Congratulations! The first hi-cap pistol I ever fell in love with was the S&W 59 in nickel. When I read an article stating they had a jamming problem, the next one I set my eye on, fickle fellow that I am, was the Beretta 92. It was relatively inexpensive (having not yet been chosen as the military's new sidearm), had a horizontal ramp, no ejection port for cases to catch on and (I thought) a rugged frame that would prevent cracking. At the time I was wary of anything with an aluminum frame, but that's young love -- to throw caution to the wind!
Alas, when the military selected the gun as its new sidearm, the prices skyrocketed overnight. I couldn't afford to keep my Italian beauty, so I sold it and bought two Ruger Security-Sixes (can I say that on this forum?) and later a Taurus PT92. And while it was ultra-reliable, like its smarter twin, it just didn't have the accuracy or the finish of my old Beretta. But I kept it because it did fire sixteen shots as fast as I could pull the trigger. But it was just a physical attraction. I just wasn't ready for a long-term commitment.
Then one day it happened. True love. I dumped the Taurus into the nearest rat trap and shamelessly committed myself to a new love -- the gun I had waited my entire life for. It was everything I wanted. It was stainless steel, even the frame, it had adjustable sights and was flawlessly reliable. It wasn't exactly cheap, but it was cheaper...er...less expensive...than the Beretta.
It was Smith & Wesson's first stainless auto, the unmatched 659, the gun that is still my favorite 9mm to this day. With the right holster I barely knew it was there, and the construction was like a tank! I loved stainless steel and the only other stainless auto I'd ever seen was the Ruger Standard Auto 1 of 500 special run I paid almost five hundred bucks for. Now I had two. The only other gun I could ever hope for was one I could never have, even if they made them. And that would be a Beretta 92 in stainless steel. Later, I heard Beretta had made a special military model, and when I saw
A Few Good Men, and the ceremonial Beretta stainless (or was it nickel-plated?), I wanted it. I fantasized about being the first one to stumble on the suicide scene, of stepping over the body, grabbing the Beretta and making a quick exit, locking the door as I left. It would never be seen again!
But a number of years later, after my 5906, my 3906 and a Ruger Mark II stainless, I happened across a Taurus PT-92 in stainless steel. It was gorgeous. Still is. And amazingly, it had a rail mount, a cock-and-lock safety and it's far more accurate than the ones I had years ago. Apparently, someone at Taurus was doing something right. Additionally, it didn't have the two-tone silver and black that my Beretta air pistol had and which the current 9mm model apparently has, seeing the photo.
So while the INOX Berettas are great guns (I've got two INOX mouse guns, both two-tone, alas), I don't think looks-wise that the Taurus can be beat.
The Taurus (top), in my view, wins the beauty contest. My Beretta air pistol
is two-tone, however, and is a good partner to the INOX 9mm. Notice the polished
slide release on the Taurus! It's black on the Beretta.
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