All this talk of overrated pistols made me shoot my Beretta 92FS

[sigp220.45]

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.

 

[ColbyBruce]

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

 

[American1776]

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

 

[squidsix]

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

 

[Breakaway500]

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.

 

[Valmet]

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%.

 

[smithman 10]

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

 

[pharmer]

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

 

[7tenz]

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.

 

[M29since14]

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.

 

[Univibe]

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.

 

[brucev]

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.

 

[robvious]

maybe if I add a lil fertilizer?

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

 

[ContinentalOp]

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.

 

[Warren Sear]

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.

 

[Eddietruett]

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.

 

[Echo40]

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".

 

[swsig]

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

 

[muddocktor]

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.

 

[S-W4EVER]

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).