My experense with them is limited to being a past police Beretta 92 school trained armor (32 moving parts) and forced to carry one for about 8 years. My advise don't get a beretta brick get something else. I am an old 1911 guy own them build them, I have also been converted to being a Glock Guy years ago, love them so much you can do. I love S&W, Colts, Kahrs even Kel Tecs. But in my own little world Berettas SUCK.

Last week we spent several full days on the range doing shooting drills one after the other. Guns did not get cleaned during that time. By day two mid morning we were having to keep a guy going up and down the line with gun oil to keep them going. I have not had that problem with a Glock. Keep in mind these are "goberment" owned M9s(92).

 

My experience is the exact opposite of Madcritter haha. I have a circa 2010 92fs with a surefire mr11 + streamlight tlr-1 and I love it. I put a Wilson Combat guide rod into it as well. I would try to rent one at a range or something though because I can easily see why some people don't like them. DA/SA, weight and the safety put a lot of people off compared to the ease of use glocks have. The weight and feel is something I like over all polymer guns though.

One thing to note is that the front sight is fixed to the slide on the FS model. If you think you might want night sights or an integral rail for accessories in the future you might want to wait and get the A1 model.

 

One of my favorite firearms is an old Star Firestar 9mm, which is a non-polymer hammer fired gun with an external safety... I have held and handled the 92's and like them. Front sight concerns me a little, though. I may try this one anyway, as long as it shoots true to the sights I am okay. I don't THINK I am interested in add-ons, but I guess we will see.

 

Sell it and get a beretta 96.
If it doesnt start with a 4, then it better end in magnum.

Seriosuly, if i gotta carry a full size weapon, then i want a full sized caliber.

 

Owned and shot one since the mid to late 80's. Still one of my favorite guns.

The slide is so smooth you'd think it was running on roller bearings.

 

The slide is so smooth you'd think it was running on roller bearings.

Flinter speaks the truth..... the slide is super smooth. It's exceptional in that regard.

I've owned one since the early 90's and it's never given me any trouble at all and I've put a few thousand rounds through it easy.

 

There are too many good options. The military is trying to change over. Get a sig Glock or a HK

 

I bought one 7 years ago love the thing, That being said I don't shoot it often as I prefer a larger caliber. It does shoot straight and I have never had a jam I probably put 700-800 round through item with no problem.

 

I've fired probably 2500 rds through various worn out Army issue M9s and never had a malfunction. It's also ridiculously easy to maintain. But I hate the ergonomics of it and I'm really not a fan of small calibers in large handguns.

 

i only ever had one failure on a M9... got some blood on the top of the slide, when it dried, it jammed a firing pin block in place... you can notice the part when you depress the trigger, a small rectangular block is pushed up just in front of the rear sight... it is yet another "safety feature." other then that the only thing i dont like about it is that the front sight is machined into the slide, makes it hard to switch sighting systems (e.g. to trijicon or other tritium sights).

the best part of them is the mag interchangeability with the cx4, that is about it.

 

I love mine. No, they're not optimal for capacity vs the size, but dependable, eat anything, accurate once you get familiar with them, nice looking, second strike capability, etc. I'd say their track record in military has been about same as a Glock 17 would have fared over same round counts (except more servicemen would have shot themselves in the ass)

- OS

 

I love mine. No, they're not optimal for capacity vs the size...

LOOK INTO THE MEC-GAR 18 round +2 MAGS. The +2 only hangs out the bottom 5/8" and is hardly noticeable, 21 rounds in your hand (with 1 in the chamber) :thumb:

 

having owner 20+ pistols of various makes and calibers my 92fs is hands down my favorite pistol....it's smooth as silk to shoot and couldn't be more sexy in my hand.

And with MEC-GAR 18+2 FLUSH mags you get 21 rounds (with 1 in the hole)....really can't ask for more than that

 

I could basically say the same. Except I haven't owned 20+ pistols. More like seven. However I have shot several different handguns. I own or have owned HK's, Sig's, M&P's, IWI Baby Eagle (Basically a CZ-75), etc. and I shot my Beretta 92fs the best. Owned it for over ten years and put thousands of rounds down range with it of different types of ammunition and NEVER had a FTF and it is impossible to have a stove pipe as it is a open slide design. The only other handgun I have never had any issues with was my HK45. Even my M&P 9c once had one round that failed to go bang, the firing pin struck the primer but failed to ignite but the second try it did. I attributed that mostly to crappy ammunition.

MEC-GAR 18+2 mags for it are excellent.

I have heard many people over the years talk bad about the reliability of the 92fs. I do know that the Goverenment models come with bad coating on the mags so that could be the reason why. Little bit of sand inside of the mag well with those and you may have some issues.

I have shot mine in below 0 temps with 0 issues.

In my opinion they are four out of five star handguns. Would be five stars if not for the size and weight of them.

 

Nothing wrong with an well maintained Beretta. I just picked up an early 90's 92FS and she is as smooth as silk with a beautiful DA trigger pull.

 

I hate them, they are huge for wha thye are, but they are reliable.

 

Thanks for all of the opinions, I am going to try to look at it Friday evening or Saturday, whenever he can meet up.

 

They are good guns. I got my 92 Brigadier Inox at the tail end of the AWB, and is one I'll never sell.

It is bigger, but does shoot well. Nowadays, I recommend G model Berettas. If you go on Beretta Forum, there is a member who does slide conversion from FS to G (fills in a hole, then redrills so it runs decock only; gunsmith is recommended by BerettaUSA). Another member over there offers a new production SGS compensator (think The Professional). You can usually find a 96 slide and convert it to .40... just add the correct magazines.

For used guns, just look for the common wear that all guns exhibit. You don't want anything that doesn't look right, like deep scrapes or alike. If it is a FS model, it already has the upgrades that stemmed from problems in early guns (standard F models and earlier). Even if you got an early model, there are people that can update it (I believe the same guy that does the G conversion).

 

a lot of folks seem to be knocking capacity... i have aftermarket mec-gar mags that were made in italy... they do hold 18 rounds, so there are other options outside of the factory 15s that work great....

 

I used 'em in the service and have owned two for some years now, I love 'em. They're smooth as silk, reliable and accurate. Surplus parts and mags are everywhere and so is the ammo... If 15 rounds aren't enough get some Mec mags, problem solved. Are they heavy? Meh, sure. Was it intended to be? Yup. It's a tough gun that can be used to beat somebody to death when empty. I wouldn't choose it for concealed carry but, I do open carry them and they are night stand pistols. Modern 9x19 defensive ammunition performs very well and in many cases competes directly with the likes of .40 and .45... It's a compromise, like all things. I happen to love the way they feel and shoot, I'm good with 'em so I own 'em. Bottom line, what do YOU want?

 

I have a few concealed carry guns, but I would like something a little nicer shooting and more substantial for other occasions. I don't open carry much, but I could see it being nice for that.

 

I love mine. I have put 700 rounds or so through it we never an issue.

Too big to CCW...sure...but other than that it is a comfortable shooting pistol. And it does not take that many rounds to get use to the trigger. I do find it a bit more difficult to clean than my glocks though.

But again I love the 92fs :thumb:

 

a 92 is NOT 'too big' for CCW. ive carried mine in appendix carry wearing nothing more then shorts and a tshirt, and no one ever noticed.

 

I bought it. Beautiful shape, owner was in the Army and when we met it he had it field stripped in it's box. NO frame or slide wear, he said he had run only around 5 magazines through it. Weather prevented me from shooting it yesterday, maybe next weekend!

 

I have owned a 92SB since the mid 1980's. Carried it at work for 10+ years and have 12,000 or more rounds through it. It has always been kept clean and never so much as a hiccup. Last summer a gunsmith looked at it and pronounced it good for another 12K.

You do need the hands to operate it. It's not for those with a smaller grip.

It would be my go to in a tight pinch.

 

My take on the Beretta 92? I was a "hater" for a long time. Then I bought one as an Exemplar (I have many exemplars in my gun collection) because they are a fairly popular pistol, I see them in classes etc....

The sights are entirely adequate- better than out of the box Glocks for damn sure. I prefer to buy them with night sights already installed- it's a bugger to drill that front sight to install them later.

Yes, it's a "large" gun. Big Fricken Deal. I don't carry tiny little mousey guns to protect myself with. I carried steel frame 5" 1911's for many years and even now carry 5" XD .45 Tacticals, Smith M&P L 9mm and Glock 34's- none of which are "little guns". If you want to carry a girly gun to defend yourself with, fine....

I have found all of my examples to shoot well. They are combat accurate. I can easily make hits on man sized steel out to 100 yards with ball ammo. What more do you want out of a man shooting pistol?

They are reliable. I've never had any issues traceable to the design itself. I have probably 25,000 rounds through the type. I am not as fastidious about "maintenance" as many are, my guns are typically dirty. I clean them when I get around to it- within reason.

Another good thing about the gun is that they are cheap to buy and accessorize. They have been around a long time and made in goodly numbers. It's easy to find decent magazines, holsters, spare parts and quality used guns when looking at a Beretta 92.

The achilles heel of the 92 is DURABILITY.

This is much different than RELIABILITY. Like I said, mine have all been very reliable. The issues that seem to crop up are cracked frames and broken locking blocks- they are of course related. It's my understanding that acceptable life of a Beretta 92 frame is 30,000 rounds. One of the way to combat these issues is frequent change of recoil springs, it's not something that can be neglected on a Beretta. Also, Beretta has constantly fiddled with the composition and design of the locking block- the latest generations are MUCH improved over earlier units. Most shooters if they keep the gun well sprung will not shoot enough ammo in their lifetime for it to be an issue- but for serious shooters it certainly is an issue.

I look at it this way, is 30,000 rounds a lower service life than say many other pistols? Yes it is. However, at todays cost you are looking at that costing you $8,000- $9,000......Are you REALLY going to bitch about having to buy a new $600 pistol at that point? Guns are simply tools, IF you USE THEM- to acquire skill- as you should, otherwise what's the point?- they have served their purpose --and when worn out- you THROW THEM IN THE TRASH AND BUY A NEW TOOL.

 

I look at it this way, is 30,000 rounds a lower service life than say many other pistols? Yes it is. However, at todays cost you are looking at that costing you $8,000- $9,000......Are you REALLY going to bitch about having to buy a new $600 pistol at that point? Guns are simply tools, IF you USE THEM- to acquire skill- as you should, otherwise what's the point?- they have served their purpose --and when worn out- you Strip all the parts into your parts boxes!

FIFY:thumb:

 

Eh, might as well chime in, too:. I bought a 92 back in the mid 80's, and I loved it. I left it with a good buddy while I was down in Mexico for a few weeks (that tuned into 14 years), and I needed the cash at one point, and the buddy gave me nearly what I paid for it and wired me the money. He's still got it today, and haven't heard a bad word about it in all these years.
I recently stumbled into a really good deal on a gen4 Glock 17 on Armslist, then just a couple weeks after that, traded it to another guy for a nearly new Beretta 92.
I took the 92 to a lonely dirt road where I stop and bust a few quick rounds now and then, shooting at a sheet of cardboard with a couple big circles drawn on it with a sharpie.
Somehow, I shot the most pathetic groups I've ever shot in my life, and I was really bummed out, thinking I'd somehow been sold a lemon, and feeling like a real dumbass (because the Glock was solid, no gen4 issues).
Well, my brother told me to give it another try, and I drew up another cardboard target and gave it another go. This time, instead of shooting off-hand, I shot from a rest postion off the back of my car, from 10-12 yards.
Well, the first 10 rounds were almost dead center, and made one ragged hole about the size of a quarter !!!! Man was I relieved !!! I think my old eyes ain't digging those super-tiny dots on the 92's sights, I did better with those over-sized Glock sights. Still, I love it all over again!
Like most here, I wouldn't want to conceal-carry this big boy, but I personally like the pistol's heft and size of the grip. And as has also been mentioned, the 92's slide action feels almost hydraulically assisted, I've always thought that was one of the 92's coolest, most unique features.

P.S. i think I gotta get me one of those 18-round Mec-gar mags !!! CDNN probably got 'em?

 

I just ordered some Mec-Gar 18's and some factory Beretta 30's...

 

I have personally not had any problems with the Beretta that I own, but my issue Beretta had a decocking failure while doing standard shooting drills at work. A part broke in the weapon without any hard use. My only real complaint is where the safety/ decocker is located. When you have to drop an empty mag and reload, it's too easy to knock the decocking lever in the down position and that could cause problems in a hostile situation. Other than that, it's not a bad gun.

 

they make great boat anchors.