The Good Lord God must be looking over me. There I was minding my own business! I was just walking down to the Post Office to get the mail. I didn't do anything but just walk up the street... past the bait and tackle shop. Then I looked through the window. In a moment I'd tied Molly to a bench and stepped inside the shop. For in the midst of all that bait and tackle I saw two pool tables... with some nice looking guns spread out. To make a long story short... in the midst of some nondescript odds and ends I saw a Beretta 92f. Picked it up... took a look and got to thinking. It looks like possibly a police trade-in. Standard sights, etc., bit of finish wear on outside paddle of thumb safety. Normal DA and good SA trigger. Blackhawk holster and two Beretta magazines. No box or anything else. He wants $400... maybe will come off the price a smidgen but not sure. Been thinking about getting a 9mm. Been thinking about a Sig 226... and I'm still thinking. But I do wonder if this 92F isn't worth maybe bringing home. Just not sure. How is the price for similar 92f's in say 92% condition?
92F Question.
- Thread starter brucev
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If you look around you can find them from online retailers for $350/375, but often with some serious holster wear. I'd pay $400 for a 92F in 92% condition, in fact, I did 3.5 years ago!
Here is mine, a 1988-imported 92F. I actually bought this pistol from a co-worker in 1995 and eventually sold it to a dealer in town in 2000. It turned up in another gun store in 2008 so I bought it back. From the looks of it it had been shot but never cleaned in the eight years it floated around Nashville. A new set of springs from Wolff, a bunch of Mec/Gar 18 round mags from when Top Gun Supply had a blowout on them 3 years ago, and a bunch of rounds later, and it's still going strong.
The only difference between an F and an FS is the enlarged hammer pin and the slot milled into the slide for the head to ride in. This was done in case the slide broke, as the large pin head would theoretically catch the rear of the slide and prevent it from hitting the shooter. In reality, unless you will be shooting many thousands of hot-rod SMG ammo through it, slide breakage is a non-issue.
If the Beretta fits your hand, then buy it. One good thing about 92Fs is that quality mags are dirt-cheap compared to Sig. Military contract mags can be found for $10/new, and the Air-Tronic are just as reliable a factory mags. Mec/Gars and factory mags can be found for $20 or less, depending on finish. Avoid USA, Ram-Line, or any other off-brand mag, as they are usually junk. Military-style holsters are common and inexpensive, too.
Here is mine, a 1988-imported 92F. I actually bought this pistol from a co-worker in 1995 and eventually sold it to a dealer in town in 2000. It turned up in another gun store in 2008 so I bought it back. From the looks of it it had been shot but never cleaned in the eight years it floated around Nashville. A new set of springs from Wolff, a bunch of Mec/Gar 18 round mags from when Top Gun Supply had a blowout on them 3 years ago, and a bunch of rounds later, and it's still going strong.
The only difference between an F and an FS is the enlarged hammer pin and the slot milled into the slide for the head to ride in. This was done in case the slide broke, as the large pin head would theoretically catch the rear of the slide and prevent it from hitting the shooter. In reality, unless you will be shooting many thousands of hot-rod SMG ammo through it, slide breakage is a non-issue.
If the Beretta fits your hand, then buy it. One good thing about 92Fs is that quality mags are dirt-cheap compared to Sig. Military contract mags can be found for $10/new, and the Air-Tronic are just as reliable a factory mags. Mec/Gars and factory mags can be found for $20 or less, depending on finish. Avoid USA, Ram-Line, or any other off-brand mag, as they are usually junk. Military-style holsters are common and inexpensive, too.
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Bicky Robby
Member
I might do it. 92 is a good solid handun. Is the holster a Serpa, a duty holster or other Blackhawk product?
Kuglespritz
Member
I bought a 92F for $420 a couple of months ago in excellent condition with adjustable sights, so I think the price is about average. What drew me to buy mine was that it was made in Italy and had all of the proof marks. I'll bet the one you are looking at was probably made in Italy as well. Sure you can buy a made in Maryland Beretta, but I think there's something cool about the Italian ones.
if Molly is your wife, she must really be a handful when you are shopping for yourself.
maybe if you bought her something she likes, you wouldn't have to tie her up when you are gun shopping
maybe if you bought her something she likes, you wouldn't have to tie her up when you are gun shopping
smith revolver cop
Member
I have several variations of the 92F, and carried one as a duty weapon for a number of years. Quite a nice, simple, serviceable sidearm.
But, without seeing it or knowing how much the dealer might come down, my inclination is that it is priced a little bit high.
But, without seeing it or knowing how much the dealer might come down, my inclination is that it is priced a little bit high.
ColbyBruce
Member
I paid $300.00 + tax for this Italian made Beretta 92FS Inox less than six months ago. I would keep looking if I were you. I like Beretta 92 series guns, and have owned three others. These are large guns, and the size always got to me and I traded or sold them. I will keep this one forever, as it is stainless and a bit more durable.
I carried a Beretta 92 for most of my days in uniform. I was slow to accept autoloaders but the Beretta convinced me. It was and is a flawless performer.
Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
A bait & tackle shop that isn't dog friendly???
Must not be much of a place...
$400 w/2 magazines would be a good deal in my area.
Must not be much of a place...
$400 w/2 magazines would be a good deal in my area.
mamasfatty
Member
price seems a lil high,,i would wait and pick up a 92fs,,same gun with improvements,,if you look around you may save 50 bucks
Frizzman
US Veteran
You won't find one any cheaper in a shop or gun show around here unless its pretty worn. So, the price is not out of line in this market. I have one 92 FS now. It was a "Police Special" package and came in a cardboard box with three mags and night sights. It was not a trade in but a new pistol. It, like the other 92's I have had, has been 100% reliable with every type of ammo I have run through it. It is bulky but I do carry it concealed sometimes. I have seen criticism of the pistol by some who used them in the service but I heard plenty of griping about the old 1911's we had back in my military days. If you like it and have the money and an understanding wife, I say...Buy It!
MSgtJimmy
Member
Buy it, shoot it and don't look back. You'll never regret it. It is a flawless performer. As long as I have a Beretta 92, I have no need for a 1911.
Texas Star
US Veteran
If you aren't concerned about the lack of the new slide blowoff safety feature, I'd buy it. The extra mags alone are an incentive, and you can see and examine this gun. That beats buying by mail and getting a pig in a poke and paying postage and an FFL fee.
My 92FS has the recountoured backstrap, which makes a major difference in how the gun fits my hand. It works fine, and my son saw many M-9's in the Army that worked welll in Iraq, if they were kept clean and used with Beretta or Mec-Gar mags. He found the 9mm effective in combat, too. Apparently,the enemy hadn't read that a 9mm hit to a vital zone wasn't as effective as a .45...On the other hand, he shoots a pistol far better than most soldiers can.
My 92FS has the recountoured backstrap, which makes a major difference in how the gun fits my hand. It works fine, and my son saw many M-9's in the Army that worked welll in Iraq, if they were kept clean and used with Beretta or Mec-Gar mags. He found the 9mm effective in combat, too. Apparently,the enemy hadn't read that a 9mm hit to a vital zone wasn't as effective as a .45...On the other hand, he shoots a pistol far better than most soldiers can.
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Babalooie
US Veteran
If you like it, get it. The price isn't bad. It's not a huge bargain, but you probably won't find one much cheaper in a store, unless it has considerable wear.
I'd go for it.
I'd go for it.
As we are not limited by FMJ rounds the Beretta is a fine defensive piece. I like 147gr. bullets, but as long as the JHP is a solid design of the proper weight, it should be an effective round.
Texas Star
US Veteran
Well, yes. I do carry JHP's, usually 124 grain Federal Plus P. I feel better with them, unless exceptional penetration is needed.
But in Iraq, my son had to use FMJ GI ammo, and nine insurgents still dropped. I think he had to shoot one at least twice, but the first hit was to his legs, fired at the man while he was running on the other side of a truck trailer. That was to drop him for a finishing shot or two.
In fairness, my son said that he would feel better with JHP's, but that just wasn't an option. On one tour, working as a contractor, he thought of carrying a .45 auto, but spare mags and fresh ammo for the 1911 were in short supply. Of the available handguns, it came down to a Glock 17 or a Browning Hi-Power, I think a MK III. He prefers the Browning, and it did well by him, killing three of his pistol-slain enemy. The other six were casualties of an Army-issued Beretta M-9. (All on different occasions.) All of the M-9 stoppages that he saw (none his) were due to poor maintenance or to bad mags.
BTW, the late David W. Arnold told me that while he was a senior Rhodesian police official, he saw 9mm's used and saw after action reports involving their use. The military ball load usually worked, contrary to what one reads. This assumes good placement. Arnold and his lot were dealing mainly with Bantu terrorists, some being pretty large men.
BTW, many believe that the Beretta is better not used a great deal with Plus P ammo, let alone Plus P Plus. That also holds for the P-38/P-1, the Browning Hi-Power, and some other pistols. I think that's likely true, and I carry Plus P mainly when defense is the need, whether against men or possible animal attackers. Federal's 115 grain JHP in their Classic load (#9BP) is standard pressure and has a good rep as a stopper, if well placed. Skeeter Skelton told of shooting a coyote with a Norma 116 grain JHP back in the 1960's and it ruined the animal's lungs. It was a quick kill, using a Browning. Skelton was impressed. Today's better technology offers more consistent results, I think.
I feel well armed with a good 9mm and the right ammo, but knowing that even GI ball bullets will often suffice lends added comfort. (I do know that some soldiers report less satisfactory 9mm results, but I don't know where they hit the enemy, or at what range.)
In Afghanistan, we are fighting the very people whose resistance to pistol ammo led to the British developing their Manstopper .455 loads. There is probably some truth to the accounts of smaller calibers failing often enough to be a concern, as we experienced in the Phillipines, against Moro fanatics.
Your "quote" above jumbled some of my words with someone else's. The point that I made about the M-92FS grip having a slight recontour is in the version having the slightly slanted dust cover. Unless you look carefully in photos, you won't see the difference, but it's easy to feel.
I read on the Beretta board that the only reason those slanted dust covers were used was to add strength to the M-96 version in .40, which has been dropped. Word is that the straight dust cover has resumed for all 92 variants, not just the M-9 and its commercial version. I don't know how this will affect supply of the contoured frames that I mentioned. Beretta seems to be limiting news about any changes in the basic gun. The only thing that seems set in stone is that US contract deliveries will not vary, as they are made to the contract specs. That includes the grip shape.
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MSgtJimmy
Member
I consider myself very well armed with my 92F loaded with 12 rounds of Winchester Ranger Plus+. Very controllable load that shoots to point of aim at 25 yards.
OP
Well... I did it! I worked a trade. I had a .22 Ruger Mk. II standard type pistol that I wasn't using so much. I found it more fun to shoot my 18-2 and 17-1 were more fun. I had $200 in the Mk. II. I sold it for $220. I rolled the quarters, nickles, dimes and pennies and ended up with $70. I paid him the rest with good ole cash. Ended up being $410 w/ a box of ammunition in the deal. Got it home and cleans it thoroughly. Very little soot, etc. inside. Very light wear on top of rails. Other than some holster wear, it is in nice shape. It is a 92FS which I understand is a update over previous versions. It has two Beretta made magazines and a Blackhawk CQB holster. I figure I'll get over to Wal-Mart tomorrow morning and buy a 100 rd. box of the Fed. 9mm ammo. Then... off to a nice place I know where scrap harrow blades are available for shooting. Happy! Happy! Happy!
gtoppcop
Member
Buy it. They're good guns. In the Marine Corps, I shoot them regularly, qualify HIGH expert and have NEVER had one malfunction. For years I hated them, but a year in Trash-Can-A-Stan changed my mind. They are good to go. Just maintain them like any other handgun and they will give yeoman service.
I have three of them (2X 9mm and 1X .40). $400 is a decent price. I've seen them higher and lower. That depends on the shape that they're in.
I frequently make mine DAO (about a 5-minute job) and use a 13# Wolff mainspring. That equates to a 8# DAO pull. EASY!
I have three of them (2X 9mm and 1X .40). $400 is a decent price. I've seen them higher and lower. That depends on the shape that they're in.
I frequently make mine DAO (about a 5-minute job) and use a 13# Wolff mainspring. That equates to a 8# DAO pull. EASY!
