Beretta 92 safety, is it backwards or...

S

Sub MOA

New member
While I have always thought highly of the Beretta 92/96 pistols, I have never given them much attention because everybody says "small/medium hands need not apply." I handled three different Berettas today and they fit like a glove. I particulary fell in love with a stainless 92.

OK, here's my question. The slide mounted safety seems just plain backward to me. Push up to disengage? It just doesn't feel natural. I suppose with a lot of training and practice a guy could get used to it. Beretta owners feel free to chime in here...

[This message has been edited by Sub MOA (edited July 09, 2000).]
 
I've owned a 92FS since 1991 and it does fit like a glove. I find nothing wrong with the way the safety works....it gets flicked off without a problem when I have to draw my weapon. I find it to be very natural and smooth when doing this.

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Steve
LPD
 
It seems like just about everything out there except the Makarov and the 1911 and its clones have the same type of safety. Up for fire, down for safe. The two mentioned above are just the opposite.
 
Sub -- if you experiment a little, you'll find that you can disengage the safety by pushing forward, rather than up, as you grip the Beretta, without using any extra motions at all. It's a little hard to explain, but in real life it's not much of an issue.

The other point about the safety is that I don't think that there is really any reason to carry the pistol with the safety on. It is completely safe with one in the chamber. The DA pull is long and fairly heavy, and the firing pin safety means that there's no possibility of a drop-fire.

I'm no wild about the F-type "safety" as a decocker because you have to make a second motion after decocking to return the pistol to readiness, but the answer to that is to train yourself. The Elite G-type pistols come that way from the factory (but F-types cannot be converted).
 
While the 1911 (Makarov, BHP, etc.) safety works in the opposite direction, the reason for this is the location. It's real easy flip the 1911 safety either way without shifting your grip much. I've even heard of some people accidentally engaging the safety while they were shooting.

The Beretta (S&W, Ruger, Baby Eagle, etc.) safety get's flipped off with the tip of the thumb by pushing it forward and up (you can also do it by pushing down on the bottom of the safety before you pull it from the holster). This is pretty easy to do. However, if you try re-engaging the safety without shifting your grip, you'll have a hard time. Now, you may be thinking "Why would I want to reengage the safety while it's in a shooting grip?" The answer is: "Exactly!"
 
Sub MOA, I too thought I had small hands, too small for the 92, until I bought one last week. I had a Sig 228 that was supposed to fit smaller hands better, but when I took them to the range and shot them side by side, point shooting not aiming, the Beretta came out ahead. I think the 92 has gotten a bad rap on grip size. I agree the safety is different, but JNewell's post about pushing it forward instead of up is true. I also tend to agree with branrot, if I have to shift my hand to put it back on safe so what. I will have made sure all is clear before I do.

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We are the people our parents warned us about.
 
The Beretta grip is bordering on the large side. To me it's possible to secure a comfortable grip if I take my time, but when it comes to purchasing a grip right out of the holster it's something else. The 92 is also pretty big(length) for a 9mm(let alone a 10rounder).
With a SLIDE mounted safety I find up for fire makes sense. For a frame mounted safety, down feels more comfortable.
 
I think the reasoning behind having "up to fire" is because down for decock is only lodgical.
 
I'm not a big 1911 traditionalist, but when I first bought a Beretta 92 I also thought that the safety was strange. But after a while and lots of shooting and practicing of disengaging the safety, it really became a natural motion. I actually found it to be a good way of doing it (for some of the reasons posted above)... Try it out and you will get familiar with it...
 
Jetrecbn: If any hi-capacity gun should not be considered a 10 rounder, it's the Beretta 92. The reason being that since the military uses them, surplus hi-cap clips are plentiful. I've picked them up (post ban) for as little as 20 bucks in good shape. Usually, though, they're closer to 30 (which still ain't bad). You can check www.auctionarms.com or www.gunbroker.com. My advice is to splurge the extra 10 bucks on top of a 10 rounder and go for a new or slightly used factory 15 rounder. Compared to the clips for the HK's, Sigs or Glocks, 30 bucks for a hi-cap is dirt cheap.
 
I find the Beretta safety strange and somewhat diffficult to operate. It is important to realize that originally the safety on the 92 was frame mounted and had no decock function.

The perfect solution is to consider the Taurus PT92. It is based on the original Beretta 92 design and is manufactured at a former Beretta plant.

Taurus retained the frame mounted safety and added a third decocker position. Up for safe, down for fire, and all the way down for decock (a spring loaded position). Think USP pistol.

Very nice alternative to the Beretta, as it is identical in all other respects.
 
I just got one and have made a habit of taking it off safe after decocking in one motion. I'd have preferred a G, but I don't know of any Italian made stainless G versions, so I'm stuck with it.

Didn't someone mention that a smith can remove the detent pin in the safety and swap return springs to make a de facto G version a month or so ago on this forum?
 
I'm with frye on this one. I own a Beretta Cougar, and a Taurus PT92. The Cougar's safety is the same as the 92 Beretta, and sometimes the top of my thumb slips by without the safety disengaging.

The Taurus on the other hand has a 3 position (safe/fire/decocker) safety lever. It takes a very natural and easy downward movement of the thumb to bring the Taurus from safe to fire. Unlike the Beretta the Taurus can also be carried "cocked and locked".
 
Hey everybody,

Thanks for all your help on this topic. I wasn't aware of the "push forward" ability. Will have to investigate this. And to those who suggested Taurus...that is another option I have been kicking around. Do you think the Taurus is on par with the Beretta in terms of quality, reliability, and durability?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sub MOA:
Do you think the Taurus is on par with the Beretta in terms of quality, reliability, and durability?[/quote]

Well, let me put it this way. My Taurus 92 cost me $340. My Brother's Beretta 92 cost him $560. The fit and finish on the Beretta is better, but my Taurus is slightly more accurate than his Beretta, and has proven 100% reliable. My Taurus has proven far more reliable than my only Beretta, the Cougar. I'd buy my Taurus again in a heartbeat. If you do go Taurus, get rid of the cheesy plastic grips, and put on a set of Hogue or Pearce. It makes a huge difference in the feel and accuracy of the gun.
 
In theory, I think you could manage to engage the safety (move it down) accidentally while doing a hand-over slide grip, depending on where/how you grip and how big your fingers/thumb are/is.
 
try a G model beretta. they have no safety and just a decocker so you don't have to worry about disengaging it. you can get the 92G Elite or Elite 2 which both have the G safety.

also FYI the proper way to disengage a beretta safety is with a downward motion. what you do is:
1. imagine like your grabing the gun out of a holster
2. your hand is on the gun and your thumb is comming over the hammer towards where you plan to grip the gun with it
3. as your thumb passes by the safety you put some downward and forward pressure on it
4. get the proper grip on the gun

this happens all as you draw the gun pretty quickly and if you practice it will become natural. if you put this type of pressure on the safety it will disengage. u don't have to make a seperate forward or upward motion to disengage it. the draw should be smooth and continuous.
 
Yes, but Russell92 and others, the Beretta is an extremely safe pistol without the safety...unless it's an M9 and you're required to carry with the safety one, why bother? Seems like an engraved invitation for Mr. Murphy...and the design is more than completely safe enough without it.
 
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