Thoughts on the Beretta 92?

[Rhetorician]

Hello all:

I am thinking, either of trading or buying out right, the Beretta 92s(?). It is a 9mm for your information. I would like to take up shooting the 9mm round to see what and how it does. But I do not want a micro-anything, I have a Taurus 738 380 acp and it is quite snappy and no range gun at all.

Do any of your own one?

Is it worth $599 new?

How is the Baretta warranty?

I would think about trading a Smith Model 360PD Scandium / Titanium 357 for it. May have "to give some boot."

Please don't flame me for this possible choice, but I would like some helpful and considerate feedback if at all possible.

My thoughts!

Yours?

rd

 

[sasu]

Definitely worth the price! One of the best pistols I have, and I have many 1911 and 2011 variants and several 3rd Gen S&Ws. Not one malfunction - ever. Does its job every time.

 

[Hapworth]

A fine pistol overall but a bit bulky in the grip for average hands, and every one I ever handled had the safety installed backwards.

 

[Erich]

I've shot the Beretta 92 series since the mid-'80s, but have never gotten around to buying one - not even when they were available in 98% condition for a very fair price from a security agency surplusing them locally. The triggers are good (tho the trigger design - with its odd trigger bar on the exterior of the frame - is a little odd) and they're reliable. The gripframes are considered to be on the chunky side - only you can tell how that will affect your ability to shoot the gun (but Beretta did a major redesign of this with their newer Vertec guns) - and the guns are held to be accurate. They are in no way unpleasant to shoot. They are quite large for concealed carry, though it's certainly do-able.

There was a tremendous volume of press on these in the mid-'80s when the US armed forces selected them to (largely) replace the 1911. You might consider getting on AbeBooks or Alibris or another used book site to look for inexpensive used books that discuss the gun: Wiley Clapp and Dean Grennell wrote a good one called The Gun Digest Book of 9mm Handguns that I see is presently available on AbeBooks for under $4. Such books will give you a wealth of things to consider.

Enjoy!
erich

 

[GatorFarmer]

I would not spend $600 for one. CDNN and elsewhere has had low prices, 350 or so I think, for the very similar Taurus 92. The safety arrangement on the Taurus is better. Filing the notch on a Beretta mag allows it to work in the Taurus. I have had both "real" Berettas and the Taurus. I still have the Taurus.

 

[Fishinfool]

Carried one for years as an issue duty weapon. A little chunky, dead reliable and accurate, cool Italian style, compared to a lot of cookie cutter 9mm's. SA / DA trigger option. Like any US Military issue firearm, parts, magazines, accessories will be around for a long time. A great range / duty carry gun, I think...

Larry

 

[msinc]

They are worth every penny. They are extremely reliable and very accurate. It is a big gun, a real "hand filler." It is a pretty fairly difficult gun to conceal because of the size. Have you considered a Browning Hi-Power??? If you want to go 9mm, why not go with the "King of The Nines"???? I think at the end of the day you would be a lot happier.

 

[cowart]

The 92 has quite a large grip - you should try one out before deciding to get one.

A used 360PD in very good condition is actually worth slightly more than the cost of a new 92. Is your 360PD a "lock" model, or a "no lock" model?

 

[S42N8]

Wilson Combat is customizing the Beretta 92. That may indicate the relative merit of the 92-series guns. While I personally prefer Sigs to the 92, it has a proven track record and there are many options available. If you like it, you can do far worse. FWIW.

 

[JayAychOh]

I've owned and shot both personally owned and/or department-issued Beretta' since 1983, including models 92SB, 92F, and M9. They are great handguns and are reliable and accurate. Others have pointed out they are a little large. This is a consideration for concealed carry, but does not affect the ergonomics of the handgun itself in a practical way in my opinion.

It's become fashionable to trash the Beretta. It was hard for me to miss the fact that the Beretta 92 was the "greatest handgun on the planet" until the US Military adopted it as standard. Almost immediately it became the "biggest P.O.S." on the planet. Many people love to hate anything that's successful.

I think a 92F, 92FS, M9 is well worth $599 new.

I've never had to have one serviced under a warranty, and can't quote the terms off the top of my head, so I'm not well enough versed to answer that question.

 

[Harkrader]

My employer in the '80s bought Berettas (Model 92) by the crate. They and I have only good things to say about them. Always reliable, tough as nails, accurate, and durable with hot ammo. The size made it easy to accurately shoot at longer ranges. Though Beretta advises against +P in any model other than the new A31, that (and hotter) was standard for us and caused no problems, including no obvious wear on the guns.

I have personally owned 12 Models 92 and 96, including the 1970s one in the attached photo. It was a gift from a friend in the Middle East and had been 'round the Horn many times before it got to me. Clean it, oil it, shoot it. Still has every part it came with. It's my favorite.

Our sons were shooting mine as soon as they were 10 years old, and loved them. The oldest went professional military with four tours in "The Desert." He said the guns issued to them really showed wear and tear, and that gun handling was atrocious. He lamented that the military would not let him take one of mine/his over there. Apparently guns in a war zone are dangerous . . ..

I don't mean to belittle GatorFarmer's feeling for the Taurus. I can only say our experience was quite different. We had a client in the mid-'80s from Brazil, and he demanded we use Brazilian guns. The Boss was not one to be dictated to, but at first thought there could be no harm in placating the client. He ordered a dozen Taurus Models 92. The armorer was apoplectic over them. Not one was reliable. Accuracy was terrible. Most suffered feed and/or extraction failures. I don't remember whether he took them back to Hialeah Florida (only a trip across town at the time) or just called them for assistance, but the guns still did not function. So he modified the grips to fit the Berettas and the client never noticed.

One Taurus exception. We liked the Berettas so much we wanted compact models, but they were scarcer than hens' teeth. A colleague offered me his Taurus PT92C. He had been shooting it a couple years and said he'd done nothing to it and it worked fine. Worked fine for me, too, and I turned down many offers for it.

Prices are actually and comparatively lower than they were in the '80s. At the price you saw, buy it.

 

[hoosierone]

Bought and FS 92 used about 15 years ago. Never a FTE or FTF, easy to dis assemble and clean. As others have said, may not be good for a person with small hands. Paid $500 for mine and I believe that's still about what a decent used one goes for.

 

[islamoradamark]

i sold mine and bought a couple of Sigs

 

[Autococker07]

They don't fit my hand (too big), and I think the open slide design, while nice looking is dumb. they collect dirt and debris like a fine vacuum cleaner, and as others have said the safety is backwards.


***With this said, I carried one for almost 20 years, and I have NEVER found one to malfunction, not be exceptionally accurate, fail or break.

So, my personal thoughts are "I will buy one only when/if I can get a "US Property" one, but they are a very good and reliable SA/DA 9mm.


As for trading in the 360 PD, I would not advise "booting in" for a 92 unless your j frame is beat up pretty bad. You can likely sell that revolver for the price of entry to a 92.


***PS*** Check out this thread discussing a 92S

A 92S is the same gun with a funky mag release button.... they are going for around 300 or so at the various surplus dealers..... another option....

 

[BE Mike]

I have a Beretta 92FS. It is my second one. I had the first one accurized for bullseye pistol matches. I'm not a huge fan of "traditional double action" in a semi-auto pistol and to my way of thinking the manual safety works opposite the way it should. All that being said, the Beretta is now a classic. It is well made, accurate and reliable. As far as Beretta backing up their products, well, just consider that they started business back in the 1500's and are still going strong.

 

[JcMack]

I've had a couple. Mel Gibson likes em, me not so much. I really like the FNP to fill that niche.

 

[meistermash]

Get a CZ 75b. I can't hit the wall of a barn if I was standing inside of it with my B92.

 

[G-Mac]

Had one. Traded even for a nice 4" 686 no dash. No regrets.

 

[Faulkner]

I carried one as for a few years as uniformed LEO. It was okay, accurate and reliable enough. I was glad when we transitioned to something else.

These days there are a number of alternatives in 9mm semi auto handguns that I would choose before I picked a 92, though I will say articles I saw about the new 92A3 in a couple of recent gun magazines seemed pretty interesting.

 

[rockquarry]

I bought one new in 1988. It has been fired a great deal, mostly with cast bullets. Very reliable pistol that will feed virtually anything, including heavy semi-wadcutter .38 Special cast bullets, something for which the Beretta was never designed. It's also reasonably accurate.

It's easy to shoot and quite forgiving, mostly because it's a huge, heavy gun. While I like the Beretta and it would be hard to go wrong buying one, I'd rate it second to a Sig 226. I find the Sig as reliable as the Beretta, a bit more accurate, and it has slightly less bulk.