Beretta 92 Pros and Cons

The stiff trigger can also be cured by replacing the Beretta mainspring with a 1911 mainspring. Instant trigger job. Give it a function test afterwards with your favorite ammo to make sure, but mine has responded well to it. I also carry mine on half-cock so the first double-action pull doesn't go through that "click" of the half-cock notch. I don't doubt anybody that personally experienced sand related problems in the desert, but I've heard that Beretta received several letters from troops using it in the Gulf War praising the performance of the 92. Of course I saw that information on a Beretta web page so the grain of salt thing applies. I think it's one of the finest pistols available.
 
I am very pleased with the 92FS INOX I own.

Pros:
100% reliable for me.
High quality fit and finish.
Cheap Pre-Bans.
Very sturdy pistol.

Cons:
Size.
Sights (INOX models have red dots which can be hard to see at night).
 
Beretta makes some of the best firearms in the world. You would be well served by any of them.

I have several pistols in the 92/96 family as well as two Cougars. All have proven 100% reliable, accurate and easy to shoot. They are also extremely durable despite what you may read about their alleged fragility.

The 92/96 series are large pistols but I routinely carry my 96D Brigadier in a Milt Sparks VM II IWB holster for extended periods of time. It is a big gun but with the right holster choice you can carry it concealed in comfort.

The Beretta company is also fantastic to deal with should you have the (extremely remote) necessity for repairs.

I also believe that when you purchase a Beretta product you are not only buying the particular item but you are purchasing a little piece of a company with over 470 years in the gunmaking business and the pride that goes along with that legacy.

Good luck in your choice!

Tom C
 
Just sold a Beretta 92FS after owning it for two months. I'm getting a 1911 in its place.

CONS of the 92fs- No Night Sights (although I've heard they're now offering an FS with dovetail sights and a mounting rail). GO WITH THE ELITE II IF YOU'RE GOING TO GET A BERETTA FULL SIZE!!

PROS- One of the most elegant weapons ever to be held in human hands. It is a beautiful gun.

However, it is hard to shoot 9mm once you've owned a .45. ;)

Good luck in your decision.
 
No night sights? I have Trijicon night sights on my 92FS Inox. Just send the slide in and Tooltech will drill out the front sight and install it for ya.
 
Ditto what tcurtis said. I have four different variations of the Beretta 92 and am extremely pleased with their accuracy, durability, reliability and low recoil. I'm not biased, I own two HK USP's, two Sig Sauers (226&229), two Glocks (22,23), an EAA 9mm, and a Les Baer 1911.
 
I would have to agree with the majority.
I have a 92FS INOX, the finish is smooth and very resistant to the elements also scratching, and a very good looking pistol IMO.
The accuracy is very good, sub 1-1/2 Groups at 50' offhand.
I have over 3500 rounds through mine and it looks LNIB inside and out:)
The sights. No problem it is easy to find differant sights or change the color with
"Bright Sights" I like the florescent White

I would highly reccommend one for your collection.

Tony
 

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Yeah, night sights

Yes, you can have your gun sent away and drilled, but I'd rather be drilling holes in paper with my gun rather than waiting on someone else to drill holes in my gun!

Beretta really should have them come from the factory with night sights as an option IMHO! Also, it seems like the additional cost of sending the gun out for sights would be a negative.

Don't get me wrong, I like Berettas, but the gentleman starting the topic wanted to know some of the pros and cons of the gun in our opinion.

Going to the trouble of sending my weapon out to have sights put on is a con to me!

'Course I always was kind of partial to a 1911!;)

Vanguard.45
 
Pros:
1) Much cheaper than a SIG.
2) Direct Chambering
3) Preban hicaps cheaper than SIG.
4) Looks very nice. You can swap parts around to give different looks.
5) Grip feels good. The back is not plastic like SIG's.
6) Locking block can be replaced easily.
7) The aluminum frame last longer than SIG's.
8) The Elite 2.
9) Very reliable.
10) Customer service is very good.
11) Slide action is the smoothest in the entire industry.
12) 500 year old company that's still in the family.
13) Cool logo.

Cons:
1) Need to buy a 96 to justify the size of the gun.
2) Not as forgiving. If your a bad shooter it will show how bad you are.
3) The finish on the current runs seem to be lacking. Some are perfect while others have issues.
 
Re: CCW with Beretta 92

I had a friend who got out of the Army in the early 90's. He had been issued a M9, so he had a M92 of his own, and he used it for a CCW piece. In addition to the 16 rounds in the pistol, he also carried 4 spare mags for it, for a total of 76 rounds on his body.

He eventually realized that if he ever did get into a shooting confrontation, it was highly unlikely that he'd ever have to lay down covering fire and fall back by squads, so he ditched it in favor of something smaller.

So yeah, it is possible to lug around a M92, but it helps if you are young and strong I guess :)

As far as my own experiences with the M92 - I've shot it in two separate range sessions. In the first, it jammed literally every single other round when I fired it. However, the range owner would take it and dump a mag with no problem. I know I wasn't limp-wristing the thing, so I have no clue why the M92 was jamming so often. The next time I shot it was at Field Training. Fortunately for me, this one functioned flawlessly. Much more accurate than I am!

The Air Force uses a test where you fire a number of two shot strings. The first shot is double action, and the second shot is single action. All of my double action shots were going into the lower right side ot he target, and the single action shots were going into the upper right side of the target - I had nice compact groups, but I had two of them!

Other than that, I really like the M92. I am trying very hard to get one ASAP.
 
The 92 is a fine gun, but there are some things that I don't like about them. As others have mentioned, this is a very large gun. It has a wide grip and a long reach to the DA trigger, so it doesn't work well for folks with smalll hands. I'm not a fan of slide mounted safety/decockers. They're harder to reach than a frame-mounted safety/decocker. And it's possible to inadvertently put the safety on while operating the slide.

M1911
 
Take look at the 92S inox compact. its avery nice very accurate gun, it looks great, and it is smaller than the fullsize, Slide and barrel,and the grip are 1" shorter than the fullsize. Its no pocket gun however.
 
I used to carry a 92FS INOX as my duty weapon. The night sights are what caused me to switch. I had Trijicons installed on the weapon. This is fine for the rear sight, green dots surronded by white out lines on a black sight. The front sight, however is stainless steel (re. white) with a white outline, and a green dot in the middle. at night, no problem. With the light, bigger problem. It was difficult for me to find the front sight against a light target and propery alaign the sights.

I had no such problem with blued versions of the 92 FS. The Brigadier being the most accurate 9mm I shoot.

I carried the INOX due to hloster wear. A Sarfariland 070 will aggrivate wear on the barrel finish. I've seen the finish wear off during two weeks of recruit training.
 
love both of my 92s

Can't really add to the pro side of things other than I really enjoy shooting mine. Just benched my 92fs last weekend and it will cut a single ragged hole an inch and a half in diameter with win white box jhp at 25 yds.

On the con side, it is a little large for concealed carry, though I carry mine regularly. I do alternate carry between the 92FS and a Sig M2 in .45, which is quite compact. Cooler weather, 92fs. Warmer weather, M2.

Also, in spite of it being such a large gun, my two small-for-their-ages sons, ages 16 and 13, both shoot my 92 extremely well. They can offhand 3-5" groups all day long and they just started shooting handgun a couple months ago. They seem to be able to reach the trigger just fine.
 
I love the 92, but have to give the nod to my 96 Border Marshal. Flawless. It's my cold weather CCW of choice. Does one not mind the bulk of a 'full sized' Beretta, when .40 S&W's are coming out of it? I know there are plenty of people, including myself, that use full sized Beretta's and 1911's for a CCW. Still wondering where to put it though,when I wear my speedo to the local pool.;) Is that a Beretta in your pocket, or.......
 
Beretta 92.


My thoughts are similar to what others have said.

The Italian-made Berettas are certainly good lookers, and at least in 9mm reputedly very accurate. (I've heard & read complaints that the accuracy of the .40S&W 96s is only so-so).

OTOH, if your caliber has to be 9mm, then the 92 is a larger-than-necessary envelope. A Glock 17/19 gives you the same firepower with less size & weight for concealability, an issue the military doesn't particularly care about but which is an issue for civilian CCW. At less cost too, the $$$ you save w/ the Glock can go toward preban hi-caps - or Trijicons, which should be a standard factory option on Berettas (and other pistols) anyway.

Also, w/ respect to military 92s, did they ever solve the slide-cracking/durability issues?

IIRC, reports indicated that they discovered many slides cracked after periods of hard use with hot NATO 9mm ammo - plus it's not like the military to "baby" anything, especially weapons. Apparently, a few operators even took a slide in the teeth (or face) when the cracking went all the way to catastrophic failure on blow-back. :eek: Personally, I prefer to concentrate on hitting the target, not dodging the slide. :D Not a flame, just curious.
 
I've had a 92 Inox Brigadier for a couple of years now. It is a more accurate pistol than I am a shooter. Large, yes, but fully satisfying. If there's a con, it's finding a holster.
 
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