the dirty on Beretta

[CAnnoneer]

It would be nice to know what you guys think of Beretta autoloaders. E.g.:

1) reliability
2) accuracy
3) serviceability
4) price
5) ammo
6) availability
7) how do they compare to your favorite autoloader

Thanks!

 

[Magnuumpwr]

I am the proud owner of a Beretta 92FS purchased in 1995 and to this day have yet to have a FTF or FTE. All the ammo is brass cased. Accuracy is not a problem. It is a cinch to field strip and clean, even the mags can be broken down to clean, no parts to replace so far. Not sure about prices now, but at the time it was purchased was in the $400 range. Ammo is abundant from 98 gr. to 147 gr. and made by most all name brand companies which keeps cost down. Availability is unknown in your area. Compared to my Sig P239 it has a stiffer D/A pull, but has hi-cap mags to compensate it. So what if the first shot is alittle off the mark, you still have 15 more to put in center mass.

 

[chris in va]

Do they make lighter hammer springs for the Beretta? I changed out the 20# on the CZ and it made a world of difference...

 

[Tecolote]

1) reliability-Legendary reliability

2) accuracy-Among the most accurate autos made

3) serviceability-Parts galore and BUSA has great customer service

4) price-Relatively inexpensive, $550-$600 NIB

5) ammo-It will feed whatever you stuff into a mag

6) availability-Depends on your state, free states they're easy to find

7) how do they compare to your favorite autoloader-It is my favorite

 

[Sheldon]

The Beretta 92D's mainspring is the one a lot of guys are putting into their 92F pistols and it makes a difference. Guys also use the 1911 mainsprings as well. I have read the 19 lb. spring works well.

 

[DesertRat]

Hmmm. Check out what the U.S. military has to say about them (M-9) with regard to their "legendary reliability." The U.S. Military lessons learned reports have much in common with why my department does not have Beretta's on its approved firearms list.

www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/810131/posts

www.armytimes.com/print.php?f=0-292925-1971230.php

www.militec-1.com/OperationIraqiFreedom.pdf#search='Operation%20Iraqi%20Freedom%20PEO%20Soldier%20Lessons%20Learned'

Frankly, from what I've experienced first hand and heard second hand, the Beretta is around the bottom of my list, somewhere right before a Jennings / Bryco. Actually it's not quite that bad, but does fall far behind many other models in my opinion.

Keep in mind I think it is one of the most attractive semi-autos - always have always will. I sold my 92F long ago.

Let the flames fly...

 

[Matthew748]

I have a Beretta 96FS and it is a great gun. It is accurate, reliable, and comfortable to shoot. Field stripping a cleanup is a breeze. I don’t shoot it as much as my other guns, but that is because decent .40 S&W ammo is a little harder to find in my area and I don’t reload for it yet. I bought it used a few years ago and do not remember how much I paid, sorry.

No offense to anyone, but I do not take stock in any of the reliability arguments that spring from the military. I understand that military use should be the ultimate test of a weapon’s reliability, but there is just WAY to much inconsistency. 50% of what I have read condemns US small arms, and 50% praises them.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

I agree about these military tests which I always find questionable. It seems if someone wants to find a reason to switch to another gun, they'll make up any excuse. Most people take care of their firearms; if you don't, whatever you own will have issues. All five of my Berettas have worked great so I judge a weapon by personal experience. The military says blah, blah, blah, .. Tell them they can try mine.

Ernest Langdon wonked on my collection but he's sadly no longer in the business since moving on to S&W. It's not hard to lighten the trigger and it requires little to improve on it. All in all Beretta is reasonably priced, accurate, and very easy to maintain.

For more info, visit the forum: www.berettaforum.net

 

[Bobby Lee]

I would believe the military tests and think they have more basis in reality than the tests done by an indoor range "expert" that has never had the gun out in the real world.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

All the same, bear in mind that most civilians will never abuse the gun, or use it to the extent or in the same circumstances, that the military does. How they handle firearms could damage any gun: Beretta, Glock, Sig, etc. So to me, their tests don't hold water. I'm not torturing my firearms or neglecting to care for them and all work everytime: my Berettas, Glock, and Walther.

 

[Bobby Lee]

But is is nice to know that IF you ever find yourself in a bad way where you may have to rely on your carry gun in bad conditions that your guns basic design is proven to run well in such conditions.

I believe that ???? can happen and you had best be prepared. If your carry gun requires a certain amount of lube and it has to be very clean before it works 100% then there could come a day when you would wish you had bought something else.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

I think IF I ever find myself in a bad way, such as in the desert in Iraq, or shooting under water -- I'm already dead. It's stupid to judge a gun being used in the home or for personal defense in the same way someone would dragging it through muck and water and never bothering to clean it for a few weeks - at least. I clean my Glock every range time but I know if I didn't, it'd still work.

Military personnel find themselves in places where they don't have the luxery of cleaning a gun when it's convenient so it goes for long periods without proper maintance and it's used in extreme conditions. Just because a Sig may be fragile when buried under sand, dug up, and doesn't go bang doesn't mean it's a piece of crap that wouldn't save your life in an empty parking lot. It's also extremely unfair to judge a gun's reliablity based on something so far removed from Joe Blow's day in the life. As a woman, I'm a target on the streets of Boston and I'm not a very large woman at that. I'd probably be beaten up by most kids in fact. My Beretta levels the playing field - and in my climate, in my home, at my gun club - I don't worry. To me the comparison with military life is apples and oranges to mine -- it doesn't apply.

 

[sfhogman]

I had a 96FS for a couple of years. I found it to be accurate, easy to clean, trouble-free and just plain fun to look at when I wasn't shooting it. I sold it because I found that I wasn't shooting it very much- for me, my 1911 is simply much more fun to shoot. Also Mr. Browning's gun fits my hand better. If I were going to buy another decocker style auto, it would probably be a CZ75.

I'd say shoot one before you buy. They're excellent guns.

Jeff

 

[Tecolote]

Take your "my brand is better than your brand" auto and stuff it with lowest bidder mags and see how it runs. The Beretta passed three different trials, USAF and the Joint Services trials twice, no other auto did that. Any piece of equipment can and will fail under brutal conditions. If you keep a Beretta clean and lubed and use high quality mags it will be as reliable if not more reliable than most other makes. As usual YMMV. But all the "real world Berettas suck" talk only turns away people from what is an exceptional and proven design.

 

[surfinUSA]

I've never had a Beretta that was inaccurate or jam. They are an excellent service pistol. The military bought substandard magazines and got what they paid for, ?????.

There are other excellent pistols out there but the Beretta is also a proven excellent pistol. You can do far worse and its hard to find better.

 

[flinch]

Hello,

Ive had 3 Berettas: 92 sb , .40 Centurion, and still have a 92sb Centurion. In all 3 I dont remember a single jam or failure. However I dont shoot anything but paper, bowling pins etc., nor do I drag them through the sand pile on my way to the range. All mine are/were way more accurate and reliable than I am. I would question the use of hardball 9mm. in these desert battles and not the actual gun. Maybe a move up to the .40 ?

Of course thats just my opinion I could be wrong.

 

[Onmilo]

I have a Beretta M9 variation.
I like the gun it is OK but everybody who has ever shot my Beretta side by side with my Glock 34 or 26 prefers the Glocks to the Beretta.

I think the Beretta is a better service handgun than many have made it out to be.

I think the Military should have ordered the pistols with accessory light rails, tritium night sights, and the strengthened slides of the Brigadeer series and they should have done this 15 fifteen years ago when this stuff became available.
I think the Military should have stuck with Original Equiptment Manufacturer magazines and not bought on the low bid plan and perhaps the soldiers would have liked the guns better today.

 

[JohnKSa]

If I were a gunmaker and prized the reputation of my product above ALL else, I'd NEVER sell to the military or large law-enforcement organizations.

There's nothing like a very large number of people continually using and abusing your product under extreme conditions for many years to make it look like a total POS.

 

[peashooter]

Having been a soldier when I was young, I learned a lot of things. One thing being this; if it can be rendered inoperable, it will be.
That being said, in my current profession, I deployed with the 101st in March of 03 to a sandy dusty place. I was amazed how diligent troops were about their M4 cleaning, but the M9 was another story. I had to help many young troops see the error of their ways and clean it often.
In the desert, weapons must be cleaned and dry lubed as often as one eats.
My personal Berettas work perfectly and have never fail to feed or function.

 

[g56]

I've had a Beretta M92 for about 10 years, it is one of my favorite pistols, it is reasonably accurate, I have at least 10,000 rounds through it with no malfunctions of any kind, I love how easy it is to break down and clean. The only negative thing I could say about it is that the stock trigger pull is heavy, that's it...the only negative I have found.

I read the comments about it not being a manstopper...it has come out that a lot of the Al Queda guys are hopped up on stimulants, they are feeling no pain! Admittedly the 9mm hard ball ammo isn't the best choice for stopping power, for civilian use that is easily corrected with the proper ammunition.

 

[albanian]

The Beretta is probably the most reliable auto ever made. If in good working order and used with factory mags that are also in good working order, I doubt that any gun can be shown to be more reliable. The army is buying cheap after market mags and some of the guns are getting pretty old and beat up.

My friend was an armorer in the Marines and he said that when the Berettas came out, everyone tried to get one. The Marines seemed only too happy to trade in their 30 year old 1911s for a new Beretta. He said that they tended to be more accurate and reliable but also said that the 1911s were so old that most were loose.

I think it is important to separate the military guns from guns that you and I will buy and shoot. A new Beretta will not have the same problems that a 15 year old Beretta that has been beaten up in a couple of wars in the desert may have. A new beretta will probably never fail and will last as long as you do if you are an average shooter. If you shoot 100K rds a year, parts are gonna break. DUH!

I can't say enough about the reliabilty of the Beretta. I think it is the onew thing that they do better than any other gun.

 

[mattw]

I don't know anything about them first hand but my father shot them when they were first being "adopted" by the Marines. He said they were total junk and has sworn off them forever except for use as a wheel chalk or a hammer or something of that sort. This maybe something that can be dismissed as a "my buddy told me" story or some may say that they never heard of these things happening. Long story short: supposedly the slide blew off and seriously injured another Marine next to my father on the TARGET RANGE (brand new pistol). My dad said he tried to forget about it and quailfy with the beretta 92FS but his handgun did the same thing except the slide caught on something and didn't actually hit him in the face. This part i'm not sure about, he might've "enhanced" the following story: He then proceded to unload the weapon, lay the magazine aside and throw it downrange and ask for his 1911 back.

it makes for a good story but i'm sure he wasn't making up the part about the slides blowing off.

 

[huaco]

The only Beretta I own is the .32 cal pocket pistol with the flip up barrel. I only have maybe 600 rounds through it and so far it's the only handgun I own that's never failed to function in any way though I think the one failure on my Marakov was ammo related. It's accurate for such a small thing and the flip up barrel is a great feature. You never really need to rack the slide and you can remove the slide and drop it in your pocket if you need to leave the weapon in your car. Still under $300 for the blued model at every gunshow I've attended.

 

[Tecolote]

The slide failures were with Beretta 92F models used by Navy SEALs. Beretta blamed the Navy and the Navy blamed Beretta. Beretta modified the 92F to the 92FS model. Everybody knows somebody who had a Beretta slide failure, just like everybody has a friend with a Glock that Kbed, a SIG that rusted to dust and a 1911 that jammed on every round.

 

[MikeJ]

I have two Berettas, both DAO Centurions, one in 9mm and the other in 40S&W. The DAO Centurion happens to be my favorite self defense pistol as I liken it to a revolver with a great trigger job, more capacity, very accurate and just as reliable. This is my take on why they slid down the popularity scale:
1. Too many people knew too little about the military slide failures and bought into the idea that it would happen to them.

2. Too much exposure in Hollywood; people by nature want the latest and greatest and Beretta became old news.

3. It is a big gun, no doubt about it, and the desire for more compact pistols took precedent, particularly after the capacity ban took effect, Beretta failed to meet that demand.

4. Finally, I believe that Beretta's marketing leaves a lot to be desired. Obviously this is just one person's opinion, mine, but I don't feel that they met the competition of Glock and Sig effectively at all. The Cougar was in the same size class as the Glock 19/23 and Sig 229, both very good guns, and a very good gun in its own right. Beretta just wasn't able to find the right hook or niche at this time and took a step backwards.