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Thoughts: Italy vs. US made Berettas

Which Beretta do you like more?

  • US Made

    Votes: 7 9.5%

  • Italian Made

    Votes: 33 44.6%

  • Both are equally as good

    Votes: 28 37.8%

  • Both are equally crap

    Votes: 6 8.1%
  • Total voters
    74
Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

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For the longest time now I've had a Beretta 92FS on my bucket list but there was always something else that I wanted more on that list. So it was an itch that never got scratch. Until yesterday that is. While walking through the Standish Sportsman's outdoor show yesterday I stopped at the Stoney Acres display and he had 4 Beretta 92FS in his case. So I stopped to take a look. He had both US and Italian made models including an INOX. After handling all 4 I had the distinct feeling that the Italian made model just looked, and felt, better to me. The blueing just seemed smoother, the grips differed slightly and overall I got a better "vibe" on that model.

Interesting enough the Italian model was actually used and lower in price. I guess that always helps with the "vibe". I'll also throw a plug out to John at Stoney Acres as he was very pleasant to deal with and after some brief haggling we settled on what I considered a good price. His wife did the paperwork and she was very nice as well. I visited both Foxboro and the Standish shows this weekend and I seen this same gun running in the $600 range and a couple vendors selling them for $700, which made no sense at all seeing places like SA are selling them for far below that price.

Now it's time to start looking for some preban 15rnd mags for her.

So what are you thought on the whole US vs. Italian made Beretta discussion?

Here's a pic of the new addition

IMG_0433_zpsytg2ruso.jpg
 
I've researched this very question here is what I found from the net.

1. Some say the Italian models have a nicer finish, I could care less about that. I only care on how it shoots.

2. Some say they are the exact same, the only reason for Italian models to be imported is to fill gaps in orders to the civilians when the US factory is trying fill orders for the MIL/LEO contracts.

3. Some say the Italian ones have better quality overall and smoother triggers.


ETA; Some people think that one is going to be worth more than the other..... this is only true if you can find a donkey that is going to pay more because one has a different stamp. Neither one is particularly rare, the price influence is an imaginary value made by the willing to pay more consumer.
 
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I did some research before I bought mine and the consensus was that part for part, finish to finish, they are exactly the same, sans markings.
Do the italian ones have an accent when the bullet leaves the barrel?
 
I haven't been able to handle an Italian Beretta but my US ones are/were nice. Now if they made a SAO version of the 92 or one without a decocker, I'd be very happy.
 
It's just a Beretta. I've had both and neither one was radically different from the other.
 
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I have both and the only way to tell the difference is to look for the markings. So I would say there is no noticeable difference..
 
My Beretta 96 was made in Italy. It's a great pistol. I've fired US made 92 models. They seem about the same, recoil aside.
 
I have owned two Italian,one US,and the M9 I still own. They all are the same.
 
Got to disagree..
I have a 92 inox, had an Italian compact. And the owned a US 96 and handled a bunch of US made variants.

Every Italian made has been pretty much flawless, in terms of fit and finish. The US made have all had tooling marks, swirls and generally rough inside.
 
seanc said:
Got to disagree..
I have a 92 inox, had an Italian compact. And the owned a US 96 and handled a bunch of US made variants.

Every Italian made has been pretty much flawless, in terms of fit and finish. The US made have all had tooling marks, swirls and generally rough inside.
Click to expand...

Honest question, would the Italian made pistol be more valuable to you as a result?
 
BREWINZ said:
Honest question, would the Italian made pistol be more valuable to you as a result?
Click to expand...

I'd pay more for an Italian.. But it is mostly aesthetics. And I would open up the gun, look inside before I actually coughed up extra.
I think the Italian stainless is just a little nicer then the US. The itlian blue is very nice. I am not a fan of the US black/ paint/ park/ powder.
Internally, it bothers me to see tool, machining and swirls. I have not seen that on the Italians I have owned or seen. On the rails those would go away with use. But I would still want to polish those. But with paint or blue, that could be a problem.

They will be of course, Functionally identical.
 
Make sure your locking block pin is centered. Mine backed out(Italian made), or it was misaligned from the factory. I re-centered it and it hasn't been a problem since. Beretta's are great no matter where they are made, and very reliable. They are customizable also, with Wilson Combat parts as well as parts from Beretta. Tooling marks aren't going to make a difference when it starts to get worn and the aluminum shows through the black coating.
 
tk421991 said:
I haven't been able to handle an Italian Beretta but my US ones are/were nice. Now if they made a SAO version of the 92 or one without a decocker, I'd be very happy.
Click to expand...

They have in the past. The Steel, Combat, Stock, and Billenium were all SA or had SA versions. Limited releases though so they are several times the price of a normal 92.
 
The biggest negative to the Italian 92fs is the goddamn roll pin holding the lanyard cap in. That piece of shit took TWO days and broken punches and extreme frustration to remove. I replaced it after with the dog bone pin that comes in the US versions because it literally just slides out. Worst pin ever.
 
I have owned both a US and an Italian version and both were very well made and shot the same. 15RD pre-ban mags are readily available for them as well.
I don't ever recall having any issues with either gun. I sold the Italian blued one to a friend because I really didn't need 2, I still have the US INOX one and shoot it fairly regularly.
 
I've had a 92A1 Italian made and currently have a 92 Vertec Inox, US made.
There were some swirl marks on the inside of the slide of the A1, along with chips on the frame's slide rails. There was some swirling on the Vertec as well with no chips on the slide thankfully.
Fit and finish was fractionally better on the A1, however I love the stainless of the Vertec. Biggest complaint, although minor, of the Vertec is that the slide release doesn't keep it back on an empty mag as well as the A1 did.
I would buy both again, without question.
 
Im warming to the 92/M9. The one I did get to shoot was an 80s vintage Italian - comparably speaking, I couldn't tell you about the finish because the M9(American) he had with him, was cerakoted, but both were very very good shooters.
 

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