.
 
I bought some of those ultra cheap 1911 mags from Sportsman Guide and most of them do that when I unload them. They actually run fine in the gun but I would never use one in my carry gun, that what the Wilson mags are for.
 
When I turned 21 I ran out the door and bought a brand new stainless 92F. I always liked the pistol and knew its service history. Me and a friend promptly went to the local range and got to it. Every single magazine I tried to run through and I would have a stovepipe. Both magazines. I was very upset. I returned to the place where I purchased it looking for some support. The store owner insisted the pistol was fine and that I was somehow at fault. I convinced him to keep it and have his smith test fire it the next day. When I returned two days later, he conceded the pistol was "bad" and he returned my money.

So......the point I am trying to reach. There is no such thing as a 100% reliable brand or type of pistol. You need to fire the weapon enough to build your confidence in its ability to perform. I would not buy any pistol brand new, with minimal time shooting it, and promptly depend on it for my life. Revolvers may be different, not sure. Just bought my first one.
 
Just to note. The Beretta's used in the Military are not the same as the ones they sell to civilian's. The M9 shares the frame with the 92F, but the rest is different.

As a rule I would never buy a Beretta handgun. Their Shotgun's though are a different story.
 
Never had a problem with the magazines on my Beretta 96. Both are factory 10's, clean and oil them about every time I shoot.

I didn't know so many people didn't like beretta.
 
Nid-I know there are differences, but I thought they were VERY similar. All parts interchangeable between the two.
 
I like Beretta's, almost all kinds. Just bought a Beretta 92FS Compact with the 8 shot mag. I have not tried the Neos or the PX or 8000 series, but the 92FS and older guns have always been nicelyy built and reliable guns for me.
 
Very few people who shoot regularly, and have a choice of weapons, would go with Beretta. Military and law enforcement agencies have a lot of different criteria that is not concerned with constant reliability. When I say people who shoot regularly, I am not talking about popping away at a target a few rounds a month. I am talking about 100s of rounds a month, 1000s a year, in competition or training.
 
For those concerned with "constant reliability" the choices don't get much better than Beretta. My Beretta shotguns and handguns have never had a malfunction.

My Beretta shotgun (between the skeet, sporting clays, duck & upland hunting) has been ran hard and put away wet for 20 years and 1000s upon 1000s of rounds later, I'm still waiting for a malfunction.

My results have been the same with my Beretta pistol (flawless) just haven't owned it as long.
 
The military does not put 1000's of rounds through individual guns year in, year out. I think you are talking about competition guns, and even 1911's need rehabs every 10-20K. I knew a national level shooter that fired 50K every year though his custom 1911's, and needed two identical guns as one was usually in the shop, or could be, hence the "backup". Firing was split between the two, and wearing them out to retirement was also part of the cost of shooting competition. I do not care to shoot to that level (I have, and it becomes boring, expensive, and WORK...not fun anymore), nor do I deliberately like trashing a gun that I like, to "retirement", suitable for wallhanging. For the discipline of self defense, a Beretta 92 variant will do just as well as Sig, Colt, S&W, or Glock, to the tune of 6000 a year (500 a month), and that is way more than most police departments budget or shoot per officer. Yeah, you can shoot any given gun more than that per year, just budget the price of the gun into the picture if they wear out. A guy can buy 4 Beretta's for every Ed Brown Special Forces, or 2 or 3 for every HK P7M13, etc. To each their own.
 
jl1966 said:
Very few people who shoot regularly, and have a choice of weapons, would go with Beretta. Military and law enforcement agencies have a lot of different criteria that is not concerned with constant reliability. When I say people who shoot regularly, I am not talking about popping away at a target a few rounds a month. I am talking about 100s of rounds a month, 1000s a year, in competition or training.
Click to expand...

I'm 99% positive this is an unassuming opinion with no factual base. I know a good 5 service men and women using Berettas (over glocks/mp's) and 2 gentlemen working in private security doing the same.

I never understood the Beretta hate, they are very nice firearms. Well made, fire nicely, and are very low on FTF/FTE problems (unlike other arms). Pick up a Beretta and try one before you start spitting out random junk.
 
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