I'm a Smith fella to the bone, but I confess back in 1987 when I said goodbye to my USAF Model 15 and the armorer handed me a brand-new Beretta M9 I heard some angels singing, and I'm sure there was a golden glow when I opened the box, kind of like Marcellus Wallace's briefcase.

I've loved these guns ever since. My Air Force M9 was a joy to shoot. I don't know about the other branches, but the AF let us carry them like big boys, with a round in the chamber and off-safe. I never shot anyone with mine, but I did point it at some folks, and it was the first gun I carried on a commercial flight when I hauled a couple of guys to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Ft. Leavenworth, aka The Scary Place.

I've owned one ever since the Air Force unreasonably wanted theirs back upon my mustering out. It was never on the FBI's POW list, so I couldn't carry it. Some DEA guys could, and it was the only thing in the DEA world of which I was jealous.

After reading how overrated it is, I took it to the range yesterday.

(Here it is, on my snowy picnic table.)



I see everyone's point now. Another 150 rounds went boringly down range, without a bobble, as have several thousand rounds before. They all landed boringly in the center of the target. (This is the only gun I have that shoots everything to the same point of aim. It's weird. 115, 124, 147 grain. They all just land pleasantly close to each other at 20 yards. What a pain. )

The lack of recoil was boring. The long smooth DA pull was tediously enjoyable. The SA pull was crisp and so ho-hum.



No choice really, but to punish it by making it work for a living for a while. My (also overrated and distressingly reliable) Hi-Power went into the range bag, and Ol' Overrated slipped nicely into the same Barsoney IWB holster and into the meager space between my corpulent corpus and my waistband.

Here it is, in warmer climes.



I'm retired now, and thanks to LEOSA, I can carry what I want. I know I could carry a Glock 19, but then.......I'd be carrying a Glock 19.

I love this silly overrated gun.

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Rule of law, not a man.

MY first was a 92f, then two 92fs, finally an Italian 92fs Inox. I will keep this one. It is boringly accurate and reliable.

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Huge fan of the Beretta 92. The most thoroughly tested handgun in history. The latest batch go an average of 19,090 rounds before a malfunction. Amazing.

Here’s my Italian 92 with the little bro, the 85FS

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I really like them. When I was in a unit that could bring basically anything into the middle east, I brought an M9.

For the life of me I will never understand why they had to "replace" the 9MM Beretta with..a 9MM Sig. especially when the latest version Beretta is available and more than capable of carrying on. Governmental political policies at their worst.

Nice weapon and looks like a good friend.

I think they’re kinda bulky and heavy but great shooting guns, I’m a fan of them for sure. I owned an M9 for years that had a LOT of rounds put thru it and it always ran 100%.

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Some Might Say.

Another example of spending a lot of dough to fix something that wasn't broke.

Nice, I only have one but it's a great one. Joe

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Behavior Creates Destiny

I just laugh at these self-anointed "experts" that come into forums with statements like "...blah blah blah gun is over-rated..." or "Such and such a round is overrated" or "...an answer to a question that was never asked..." I don't own a 92, but a coworker has one and loves it. He was a rifle/shotgun type all his life and the 92 was his first handgun I believe.

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9tenz

I suppose you could make a list of everything that’s “wrong” with the Beretta, and chief on that list would probably be that it doesn’t fit small hands very well. (An administrative problem.) I wish I had another one. My hands have no problems with the 92.

I was given one of these.

Took it to the range four times. Shot about 500 rounds. That dreadful double action trigger cocking pull, then 16 more single action shots? I could hit nothing.

Traded it straight across for a Browning Hi-Power. Instant nirvana.

Had a 92. Heavy SA trigger. Local gunsmith went over it. Wonderful. Very accurate pistol. Heel magazine release was only draw back. Later got a nice 92F. Very fine pistol. Shot have kept it. Sincerely. bruce.

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<><

a little fertilizer... lil water... maybe just maybe mine will grow up...lol

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Yeah, the Beretta 92 is alright, I guess...



I've only owned two guns that have never malfunctioned, a S&W Model 10 I was issued as an armed guard and this 92, which has fired 4,500-5,000 rounds without a malfunction, everything from premium JHP to nasty commercial reloads. Once, I even tried a "torture" session before the Interwebs made them popular. I ran 4 magazine-fulls of ammo, 60 rounds, through the gun as fast as I could, and this was after a full day of shooting during a training class with no cleaning or lubing. The gun got so hot I had to put it down, but it never failed to fire.

What's really odd is that despite the grip being large for my hands (somewhere between a small and medium glove size), I've shot it better than any gun I've tried, including 1911s. And yes, I'm including the DA first shot.

Edit: Forgot to mention that my Beretta PX4 Compact 9mm has not malfunctioned, either.

I never really paid much attention to the Beretta 92 (so many guns, so little time), but (long story short) I bought one last November. Italian made. Used, but like new.

I am surprised by how much i really like this pistol. Perfectly reliable, great trigger, and feels great in my hand. I did replace the safety with a "G" type de-cocker, which is my personal preference.

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I'm not much on autos, but that is one along with a Browning Hi Power that got sold and I've hated myself ever since. Like ContinentalOp, The Beretta never felt real good in my hands but I could really shoot it well. Probably better than any semi I've ever fired.

Most folks who complain about firearms being overrated usually haven't ever fired said firearms, much less owned them.

So basically, when most folks say, "The Beretta 92/M9 is overrated" it usually means, "I dislike the Beretta 92/M9 and I can't respect other people liking things I don't, so it must be overrated".

If a gun shoots well for you, it is not overrated.

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What, me worry?

I have had a commercial M9 since around 2007 or so and it's just a dandy gun. It hits what I aim at and POI doesn't drift much with different weight bullets. Its also not picky at all on what you feed it; I don't think I've ever had a stovepipe or other malfunction with it. It's my car gun when I am not at work.

In the LE agency I’m retired from, we transitioned from the S&W Model 28-2 to the Beretta 92F in 1989. Since then I’ve acquired a 92F, a 92 FS, a 92FS Compact Type L (Italian), two M9’s, one M9A1, a couple 92 FS Compact Type M’s, a 92S, and a 96FS. I guess I’m partial to Beretta 92’s.

The secret to a decent trigger pull on the 92 platform is the installation of a “D” Spring (about a two minute job at the most).

Beretta fan since 1988 when I got my first an F Compact... 13+1

Today the Beretta and Smith 3rd gen auto share safe and belt space. My favorites are the Compact and Centurion models w/ shorter 4.2" slides.

Some upgrades are available:
A must add is the DOA factory "D" Spring...... a $5 five minute trigger job with a factory part . D spring were standard in the DAO D model issued by many Police Depts.

Newer guns; IIRC post about 2000 have a radius'ed back strap
Ultra thin G-10 grips from VZ
These two upgrades really impact the "to big of a grip" gripe

Mec-gar offers a 18 rd flush fit magazine and 20 and even 30 round 9mm magazines.
Beretta offers a $50 kit to convert the safety to decocker only.

Or just find a Elite II factory gun.....

Understand that Mec-gar will soon be offering a 15 round flush fit magazine for the Compact model

Check out Wilson Combat or Allegheny Arms and Gun Works for the ultimate Beretta upgrades.

I have 2 older 92F pistols. The finish is wearing off both & they are dinged up...they were purchased by me as used LEO from some department in California but I still am holding out on buying a newer one. I have owned may Beretta 92 models over the years now these 2 older ones are my only ones I have but for all of them I have shot...never a failure of any kind.

I liked mine a lot, too. It never missed a lick. My SIL seemed to like it even more and I was trying to get him into guns and shooting so I sold it to him at a loss with 4 mags, a Bianchi holster, and a supply of ammo. He still has it, it's his bedside gun.

That kind of reliability really sucks in a handgun, doesn’t it?

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Vegan by proxy.

I have two, but I don't like to admit it. After all, they're not Smith & Wesson's.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

Here's a handful of them from one of my old jobs:
berettas.jpg Photo by squidsix | Photobucket

I've always loved them. And I never really thought about it before, but in almost 20 years of yearly qualifications on dirty and shot-out M9s, I've never had a malfunction except for one magazine that was absolutely encrusted with sand after who knows how many months of being dragged around the desert and never used.

that's a pretty solid track record.

I've got one that was originally purchased in 1995 by the Police department in my little town. Later when they switched to Sigs, the officers were allowed to buy their duty pistols dirt cheap. After a couple of years it was sold to a co-worker of mine who later sold it to me at a price I just couldn't turn down. 24 years now and it always belonged to a city employee.
I like it. Great shooter and completely reliable. These days it lives in my grab and go bag.

Only 2....... well I guess it's a start!!!

Maybe I should make up a display for the next bunching.

In 30 years I can only recall one malfunction and that involved a deformed case on a reloaded round.... I doubt it would have fed into a .40 chamber.

I got a couple of mine from a Police Supply House..... my "police specials" were Centurions and came with 2 extra magazines.

For a while in the late '90's and early '00's, the 92FS was the issued gun at the PD I work for, if you wanted an issued gun (policy allowed personally owned guns, as well). Over the years, despite abuse and severe neglect (we had one Officer show up for qualifications more than once with an absolutely bone dry and rusty 92FS with rusty mags that still shot VERY well and reliably), we never had an issue with the 92. They just ran and ran well.

We got a new Chief in 2005 and he wanted everyone to carry an issued gun for ammo compatibility. Popular opinion with the guys won out and we bought Glock 22 Gen4 guns (I wanted Glock 17s but everyone was spouting off about how bad 9mm was, so I lost, despite being in charge of the firearms program). The PD sold the older guns to the guys if we wanted them. I bought an unissued 92FS with 6 mags for $225 and an old, beat up 1st Gen G17 (a former issued gun) with 6 mags for $200.00. My 92FS has mostly dead night sights but is 90%+ for condition. I shoot it every once in a while and have to say, if we had to go back to DA/SA guns instead of striker fired, my 92FS would be riding on my hip. They are just so stinkin' SMOOOOOOTH and accurate! I have large hands and they fit me like a glove and feel better than just about any handgun I have ever held or shot. I really like it and, like a lot here, can't understand the hate for them.

I joined the multitude who liked the OP's post.

In the last "over rated" thread that I wrote in I think, I HOPE, that I pointed out that guns get over rated by gun writers and youtube enthusiasts who go gaga over this or that weapon and make it the next best thing since sliced bread. Then we, the shooting public, find these wonder guns to be not particularly better than the guns we already liked and use. Ipso facto - that is what makes a gun over rated - not if one of us loves it but if the writers and Internet talkers make a big deal out of it and it's not at all that special when we get to it.

That said, I admit I have - HORRORS - "other brands" in the stable. Shhhhhhhh..............

I really like this one and it's a REAL Italian beauty!



I have some of its cousins, too! Shhhh!

The first 9mm I ever used was a Beretta 92SB that belonged to the Wyoming Highway Patrol. I was representing the patrol in some litigation involving one of their pistols. The Colonel gave me the pistol and 1000 rounds and told me to try to break it. Since it wasn’t my gun I tried real hard to do just that. No luck. I haven’t been without one since. The 92 is one of my all time favorites, and I don’t much care what anyone else thinks about it. I have three right now - just barely enough to get by.

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Everybody could shoot

I also have owned a Beretta FS 92 in Black with Walnut grips, Trick trigger,target sights and spring set and Hammer on it. Like a Dummy I sold it one day while I had some buyers here buying other guns off of me at the time. I said a High price on it and the one guy had the money in his pocket.

I have 3. A 92 Centurion I usually use for my qualifications, an SB Compact and a golden inox I don't shoot. I don't have pictures of the other two.

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Birds like shiny new toys too.

Actually, "boringly accurate and reliable" is precisely what I want in a gun.

My experience with the M-92FS is very positive, and my son had no problems with an issued M-9 in Iraq, where fine sand gets into everything and is a real nuisance.

He used only Beretta or Meg-Gar mags and cleaned his gun. It served reliably.

BTW, he discovered that the enemy hadn't read that M-882 ball 9mm ammo is ineffective. Not realizing this, they died promptly when struck with it. Of course, you have to hit them well, but he's a fine shot.

That said, now that he's out of the Army , he (and I) like Federal's 124 grain HST and Speer's Gold Dot ammo even better.
But even GI 9mm FMJ works most of the time, with good placement. Maybe we need an "Underrated ammo" thread.

As for the M-92, Muley Gil may show up here. He's posted that he found the guns unreliable in Bosnia, where he was training an international police force. If the guns were dry, they jammed, in his experience. But his were the only such reports that I've seen.

When USAF Capt. Scott O'Grady 's F-16 was shot down over Bosnia, he found the Bruniton finish didn't prevent rust well as he crawled around in wet grass and underbrush, evading enemy forces until his famous rescue by Marine helicopters. He was critical of both the M-9 in that regard and the AF issued survival knife. His Swiss Army knife didn't rust.

However, his issued Beretta may have had some finish wear that enabled rust. He didn't go into great detail about the matter in his book. Offhand, I think the title is, Return With Honor. A very good book!

I installed the D spring. While it was an improvement, it wasn't as much as when I installed one in my PX4 Compact.

I'm planning on getting a set of LTT grips (designed by Ernest Langdon, made by VZ) before too long. I'm thinkin' black cherry.

I've got some of the Mec-gar 18rnd mags...still have to try them out.

I keep going back-and-forth about doing the G-conversion. I'll probably end up doing it at some point.

I've thought about trying the Wilson short-reach trigger, but I think I'm going to wait and see if the grips are enough.

A local shop had a 9mm 92 (used) for $400. I kinda wanted it, but I'd rather save the sheckels for the P30L Ver 4 (or S&W R8) I really want.

I'd consider rolling my beater 59 into it, though.

I dig them. The F is an unfired 1985 vintage. All of them have box, docs, etc. D springs and G conversions on everything but the F. Little brother in there as well. Top to bottom L compact, F, M9, FS. 2nd pic a .22 Cheetah

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Straight shootin'
SWCA#2439

One of my favorites. I don't have one right now, I popped for a Sig P226SSE before they are all gone, so I don't have the funds to start looking for a 92FS, to replace the one I sold in '13. I've had 4 of them, the first one back in '77, it was my second semiauto and 4th gun ever. I got it at a Vegas pawn shop cheap. The second was brand new about 1980, and I had it until 1990 when I needed cash and sold it off. The third one was a rough looking one from a LGS that had a whole bunch of them. I think I paid $225 or so for it. Nasty dirty and the finish was about 60%. I replaced the grips with rubber ones and cleaned it up and it shot fine. I sold it to a friend who still has it, I think. Last one was a real bargain, near new, in the box with 7 mags, all the paperwork, some parts , and the sales receipt with the original owner's name and email address, who I contacted just to ask why he sold it. He sold off almost all his guns when he had a stroke and moved to assisted living. I think I'm going Inox with the next one.

The Beretta 92FS was the first handgun that I had ever fired. This was a long time ago when I knew absolutely nothing about handguns. What I remember is that it felt good in my hand, the recoil was less than I expected, it never had a functional failure, it was very accurate, and it looked like it was made by someone who cared just as much about beauty as they did about function. To this day, I still believe all of these things to be true about the 92.

I currently have a 92A1. I still find it beautiful and I trust it.

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I've owned 2 Beretta 92's. Nice shooter but ridiculously bulky for the caliber. Also had one BHP. Now that<<< is THE most overrated gun in history. That trigger design is a joke. Even with the mag safety out, it still sucks. Just a lousy design with the teeter totter bar that activates the sear. Dumb.

Police trade in guns are several places on the net for prices similar to the plastic guns. I will just about always pick metal over plastic.

Surplus Beretta 92S 9mm . For Sale . 92S Police Trade In . DK Firearms

I own a 92S, My grad dad was Irish (South Ireland/Republic) so I inherited the Gene for all things A Deal...in years past folks would call me Cheap.... Frugal Im thinking..SO to my Post...Bought the 1st wave of 92s coming to America...259.00, Pistol was like 90% but Barrel was shot out...$100.00 later it is a tack driver. I suspect someone swapped barrel out as the pistol looks like exc overall. In addition I did own a Beretta 84 and found it to be a EXC compact weapon. I own several of their shotguns all high quality.

More importantly, was it Marcellus Wallace’s soul in the briefcase?

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I’m your Boogie Man, uh huh.

Yep - that explains the bandaid on his neck, where it was extracted!

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Rule of law, not a man.

I bought an Italian 92FS back in the mid90s at a local gun show for $425. used. The American-made were actually hard to find here. I don't shoot it much but it always runs which is very high on the list of importance for cops and GIs.

For those who can't understand why the 1911 was side-lined, talk to an old GI like me. The sights were ridiculously small, 45ACP ammo kicked like a mule and the inventory was really OLD! Updating was called for and 9mm was the NATO round.

Why change to the SIG pistol? A very important reason is the increasing number of women in service for whom the Beretta grip is a bit much. Of course the SIG has the capability for add-ons.

Let's face it....old codgers like me just hate change.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

Nice pistol!

My friend Kip had one about 20 years ago, and I got to shoot it some. I really liked it. The only reason I don't own one is that the grip feels just a little too large for my hands. I can shoot one just fine, but I'm not going to own a gun that I find uncomfortable.

As far as the "overrated" thread, well, I view threads like that the same way I view threads on favorite movies, foods, etc. Taste in anything is very subjective, and what works for one may not work for all. If it works for me, why do I care what anyone else thinks?

Mine was a Great Gun to me as well. Still kicking myself on that one.

Tarentino has been asked that question a million times. He says it’s what you feel it is. The soul is only one of many theories.