92 full size vs 92 compact vs cougar?

W

warreng

New member
After lots of research and several gun rentals I am pretty much sold on the Bertta 92. The only thing that is holding me back from an immediate purchase is the overall size of the full-size 92. I really like the idea of the 92 Compact, but I have not been able to find a definite answer to this question...
I know the barrel and overall length are shorter on the Compact but is the overall grip size the same?
Beretta's website shows the overall height of each to be only .1 inch difference, but the pictures make the 92C grip look shorter. I have yet to find a gun shop that has both to compare side by side. Can anybody who has owned or shot both models give me some insight on this? I have rather large hands and the large grip fits my hand perfectly but I would like the advantage of a slightly shorter overall length (approx .75 inch)

Also, I have held the Cougar and it was quite comfortable and the shorter barrels is appealing but I wonder if the large difference in barrel length (from the full-size 92) translates into a considerable difference in accuracy/overall feel of the gun while firing (none of the gun shops around have the Cougar for rent).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Warren
 
I have a Cougar and a 92. The feel of both is the same, the Cougar is less muzzle heavy. As for accuracy, my Cougar is very accurate.
 
I have a 92 F/S Centurion which is the same size as the 92 F/S but without the slight barrel protrusion past the end of the slide. This gun will take the 15rd magazines and all other accessories that the 92 F/S will. I'm not sure how much different it is from a 92C but if you're looking for these features, at least know that the Centurion is available with them.

The Beretta is indeed a large handgun. Concealing it can be a challenge, but the weight helps make it easy to shoot well. If it's the gun that fits your hand, just be aware that you have to find ways to deal with the weight and you'll be fine. My daughter-in-law insisted that this was the right gun for her despite her very slight stature and our recommendations that she carry a small lightweight snub. She's happy with it even if it is a lot of weight to lug around in a purse.
 
Can't answer all your questions, but I know that the 92C takes 13 round full-cap mags, while the regular 92 takes 15 rounders. That leads me to believe that the 92C grip is shorter. I bought a 13 round 92C clip once by accident, and it fit fine in my 92C widthwise, though it was too short to feed any rounds. This leads me to believe that the width of the 92 and 92C grips are the same.

The 13 round clips are much harder to find than the relatively common and inexpensive 15 rounders. This reason alone is enough not to buy a 92C.
 
I'd take a good look at the cougar 8000 type L. It's got a recontoured slide that IMHO looks much better than it's siblings. It's half way in between the full cougar and the minis and accepts the more common 92 compact 13-rounders (or you can also buy the 9-rounders for the .40 96 compact and load them up with 13 9mm :). The balance is much better in my opinion than the full size versions or the minis. http://www.beretta.com/p_dettaglio.asp?discipline=compact%
 
Beretta Compact.

I have one, the compact grip is about 1" shorter and the barrel is 1" shorter. It fits my hand better than the fullsize, and is lighter by a bit. The grip is just as wide though.

I like mine alot.:)
 
Have both 92F and 92 Compact. Of the two I prefer the 92C over the F but neither is a bad pistol.

The 92 Compact is indeed smaller in length and height than its big brother. The grip width on the double stack models is the same or nearly so to the 92FS. While the Compact is smaller I have a hard time thinking of it as "compact". It's about the same size as a Sig 226.
Take Care
 
The compact's grip is much too short for me as it does not support my pinkey. To me the 92 series is the best 9mm around but because of its size it is more suited to range work and OWB carry, IMHO.

I have heard good things about the Cougar too but again not the best for concealed carry.
 
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