Teach me about the Beretta 90-series pistols

kalash

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Someone I know is interested in the Beretta (and only the Beretta) and I'm interested in helping them out. Problem is, I'm just a simple polymer brick fan so I don't know the first thing about these guns.

What's a 92? 92A1? 92FS? 92G? 92X? M9? M9A3? M9A4?

Are they all either blued or stainless?

Some are made in Italy vs USA vs France? Is there one that's better than the others or one to avoid?

What's a typical price for pre-ban mags? How do you even identify pre-bans?

They're all DA/SA, right?

Anything else I should know?
 
I literally said "only the Beretta"...

What if I told you an 80's taurus pt92 is literally a beretta made in a beretta factory with beretta machinery by beretta trained workers just with the safety moved to the frame and no longer idiotically sitting on the slide?... and will cost less because it doesnt say beretta?
 
Someone I know is interested in the Beretta (and only the Beretta) and I'm interested in helping them out. Problem is, I'm just a simple polymer brick fan so I don't know the first thing about these guns.

What's a 92? 92A1? 92FS? 92G? 92X? M9? M9A3? M9A4?

Are they all either blued or stainless?

Some are made in Italy vs USA vs France? Is there one that's better than the others or one to avoid?

What's a typical price for pre-ban mags? How do you even identify pre-bans?

They're all DA/SA, right?

Anything else I should know?

Tell them to buy a 92X (compact, centurion, or full size) and ignore everything else. Or one of the Wilson combat 92Gs floating around.

Of course if they want a television set (RDS) that changes things. Some of the other fruity models have RDS plates on them now.

They are all DA/SA, with a distinction that G models are decock only no safety. The rest all have decock/safety levers.

(ETA: the 92X Performance has a safety but no decock, think more like CZ75.... most people aren't buying those, though.... heavy competition gun)

As far as the "pwee ban mag" garbage goes, theres probably some guides buried by googling. There are a shitload of unbadged knockoff 92 mags as well that mostly work, although some dont lock the follower back. Some can be fixed with a follower replacement etc. Assuming they even care, they should never pay more than about $40 for a preban, beretta 92
mags are literally produced by the dumpster and the only more common mags are rifle magazines like AR/M16 vs AKM vs G3 mags.... [laugh]
 
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The 92 is now called the M9 and it replaced the M1911.

I like the 1911. Is he interested in the 1911, because people love the 1911 and will overlook the gun jamming by yelling loudly "Two world wars".

Baby birds look funny.

To add to Drgrants post

Everything about them is heavy

Weight of gun to trigger.....

A G17 WITH a loaded mag weighs less than a 92FS thats unloaded.......
See post #3. lol
 
Someone I know is interested in the Beretta (and only the Beretta) and I'm interested in helping them out. Problem is, I'm just a simple polymer brick fan so I don't know the first thing about these guns.

What's a 92? 92A1? 92FS? 92G? 92X? M9? M9A3? M9A4?

Are they all either blued or stainless?

Some are made in Italy vs USA vs France? Is there one that's better than the others or one to avoid?

What's a typical price for pre-ban mags? How do you even identify pre-bans?

They're all DA/SA, right?

Anything else I should know?
92FS, F, FS and G are all the same frame. They do not have a Picatinny rail which makes it a bit lighter.
Up until 2021, when Beretta released 92X with cutouts for red dot mounts, all 92's have no provisions for a red dot.

92 is has a unique recoil system. where the barrel does not drop the barrel to eject the spent cartridge. basically, the barrel never moves and stays level. this helps tremendously with recoil and the time it takes to get back on target.

96 is the same as 92 but in 40S&W caliber. It's literally the same gun with a different barrel.

92's handle is thick so people with average hand size(or smaller) have a hard time holding the gun and pulling the trigger in double-action mode. If cocked, the trigger is further back and pretty much any hand size can work the trigger.

Back in the day, Wilson Combat started modifying the handle by shaving the back where there was extra metal. this gave the handle(and the gun itself) a different look All new 92's such as INOX and X are now made with that shape at the factory. If you're looking for a classic Die Hard Beretta look, these new guns are not it.

92 A3 and A4, X, G(tactical version) have Picatinny rail for mounting lights.

The G series is just like FS. The Italian police, called Gendarmerie(thus the series name G), wanted a gun without a safety. the G series was born! It is pretty much the same gun except for the safety level which acts as a decocker only. 92 safety switch usually pivots the striking pin by 90 degrees to prevent any contact with the loaded chamber. It also decocks the hammer.

92 INOX is a stainless steel version of 92FS and is supposed to be the "Bling Beretta".

Shooting-wise, the gun feels nothing like a Glock or metal body CZ's, for example. It is VERY similar to 1911 in how it handles. One of the reasons Massad Ayoob and Bill Wilson, two of the biggest 1911 proponents, are also big supporters of Beretta.

The gun's history is "spotty" primarily because it was used in MASSIVE numbers by the US military. Two reasons people claim "it's bad!":
1) there was a single case early in 92's life with the military where the slide broke and hit a soldier in the face, almost taking his eye out. Beretta quickly changed how it manufactured the slide. There have been no reports of the slide ever breaking again
2) US military loves to get bottom-of-the-barrel quality stuff and push it on soldiers. This is EXACTLY what happened with Beretta magazines used by the Army. They gave the contract to the manufacturer who decided to modify the magazine to make it even cheaper to manufacture. This resulted in consistent feeding problems. The guns would jam pretty much on every magazine. It took the army 10 years to change the supplier! In those 10 years, the reputation of Beretta as a gun "with problems" has become a de facto reality. That said, if you can get your hands on a used army surplus Beretta and use a proper magazine, they will shoot perfectly fine without ANY feeding problems.

92's barrels do not wear out. It is not uncommon for a 92 with 30,000+ rounds through the barrels to shoot with exceptional precision.

92 recoil springs don't last beyond 10,000 rounds and need to be replaced.
 
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For a new Beretta pistol, I would go for 92X because the grip is way better than in the older 92-92FS. The 92X is made in TN, and it is very reliable and accurate. I recently got a special-ran 92X Centurion with match stainless barrel and all-Wilson internals, and it has a very light, crisp SA trigger and fires very accurately at the range. Never a problem. An all-metal gun is a lot heavier than a comparable Glock, but it is a pleasure to shoot, mags and spare parts are readily available. A 92 is very easy and intuitive to dis/assemble and you can modify it as you wish. I never had any reliability issues with 92 Berettas,, including in ME: desert, sand, etc. Just have it oiled and cleaned once in a while.
I have had many CZ pistols, but their Shadows are too heavy and DA trigger is hard to reach for me. Striker-fired CZ are very good, but so is Glock. So Beretta it is for a range fun.
 
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What if I told you an 80's taurus pt92 is literally a beretta made in a beretta factory with beretta machinery by beretta trained workers just with the safety moved to the frame and no longer idiotically sitting on the slide?... and will cost less because it doesnt say beretta?
If it says Taurus anywhere on it it's a piece of shit.
 
If it says Taurus anywhere on it it's a piece of shit.
While I don't own one, the TX-22 is by all accounts a decent pistol and a solid suppressor host, a pleasant surprise from the company. I don't think I've heard a single negative complaint when I was reviewer pistols to suppress.
 
Baby birds look funny.
Transporter accidents.

... there was a single case early in 92's life with the military where the slide broke and hit a soldier in the face, almost taking his eye out. Beretta quickly changed how it manufactured the slide. There have been no reports of the slide ever breaking again
Was that single case
the slide failure causing operator injury on 23-Sep-87,
the slide failure causing operator injury on 6-Jan-88,
the slide failure causing operator injury on 8-Feb-88,
or the slide failure causing operator injury on 14-Jul-88?

NSIAD-88-213: Procurement: Quality and Safety Problems With the Beretta M9 Handgun

Not sure which of the four slide failures causing injury
was the one that chipped a tooth,
which two caused cuts requiring stitches to treat,
and which caused bruising to the chest.
(I assume the latter didn't include a face full of slide).
 
While I don't own one, the TX-22 is by all accounts a decent pistol and a solid suppressor host, a pleasant surprise from the company. I don't think I've heard a single negative complaint when I was reviewer pistols to suppress.
That's nice. I'll stand by my statement. The only good Taurus is a melted down and turned into an ashtray Taurus.
 
1) there was a single case early in 92's life with the military where the slide broke and hit a soldier in the face, almost taking his eye out. Beretta quickly changed how it manufactured the slide. There have been no reports of the slide ever breaking again
The fix was to include an enlarged hammer pin head and a machined slot on the bottom left side of the slide for the hammer pin to track on. This would retain the rear portion of the slide if and when it will break. These slides do still break, but now with the rear of the slide retained the likelihood of separation and injury is greatly reduced.
 
Was that single case
the slide failure causing operator injury on 23-Sep-87,
the slide failure causing operator injury on 6-Jan-88,
the slide failure causing operator injury on 8-Feb-88,
or the slide failure causing operator injury on 14-Jul-88?
4 cases dating back 33 years with millions of people(not just soldiers) and billions of rounds. What's the point of the post? Are you stating that 92 is not a safe gun or are you just nitpicking?
 
the rear portion of the slide if and when it will break
This is the perfect example of the stigma that is unfairly degrading an excellent gun. No foundation of the "will break" but hey, let's crap on the gun anyway. I mean, why even consider anything when you have Glock 17...
 
Heavy, yes.
Accurate,yes
Easy to find,yes
Easy to work on,yes

Heavy trigger, from factory yes.
Easily modifiable to make it light, also yes.

If you dont like to tinker, buy langdon or wilson
If you do, get a 92x if you want a rail
If you dont want a rail, buy a 92fs.


Having gone the route of starting with an fs, and then moving to a G decocker, id go straight to the G model.

If you want a race like gun, either get what model you like and modify it.
Or get the 92x performance with or with out red dot( personal preference) and do a little trigger work.

Ill edit in video of what a stock trigger bar looks like compared to a langdon tactical trigger bar.
The difference is insane
 
Anyone know of shops that regularly carry them in stainless?
Been looking for a little bit for one
 
The fix was to include an enlarged hammer pin head and a machined slot on the bottom left side of the slide for the hammer pin to track on. This would retain the rear portion of the slide if and when it will break. These slides do still break, but now with the rear of the slide retained the likelihood of separation and injury is greatly reduced.
This has been over blown to the maxim extent.
Do you crap all over Sig's p320 lineup as well out of curiosity?
This is the perfect example of the stigma that is unfairly degrading an excellent gun. No foundation of the "will break" but hey, let's crap on the gun anyway. I mean, why even consider anything when you have Glock 17...

This video while long addresses the above mentioned things. Quite educational.
 
This is the perfect example of the stigma that is unfairly degrading an excellent gun. No foundation of the "will break" but hey, let's crap on the gun anyway. I mean, why even consider anything when you have Glock 17...
I have personally witnessed them breaking. It happens.

Not crapping on the gun, I actually really like it. It is one of my favorites, and unless you are using this a lot with standard or high pressure ammo, or it is seriously under sprung for the loads you are using, there probably will never be an issue with it. All the ones that I saw break were from HRP school and they shot the crap out of them.
 
.
The fix was to include an enlarged hammer pin head and a machined slot on the bottom left side of the slide for the hammer pin to track on. This would retain the rear portion of the slide if and when it will break. These slides do still break, but now with the rear of the slide retained the likelihood of separation and injury is greatly reduced.

I've never seen one break in recent history. Locking block dingus things, sure, maybe... but the slide? Might as well be betting on a unicorn sighting.

There are lots of reasons to shit on a 92 but that really isn't one of them.
 
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