To glock or beretta?

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Two friends, a former co-worker and his 25 year old son came to my place to handle a few guns to make some decisions about what they would purchase for concealed carry and home defense. The elder had been a cop years ago, but not really into guns for a long time. The son had no handgun experience. An hour and a half later, they had fired a Beretta 92FS (almost new), a slightly used Glock 19 2nd Gen, a Springfield 1911 .45, and a Colt Detective Special (first gen) just for fun and comparison to a revolver. They walked away both in agreement that the Glock was the easiest to shoot and be accurate with, felt good shooting, and that they would either get it in 9mm because of ammo availability and the way it handled, or move up to the Glock 23 or Glock 36, or maybe the Glock 21 if it fit their hand well. But Glock had clearly beat out the Beretta for general handling among the less handgun experienced. They held no prejudices toward either before shooting them.
 
A size for every hand. S&W M&P, 9mmPro, 9mmCompact, 40S&WFullsize.

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I'm assuming you're talking about a Beretta 92 of some flavor or other,

I have just spent a few days on the range training my female soldiers how to run a Beretta. Some of them have very small hands, and you know what? A Beretta is a big freakin' gun. Some of them MUST use their weak thumb to flick the safety. It doesn't fit their hands well, I have them grip it high, and they still have trouble controlling it. (We also have some M-11s, Sig 228s, and I am trying to steer our leadership to give them to the people who need them.

I suppose your sister will have to choose between huge Beretta and the harsh angle on the Glock. To be fair, get her to a rental range to shoot both, but I steer anyone with small hands away from Berettas.
 
Avoid guns with slide mounted safeties. It's too easy to activate the safety (since moving it down activates it) while doing an emergency reload.

Also have her look at the S&W M&P pistols. The compacts may fit her hand well and are very concealable. Apex parts make for great triggers.

But, the Glock 19 is a great first gun. It's very difficult to beat as a versatile self-defense weapon.
 
mljdeckard said:
I'm assuming you're talking about a Beretta 92 of some flavor or other,

I have just spent a few days on the range training my female soldiers how to run a Beretta. Some of them have very small hands, and you know what? A Beretta is a big freakin' gun. Some of them MUST use their weak thumb to flick the safety. It doesn't fit their hands well, I have them grip it high, and they still have trouble controlling it. (We also have some M-11s, Sig 228s, and I am trying to steer our leadership to give them to the people who need them.

I suppose your sister will have to choose between huge Beretta and the harsh angle on the Glock. To be fair, get her to a rental range to shoot both, but I steer anyone with small hands away from Berettas.
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I have small hands(buy S mechanic gloves at Home Depot) and love the feel of the 92F. I prefer it over the grip angle of the Glocks.

Although not made any more, there is the Vertec option which has a straight backstrap, similar to the 1911. It helps people with any size hand that doesnt like the feel of the traditional 292/96 series.

The PX4 line also has 3 interchangeable backstraps to helps fit the presons hand.
 
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230therapy said:
Avoid guns with slide mounted safeties. It's too easy to activate the safety (since moving it down activates it) while doing an emergency reload.
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Really?

Ive NEVER heard this one before. In the thousands upon thousands of rounds ive fired my 92F and S&W 1006 and the hundreds of times ive run my drills, Ive not once engaged the safety/decocker. Not once. The slide has plenty of room to put your mits in front of the safety and rack the slide. Id say you'd have to intentionally try to engage the decocker "accidentally".

If i was concerned about anything between the 2 pistols, especially for a new shooter, id be more worried about the Glocks being prone to jam by limp wristing.
 
I like the px4, it's a bit heavier than the 26 or the 19, but very different. Try shooting one. I almost bought one until I saw and felt the size difference, then went back to the glock
 
Hello you all, I am a total newbie here. I just bought a Beretta 92FS. I like it so far.
I went to an indoor shooting range where they rented guns and I fired 50 rounds through each of the following guns.
-Glock 19
-Sig P220 (I love it, just need more$)
-Sig P226 ( " " )
-Colt 1911
-Beretta 92FS

Don't care much for the Glock, I had much tighter groupings with the Sigs and the Beretta. I liked the (5") barrel of the Beretta 92FS.
I shoot left handed or right. I am more accurate left handed.
I have size large hands, and the Beretta feels good in my hand (Sig does too).
When I took it to the range I sent out the paper target to 50' and fired with my one left hand only and drilled the target right in the center. The Rangemaster told me that the Beretta would be more accurate. Shoot , he was right. Dang I was impressed.
I still like Sigs too, I wished I could find one with the 5" barrel here in CALIf. for less than $2000, and they are hard to get.
I Got the Beretta 92fs for 650 new.
Hey anyone here know what I have to do to convert my 92FS to a left handed Mag. Release? Do I need to go to a gunsmith?
This is my first Firearm. I am taking a class at the local JC in firearms safety.
 
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There are better options out there than the Beretta 92 for concealed carry. Nothing wrong with the Berettas, but a more modern design with replaceable grip panels is going to work out better because she can tailor the grip to her hands. Of course you didn't mention how big her hands are so maybe she has great big gorilla hands. In that case, the beretta is fine, especially if it is mostly a Home defense or Range gun.

If she has hands that fall more towards the middle of the bell curve I would suggest one of the following:

- S&W M&P 9mm (either compact or full sized)
- H&K P30 9mm
- Ruger SR9/SR9C
- Glock 17/19
- Beretta PX4 Storm

I am probably forgetting a few, but so far as I know those all have the replaceable back-straps that come in a variety of flavors and sizes. I have only shot the Ruger SR9 and the M&P (in 40cal) so those are the only ones I can personally vouch for, but we all hear good things about Glocks and Beretta Storms are bound to be solid guns.

For my money its the SR9 AND the SR9c because that way you have a range gun and a concealed carry gun that both operate identically. Plus, the Rugers are priced less than the rest but still have good quality.
 
Remember though, ultimately guns are a very dare I say ... Intimate fit.
No matter what you may recommend or think of what SHE decides on. It is her gun.
*le nod*
 
Really?

Ive NEVER heard this one before. In the thousands upon thousands of rounds ive fired my 92F and S&W 1006 and the hundreds of times ive run my drills, Ive not once engaged the safety/decocker. Not once. The slide has plenty of room to put your mits in front of the safety and rack the slide. Id say you'd have to intentionally try to engage the decocker "accidentally".
Click to expand...

What drills and under what circumstances? How are you training? Are you pushing at all? What level of pressure is involved?

I've been fortunate to be involved with many training classes at Quantico that involved civilians and military personnel. I see them activating the safety accidentally on their pistols (Berettas, S&W's, etc) during an emergency reload fairly frequently. Even folks who should know better and are anticipating deployment do it. It's not every time and tends to happen when they get in a rush.
 
MecGar also makes 18-round magazines that fit flush.
Click to expand...

I just wanted to chime in and say I own one of these mags, have tested it, it works flawlessly and fits very flush and tight. It now lives in my 92FS which pulls 24/7 home defense duty.

Regarding ladies and the 92/M9: Although the Beretta is a very large-framed handgun with a wide grip, all the edges and surfaces are smooth and rounded, and the front-to-back width of the grip isn't actually that bad, making it very comfortable for some women I know. It seems like long, slender fingers work well with the Beretta, not necessarily bear claws.

When others say, "Let her try many guns, then decide on her own," listen.
 
well, sis is doing the right thing, taking a course, trying some out, both wheelies and pistols, and probably shouldn't be jumping to conclusions re: Beretta vs. Glock, there being hundreds of choices available in handguns

at this point, suggesting brand X vs brand Z seems awfully premature
I think better advice offered would be non-make/model specific, and not even caliber specific, but more generically along the lines of what differences there are in type of guns she could try to get a feel for

what size & weight is most likely to imply re: "shootability" within any chosen power range
various basic safety features, as vary within the basic types of handguns (revolvers & autoloaders)
single stack vs double stack
triggers - SA and DA and DAO and hammerless and striker fired
list a few of the "most common" candidate handgun calibers as objectively as possible 32acp, 380acp, 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 acp... 32 mag, 327 mag, 38/357... (but 44 mag or 454 casull could probably be left off the list at this early stage), with minimal "bullet points" explanation as to what expected differences are (recoil vs power)

not a simple task, to do that whilst keeping it brief, but unless she already knows all that, those are things she should be at least aware of when considering what guns to give a 1st person try

after she tries some, the conversation can then shift to make/model

biggest problem with this oft repeated question ?
the notion that she might later consider CCW
because all CCW choices involve compromise criteria which make the choices even tougher to sort out
if you happen to agree with that statement, then consider suggesting she forego the CCW criteria, and just focus on getting a handgun that fits her well, that she feels comfortable with, and can practice with to develop shooting skils

one shoe does not fit everyone, nor is any one handgun "best" for all purposes.. but we all essentially have to start somewhere, with "just" one

After all, how many folks do you know who CCW and actually own ONE and only ONE handgun ?
larger than "CCW size" is usually easier to 1st learn and develop skills with, and teaches shooter a lot more about what they might best pick next for their CCW
 
I shot a Beretta and they're really smooth. Nice guns. The big thing I've noticed personally, is to make sure it fits her hands. That's about the only issue I can think of.
 
Quote:
Really?

Ive NEVER heard this one before. In the thousands upon thousands of rounds ive fired my 92F and S&W 1006 and the hundreds of times ive run my drills, Ive not once engaged the safety/decocker. Not once. The slide has plenty of room to put your mits in front of the safety and rack the slide. Id say you'd have to intentionally try to engage the decocker "accidentally".

What drills and under what circumstances? How are you training? Are you pushing at all? What level of pressure is involved?

I've been fortunate to be involved with many training classes at Quantico that involved civilians and military personnel. I see them activating the safety accidentally on their pistols (Berettas, S&W's, etc) during an emergency reload fairly frequently. Even folks who should know better and are anticipating deployment do it. It's not every time and tends to happen when they get in a rush.
Click to expand...

Before I retired, my agency mandated the Smith & Wesson "Third Generation" line of pistols for carry duties. We were also required to carry said pistol with the safety in the "off" position. As a part of our bi-annual qualification program, we had to practice malfunction clearing drills. Whereas I don't recall the safety being inadvertently moved to the "on" position during emergency reloading procedures, I do recall numerous instances when the safety was accidentally shoved to the safe position when practicing clearing a stovepipe malf (a clearance remedy that involved sweeping the palm of the "weak" [non-firing] hand over the top of the slide, activating it to the rear and jettisoning the spent brass).

Because the Beretta safety/decocking lever is in the same place as the Smith Third Generation pistols are, the same inadvertent moving of said lever will happen with this pistol if the shooter isn't mindful of the possibility.

I have always been a passionate advocate of the line of Smith Third Generation pistols and continue to carry my Model 6906 concealed as a "civilian". I also own and like my Beretta Model 92. I'm only referencing this possible problem so that one can be aware of the possibility and train for it so as to overcome a situation where the pistol is unable to fire because the safety has been inadvertently activated.
 
For concealment, the Glock is a better choice. It is thinner and lighter. A 26 may be a better choice than a 19. The double action feel of the 92FS is a "country mile" and the weight of a "small mule". The single angle feel is smooth but having a safety on a gun is just asking for trouble.


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I think that has to do with them beating everyone in bidding wars than anything else. They're very cheap guns. Plus, trends. Trends are a big time part of the LE (and military) equipment game.

I would pick almost any modern name brand semi auto design over any model of Glock.
 
I think that has to do with them beating everyone in bidding wars than anything else. They're very cheap guns. Plus, trends. Trends are a big time part of the LE equipment game.

I would pick any modern name brand semi auto design over any model of Glock.
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WHile I am a Glock guy, facts can not be ignored. Glock bids low, offers extras, you name it, they will do anything to put Gastons guns in the holsters of police.

To be honest though, I could care less. For me they work. The gun is simple and reliable on top of being durable beyond any gun I ever seen. It points like no other for me and is very accurate.

I am not so caughtup in the hype that every gun I own needs to be one. There are soooo many guns just as good out there. When I felt the need to replace the G19 my wife took from me for her use I got a G37. I love it. 45 power in a 9mm sized gun. Works for me since I like glocks and have no need for a 40 caliber. Now I have a XD9 because I wanted another 9mm and one Glock is more than enough for me.......
 
I have two 1911s that I love to shoot. However, my Glock 23 just feels right in my hand that it, with the 27, are my EDCs.

Boris: I felt the same way with Glocks. I have 2 and was going to get another Glock (G30) but I wanted a shooting experience different from what I already have.

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