M9 and US Service Pistols

[Ash]

I'm not a Beretta fan (I like my CZ-75), but the discussion below reminds me of a retired Army Ranger I know. He served in the 1980's into the 1990's. His first combat action was in Panama (he was a Captain and was involved with the first assault and then was also involved with the Hard Rock Music assault on the Vatican compound where Noriega was hiding). He continued through the first Gulf War and then into the Iraq war before retiring.

His personal pistol is a stainless Beretta 92FS. I have been kayaking and hiking with him on many trips and he told me the Beretta was what he used as a side arm, it always worked well for him, and that it was the pistol in which he had the most confidence. He also liked the M4.

In the end, I still like my CZ, but if a Ranger used and in the end still prefers the Beretta, that is an excellent endorsement of the pistol.

 

[jaysouth]

Imagine a Green Beret driving a Buick and a Navy seal driving a Ford.

Who's right? Who's best? Who's to say, both are good cars, CZ and Beretta are both good guns.

If your Ranger buddy was issued a CZ during his career, he would probably be carrying one today. Interesting to note that, according to you, the Beretta was not the 'best', just the one he was familiar with and liked.

When you figure out which gun is the 'best', post here for some interesting responses.

 

[Shipwreck]

The 92 and M9 naysayers can say the sky is falling all the want. Everytime I go to the range and shoot the gun, I have a smile on my face. Just tired of the "eye rolling" whenever I say that a Beretta 92 is my fav. Oh well...

And, with hogue grip panels (not the wrap around), I like the feel of the weapon. I have rather small hands, but it balances nicely. I also like the undercut trigger guard (where it meets the grip)

I have 8 of them, and have owned a LOT of different guns since I got my 1st one in 1993. I've gone thru cycles of having different fav handguns over the years. Right now, I like the 92 platform the best. It fits my hand in a 1 handed grip better than anything else... Even better than the 1911 (I know - that's heresy).

I still have a Custom Shop Springfield, but I sold my Ed Brown earlier this year. I just never shot it anymore.

I'll be over here with my multiple 92's - I'm sure someone will jump in with something negative tos ay, or some distorted variation of a story 25 years old about slides hitting people in the face left and right for miles..

If you replace the recoil spring every 3-5k, replace the trigger return spring every 5k, and the locking block (a $35 part) every 15-20k, you will be fine. The world won't end

 

[SSN Vet]

The M9s I've shot were well made and very accurate pistols...

But the M9 grip is very fat and doesn't fit my hand well at all.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[bigfatdave]

The M9s I've shot were well made and very accurate pistols...

But the M9 grip is very fat and doesn't fit my hand well at all.

Different strokes for different folks.

another bubblehead with the same exact report.
Sure, it works, sure, it is a well-made pistol
But it doesn't fit my hand, and I trend towards more compact pistols anyway.

But the sidearm issued to any given military organization isn't really important, it isn't their primary weapon and they don't have to pay for the gun, ammo, or repairs. Just because some Army Ranger got handed a free gun, got to shoot it with free ammo, and had an armorer to do all the preventative and corrective maintenance it might need doesn't mean it is a good gun for anyone in particular.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Don't like the M9 and never have. I don't like the way it feels, operates or shoots. I also don't like the caliber or the way it looks, as a minor detail. All my own personal tastes. Some love it and that's great for them. As jaysouth said, your buddy probably likes it because it's familiar. I'd imagine most don't think the M9 is a superior pistol, but it works and if you like it, then why not use it?

 

[Nakanokalronin]

The Beretta 92 and PX4 are the only DA/SA guns I've shot or owned that I really like. When I shoot them at the range they always hit me in the face.....with a smile.

The 1911 is my #1 firearm but I think my Berettas may become equal favorites soon enough.

92A1

Elite 92. Right now the slide and an NP3 barrel I picked up is having a bushing installed

92FS

92 Compact

PX4sc. Yea, its the odd man out but its a great CCW piece.

 

[CWL]

If your friend stormed the beaches of Normandy, he'd probably still swear by his M1 Garand and M1911 pistol.

As a career soldier, he wasn't given any choices or comparisons, he used Army issue and that was it.

Nothing wrong with most firearms adopted by the military, they've all been put through vigorous qualification processes, but us civvies have right to pick and choose based on what we like & want.

 

[usp9]

The Beretta is a well made, reliable and accurate pistol. The INOX, (stainless), model is especially sweet both in appearance and function. Your friend has good taste in pistols.

 

[MidwestRookie]

nakano, nice collection!

I didn't know you had 5 of em..you'll love WAL's bushing. it makes shooting the elites even that much more fun when the groups get smaller without you becoming a better shot, lol..

trust me, I know..

as far as the Ranger, I think it is saying a lot that he decided to stick with the 92 after he got out of the service. with his training and skill he could've picked any gun he wanted. those saying he uses it because he was issued it are being ignorant..he wasn't issued an Inox 92...he was issued an m9 and like it so much he bought one to protect his life with after military service..

 

[Too_Pure]

The first gun I ever fired was a Taurus PT92. I liked it a lot and always remembered it even though I never got around to getting my own Beretta (would not buy a Taurus). Now all this time later, just yesterday in fact, I got my very own stainless 92fs. It fits my hand perfectly. The 9mm recoil is so easy to manage. The gun is beautiful. They work. I'm very happy and can't wait to visit the range with my new pistol this weekend

 

[starbuck]

As a career soldier, he wasn't given any choices or comparisons, he used Army issue and that was it.

Because he wasn't free to go out and buy any gun he wanted for personal use, like the rest of us?

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Because he wasn't free to go out and buy any gun he wanted for personal use, like the rest of us?

There's a major difference in a duty pistol you carry off to war and a personal weapon you shoot on the weekends...

 

[MidwestRookie]

and he decided that when he was done being forced to carry one, that he'd buy a stainless one to "shoot on the weekends"..and carry with him wherever he goes.

 

[0311]

The M9 is an excellent sidearm. Military personnel don't have the luxury to pick and choose what they are issued, they learn the weapon. Civilians can and it is a bit laughable at some the opinions etc. voiced about weapons, specs, ammo, blah and blah. If you can't or don't know how to use it it makes little freaking difference. I have put thousands of rounds through a M9 and I could handle it as well as I can tie my shows as result of training. That said, I don't own one, but when shopping for handguns that was the baseline, because now I have that choice.

 

[.45FMJoe]

Yup, you learn what's issued and learn how to use it the best.

That's how I'm becoming an HK fan, learning the P2000 and actually I love how it fits my hand and how well I shoot it with the LEM trigger.

I had and sold an M9. I'm absolutely drooling over an M9A1 at the local gun shop for a very reasonable price. I don't know why, I hate DA/SA triggers.

 

[MidwestRookie]

^ regarding DA/SA..

while not the easiest thing in the world to do, I actually converted my 92FS to SAO with a hammer from a SAO Steel I model and trigger from SAO Billennium model..

It's just my range gun with an SGS compensator and burris fastfire on it, but the trigger pull feels GREAT and no more stupid DA pull..

 

[digsigs226]

Despite being a gargantuan pistol, I actually like the M9. I shoot it pretty well every time I qual with it, and I dare say it would probably give my personal pistols a run for there money. It's also very reliable design, and I've heard very little bad things about it from the desert. It also has more safety features than the average DA/SA pistol, which is a good thing since the military can be crazy safety consciousnesses (and not necessarily without good reason )

Aside from the shoddy quality magazines, the only real qualm I have with the weapons system is the cartridge itself. Being restricted to 9mm FMJ's for OCONUS operations is not something I feel all that comfortable with. So shooting someone with a 9mm JHP is "inhumane" but shooting someone with a .338 Lapua isin't? Hauge convention bullcrap. I don't even think we signed that particular portion anyway so I don't know why we insist on adhering to it... nothing to do with the gun itself though so excuse my rant!

 

[REAPER4206969]

The 92 is not any larger than any other 5" gun.

Also, do you know how much extra cost and time it would take to manufacture a JHP bullet versus a FMJ, especially in a "total war" scenario?

FMJ is fine when you put it in a vital zone.

 

[Javelin]

M9 is a fine weapon. Probably one of the best ever produced.

 

[Mike J]

My only experience with a Beretta was a few rounds through a range rental a few months ago. I liked it. If he likes the platform & trusts it I see no reason for him to go looking for anything else.

 

[FLAvalanche]

I love the Baretta 92s and I really want an elite. However, all the M9s I had were garbage and looked (and shot) like whoever had it before me used it to pound in tent stakes.

 

[Pizzagunner]

I love the Baretta 92s and I really want an elite. However, all the M9s I had were garbage and looked (and shot) like whoever had it before me used it to pound in tent stakes.

That's the problem with judging firearms type by their presence in military service, the nature of community property and how no one really cares for it.

Had I judged 1911 pistols by the ones I encountered in the Navy, I wouldn't dare own any of its variants today because the rattle traps in the service sucked hard.

Were the SIG P226 adopted back in the 80s, and saddled for a good part of its service term with absolutely crappy Checkmate magazines, the disinformation cow path would be littered with SIG hate and the Model 92FS would enjoy the status as the unsullied "pistol that won but didn't."

 

[Too_Pure]

The 92 is not any larger than any other 5" gun.

This.

I could easily carry mine. No holster for it yet, but I will get one. The 92fs is not "gargantuan" or "huge". It's just a full sized pistol with a double stack, like any other. And it's no heavier than any other non-polymer pistol, lighter, in fact, than an all steel gun.

 

[Chindo18Z]

"Service" sized guns are just that...built for open duty carry, not concealment.

The Beretta is only big in comparison to the many compact/lighter/thinner 9mm pistol models available today.

Here's a not-so-great photo showing side by side comparison of Service Sized...