Has the Beretta 92FS/M9 seen its best days >>

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Slugo

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I don't see much interest in the Beretta anymore, from private owners and the military. My son-in-law is a Navy Seal and the majority of them are using Sig's, Glock's and H&K's. And there still is a possibility that our American armed forces will be going back to the .45 ACP. I just don't see the Beretta holding on anymore. How about any of you!?!

Here's my 92FS...

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I love the gun. I'm planning on buying one as soon as I get back from next deployment. A lot of people complain that it's too big, yet it's no bigger than the majority of the full size service pistols out there. It does have quite a large grip though, which I actually like because it fits me perfectly.
 
IMO being a little larger >>

makes it easier to shoot and keep on target. It's a very easy weapon to control...
 
I'm gonna say...yes, it has. It's a great gun, there is just better out there. Why buy a 92FS when you can get a Storm, or an XD? It did what it was supposed to do well, in it's time. But now there are things that do the same job, better, or for less weight, or stronger etc. Is the 92FS going to vanish? Of course not. But it has seen the peak of it's popularity.
 
Hold the phone >>

I'll be damned if I would choose an XP or a Storm over the 92M. Those are nothing but Glock wanna' be's with more parts and absolutely NO track record...
 
I'm planning on picking one up as soon as I have the cash. In my mind, with the legend-like reliability, great accuracy, and sturdiness of the firearm, it will never become out-dated.

The Beretta will never die. It's the same reason the 1911 is still around, the system works. Another 10, or even 20 years won't change that. The only thing that will push the Beretta 92fs out of my mind and off the market is new firearm technology/ballistics that makes our modern firearms obsolete. Not fancy rotating barrels or expensive plastics.

My 2 cents
 
In retrospect, after having carried a 96d for duty, and recent experience with the 92fs, I think it's a pretty damn good weapon, as is. You can buy more expensive pistols, you can do more work on other pistols, you can fire more powerful cartridges...i'd just as soon carry more bullets and shoot straighter.
 
Its on its way out and should never been on its way in. As a duty gun its fine. Back in the day 15 rd mags were unheard of and that was one of its big selling points... that and it was hollywood's choice handgun.

As a military pistol its been a dismal failure. From locking blocks to FTFs in the sand box, the beretta isn't a heavy duty gun. This isn't the problem of the pistol itself so much as it is the design. Other firearms are beefier and better built for military applications.

Before I get jumped on for this, let it be known that I own and enjoy shooting my M9. Its a good 9mm pistol. Not shockingly accurate, but its been stone reliable. That said, I shoot it maybe a couple times a year. Its not something that I would ever take if I was storming the beaches of normandy.
 
I've got 2 Italian 92's - a 92 Centurion 7 a inox fs. Both have seen 10,000 rounds plus each w/o a hiccup, have exhibited very nice accuracy & total reliability...what more could you ask for?
Great guns :cool:
 
Has the M9 seen it's best days? Yeah, and they sucked!

Mostly kidding:neener: I actually only have 1 problem (I think it's big though) with the design. The useless slide mounted safety...it's great fun when you do a malfunction drill and the gun doesn't go BANG! after. Why? Because the not needed safety is behind the slide serrations and goes on safe in the down position making it easy to snick it on safe while racking the slide, especially under stress. Who cares at the range, but I only get one when I'm sent to a war zone....
 
M9A1 pistols with the Picatinney type accessory rail on the dust cover are being issued now.
I don't see the Military dumping the guns anytime soon.
Beretta still needs to make dovetailed front sights and tritium sights standard on the guns but this can be done at depot level for those who don't want to wait.
 
I don't want to wade into the debate about the military's adoption of the 92. All I know is that a relative has one with about a million rounds through it that I all but confiscate when I shoot with him. The gun's a little big for what it is, but shoots really well for me.
 
92FS is a fine weapons platform. I've had first hand experience in both the sandbox and on duty as a LEO. The so called tempermental claims are almost 99.9% related to the crappie magazines that were issued to us in the field. The firearm itself has been proven time and time again to work just as advertised. As for it being Hollywoods gun choice, it certainly is an aesthetically pleasing piece.
 
From locking blocks to FTFs in the sand box
Click to expand...

While I agree that the block is the 92's weak point, the failures can be largely attributed to the hot M882 SMG ammo used in the M9's. I suspect the 1911 and many other military sidearms would have suffered more failures if they were fed a steady diet of nothing but +p ammo.

There are stronger 9mm's, lighter 9mm's and smaller 9mm's out there, but the Beretta has it's place. It is a very distinct pistol with classic lines that has been the defining sidearm for a number of elite military forces around the globe, as well as myriad LE agencies. Even with the introduction of the Glock 17 22 years ago (about the same time the 92 FS became well known in the US), the 92FS is still more popular than the G17 among both civilians and police (I'll admit that the G22 has overshadowed all other makes and models as the premier LE sidearm in the US). The Beretta ushered in and defined the wonder-nine era and is still one of the most recognizable firearm silhouettes in the world, along side the M-16 and Kalashnikov.

The Beretta 92 in all it's configurations is many things, but a has-been certainly isn't one of them.
 
New kid here, First post.

Hello All, I just wanted to make this my first post as an in betweener.

I was one of those slide failure victims when I was in the military years ago. And that was after the problem had apparently been corrected. I guess I was unfortunate enough to have one of those that sneeked passed the service depot. I really haven't trusted them since to protect my life or the lives of others. Would I own one today, yes, without hesitation. Would I pick it up in the middle of the night if an intruder was in my home? Never! I like the .38 cailber rounds. My favorite pistol is a .357 revolver. If my life depended on it, I would use my .357 or my .45 1911A1 model.
Aside from the old arguments about the effectiveness of the 9mm round, it just isn't effective anymore. It may have been in thearlier years of it's inception, but to take into account the "wimp factor" and inabilities of todays marksmanship levels of the general Public, Military, and even Law Enforcement, the round and the just doesn't have what it takes to get the job done in the most expedient manor. Back in the day, people who entered the martial forces(military,,LE, etc) typically grew up around firearms and the art of shooting was realtively common. Nowadays, the idea of holding a firearm comes to many as a daily scene from a Hollywood TV show or movie. When I was in the military going through Navy Boot camp, they actually had to show people why it was not functional to hold the pistol "Gangster Style" before being allowed up to the firing line. And for many, that was and would be their only experience with a Firearm in the Navy.

Sorry, this has gotten longer than I had planned. Didn't mean to rant. I'll be better next time.


JTMcD.


We sleep peaceful in our beds because Rough Men stand ready in the night to visit violence upon those who would do us harm.......G. Orwell
 
This is off topic, but Slugo, I didn't realize that you were a Bill Yao fan. Nice custom Seiko. Even nicer Beretta, when I turn 21 it's a must add to my future collection. It's a symbol of Italian pride.
 
Again, no one is saying it's a has-been or that it's going to vanish off the face of the planet.

But in terms of popularity and sales, yes, the 92fs has reached it's pinnicle. If you went back and looked at the year that Beretta sold the most units, however many that may be, I doubt you will have that same number of units sold again in a year. Will it continue to sell for years to come? Of course. But that's not the question. The question was, has it seen it's best days. And it has.
 
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