Should I buy Beretta 92FS?

[Rebel Gunman HK]

Found one at the local store today, looks brand new. They are asking $400 for it. One mag. Now I have shot these but never owned one. Is there anything I need to look out for? Again this gun is spotless. Anything I should look for before I cough up the money? Thanks

 

[WonderNine]

Sounds like a pretty decent buy. Make sure the lockup is straight. The barrel shouldn't touch the slide on either side.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

Sounds like a good deal for used....if the condition is that flawless. I have the 92FS in blue -- love the gun.

 

[RTFM]

This may open a whole can of worms, but will some one inform me why the 92FS is considered junk by the military crowd?
I know it's not because of the 9mm size, it was a (perceived?) functioning problem.
When I was in we still had the tried and true 1911's.

RTFM

 

[10-Ring]

I've been really happy w/ mine (I've got a Centurion & an inox 92fs). The nice thing is that standard capacity mags can still be found.

 

[WonderNine]

This may open a whole can of worms, but will some one inform me why the 92FS is considered junk by the military crowd?
I know it's not because of the 9mm size, it was a (perceived?) functioning problem.

I believe that story is that there were some slides made out of soft French metal back in the late eighties and some of them broke after firing military ammo. I believe there were only 1,000 total guns with this flaw and it was corrected quickly. Beretta also implemented a slide retention device in models designated 92FS or basically anything made around 1990 and after so this is basically a non-issue now as the affected guns were all military M9's not civilian 92FS's. The Beretta 92 has always kicked butt in the military's torture tests.

You also do hear alot of war stories though about the "puny" 9mm and "one shot stop" .45.

Oh yea, I'd MUCH rather have a 7+1 .45 in a war zone rather than a 15+1 9mm

 

[MP-5]

Problably my favorite 9mm. No, the Beretta IS my favorite 9mm and @ $400 bucks it's a steal!! Go for it!

 

[Rebel Gunman HK]

I BELIEVE IT SHALL BE MINE!

 

[WonderNine]

Beretta 92FS is my SECOND favorite 9mm

 

[bountyhunter]

I have rekindled my affair with my 92FS by putting a red dot on it and using it for speed shooting. It's fun to shoot and more accurate than I remember. Amazing how many of my guns improve their accuracy sitting in the safe... couldn't be me.

 

[BerettaNut92]

is it Italian or American?

 

[pingwax]

I have a friend who has a 92fs and we go shooting at a local range regularly.

Its a pretty nice gun and easy to shoot. The one complaint that I have with it is it's complexity. It has tiny springs and tiny pins put in all kinds of places that are begging to get lost. The one that always seems to be a problem is the slide catch spring.

Its a nice gun, no question, but be careful if you decide to try and take it apart.

 

[Rebel Gunman HK]

I dont know if its American or Italian. I tried to make friends with it but it wouldnt speak to me so I dunno where is from. Does it say on the gun or is it a SN thing?

 

[Rebel Gunman HK]

Another quick question... Where is a good place on the net to find hi-capacity mags for this baby??

 

[BerettaNut92]

It'll say on the port side of the slide--made in USA or made in Italy. $400 for a NIB-ish American is a good deal but not a screaming deal (unless there were a mag or three tossed in there), but I haven't seen Italians go for that low that often.

 

[JerryN]

Another quick question... Where is a good place on the net to find hi-capacity mags for this baby??

Pretty much any and every establishment selling firearms stuff has STANDARD CAPACITY (15 rounds) mags for the 92FS. Shop around for the best price: sportsmans guide, nachez, cheaper than dirt, cdnn, joeschmoemagazinesinc... everybody's got em.

If this 92 is as clean as you say, its a decent deal. I've seen them go for a lot more than that.

 

[surfinUSA]

Look on the web and eventually you will find the GSA report. Our military broke 14 slides IIRC. Thats it. All that BS over 14 slide. Some of those were in the lab with proof level loads. Most bitching you read from afghanistan and Iraq is the caliber not the function.

The french guns were a different story and built to french demands and specifications.

Contrary to what you might hear the Beretta is an outstanding weapon. They are very reliable and more accurate then anyone I've ever met.

Personally I think the best full sized duty 9mm is the Beretta although my favorite all around 9mm is the Glock 19.

If the gun fits you well buy it, if you don't like it , sell it you'll get your money out of it.

 

[WonderNine]

I prefer the hi-cap Mec-Gar 17 rounders for the Beretta 92 as opposed to the normal 15 rounders.

Heck, I can carry 15+1 in my BHP with Mec-Gars, the only real advantage I see of the B92 over a BHP is the two extra rounds and open slide design for direct chamber loading and greater ease of clearing jams, but it's a lot bigger gun and the BHP is pretty easy to clear jams in as well, not that I've ever had a jam in a Beretta 92FS OR a Browning Hi-Power .

And I also prefer the BHP's crisp single action trigger over the B92. Don't get me wrong, most B92's have crisp SA triggers as well, but something about the takeup and/or balance in Berettas cause me to throw shots high and low if I try to shoot too quickly.

Oh wait, now I got off on a Beretta bash, dunno how I did that, I really love B92's alot. Of course, I shoot HP's now alot more than Beretta's, I guess back when I was more used to shooting B92's I was alot better with accurate rapid fire.

 

[Rebel Gunman HK]

Ok, found out the gun is American made. I took it apart at the shop and looked it over, everything looked great! Oh, also I had asked the gun shop dude to "hold" it for me till after work. When I got there some other dude was standing there waiting for me not to show. Had been there for over an hour. The gun was just displayed that day. Felt kinda bad for the guy, saw his heart break. But too bad, cause its mine. I was impressed at the gun store for keepin there word and holding it for me. So then I took my new baby home and cleaned it up and hauled butt out to the desert to pop off some rounds. Hereshow the shooting goes, I shot this Beretta 92 better than all my other guns. SA 1911's, Hk USP40, Ruger P95.....
On the first time out. This gun must fit my hand perfectly. I love it. Gonna have to take my Hk out and shoot em side by side. Surely it can't beat my Hk!! Right??

 

[dbshabo]

Hey Rebel, congrats on your purchase of a fine sidearm. I don't know about hi-cap mags but I have ordered and used 5 of the Asian military contract 15 rounders with zero problems. I don't recall who I got them from but I do know that I found the ad in Shotgun News. I seem to recall that I paid $22.95/mag. This has been ~8 monthes ago so maybe they can be had for less now. Good luck bro. I have the 92FS Centurion and I won't give it up. I am lookin' for a .45 to add to the safe now.

Shabo

 

[BerettaNut92]

IMO the Beretta isn't better or worse than the HK...just different. I like the design philosophy of the HKs better but shoot the Beretta better...go figure.

Oh:
www.carboncreations.com
www.langdontactical.com

 

[Rebel Gunman HK]

It apears Im in total agreement with ya Skunk!

 

[WonderNine]

I've never heard any bad about the Asian military mags and they seem to be very similiar to factory mags. I've seen them at a few places for $19.95 each and if you buy them in quantity it's more like $17-$18 a piece.

 

[Black Majik]

Am I the only one that hates the way a Beretta shoots?

A while ago I shot a Beretta 92FS at the range. I rented it, and found the trigger to be quite long for single action. Tried to stick it through for the 50 rds I bought for the gun, but damn.. the long trigger pull made me shoot all over the place. One bullet even missed the damn target @ 20 yrds. After 40 rds I went back to trade for a Springfield XD-9. Much better shooter (for me anyways)

So, My impressions of Berettas then were pretty low. But I figured... one gun outta the bunch shouldn't affect the company since I hear so many people rave about them.

Yesterday, after acquiring my Sig P226. I went to the range to try out the 9mm. A guy next to me was shooting a Beretta 96 (.40 cal). So I asked him about the gun, how he liked it etc... So he let me try out the gun... loaded one magazine into the gun (10 rds) and had the first shot in DA. DAMN, the DA trigger felt like rowing a boat. Such a long pull, but that was to be expected. Next subsequent rounds were all Single Action. Shorter yes, but it just does not have a clean break.

It seems the trigger just keeps pulling and pulling then finally bang! I cant really tell where the trigger breaks at, I guess you just have to "memorize" where the trigger would engage.

Sad too, because I actually do love the way Berettas look. I also was seriously looking into the 92FS for my 9mm companion.

After shooting my Sig P226, I'm glad I went Sig instead of Beretta. Cleaner trigger break, I can actually shoot accurately w/ the gun and overall feels better in my hand.

Beretta handgun experience

 

[Rebel Gunman HK]

Majik, My trigger pull ain't that bad. DA is long, but smooth. SA does have some take up but breaks clean. Its better than my Ruger P95 & Hk USP40. I happened to shoot it dead on. If only i could shoot my 1911's like that Id be stoked!