Beretta 92FS for competition

S

Seawolf_504

New member
I recently aquired a Beretta 92FS from my Father in Law that I want to use for competition and fun shoots at my club.
Right now the pistol is completely stock with the original 3 dot sights.

I've seen video on YouTube of shooters using the 92F/M9 as a competition gun, but my experience with this sidearm is limited. I have worked in Law Enforcement and have always carried polymer guns.

What kind of "enhancements" can I look into for the 92FS and does anyone have any advice on mastering the DA/SA trigger? Thanks
 
Beretta

What kind of competition? As time goes by, there are more enhancements available for the 92. Check Brownells.
The AMU smiths figured out the accurizing for Bullseye years ago. Nowadays, one can buy accurized 92's from Champion's Choice (for $2K+, on my wishlist). They are not as easy to accurize as a 1911 but they are shooters.
Pete
 
One of the quick fixes I found was the "Accurizer" sights from Millette .
They easy to install and helps stablize the barrel. Turned my area gun into a 'all in the black' shooter.
 
The pistol that CC sells is built by Mountain Competition in Pa. - they have a good rep w/ the bullseye shooters in the region.

Another option is David Sams, he's the fellow who'd designed and built the AMU pistols.

But both of these shops build true match pistols (e.g. ~1" @ 50yds). If you don't need that sort of accuracy, they're probably overkill.
 
Well for right now I will only be shooting production/limited against other production shooters. At least that's who I will be scored against.

I guess what I am looking for is advice on sights, trigger enhancements, grips, etc. I'm not looking to put a ton of money into it, but I do want to tinker with it a little bit.
 
Take it out and shoot it before you mess with it. You might just find out there is nothing wrong with it.

Take in a couple Bullseye Matchs, You'll find a lot of Beretta's there. If you are talking Bullseye (where one really learns to shoot a pistol) be careful, not many modifications allowed in Service Pistol matches. Get with the guys on the line and see what modifications they use while remaining legal, AFTER you deside the gun dosnt shoot to suit you.
 
Well I am participating in IPSC and IDPA type stuff right now. I've already put 100 rounds through it so far at the range and the only thing I can see causing me an issue is that first DA trigger press. Once I get into SA it's golden! but it's that first shot that will hurt me.

I ordered a "D" competition spring last night and will start with that. I also figured out to my dismay that I can't put a fiber optic on the front unless I'm willing to spend some serious cash to a gunsmith or settle for some sort of night sight setup. I guess I'll just have to settle for the white dot setup for now.

Since using this pistol will be primarily for fun I don't see dropping a whole lot of cash on it. Thanks for the input guys.
 
92s

It's been years since I shot a 92, so I don't remember but...can't you thumb the hammer back and go to single action on the first shot? Is the rule that you must fire DA for the first?
Pete
 
Seawolf,

Model paint in a color you can see is a cheap upgrade to the front sight. My guns that do not have fibre optic fronts are painted Model Master Fluorescent Red over a white base coat.

darkgael,

No rule in IDPA or USPSA/IDPA against thumbcocking a DA-SA after the start signal. But the winners don't do it, they learn the crunch-tick.

Ernest Langdon was probably the leading DA-SA shooter around, first with Beretta, then Sig-Sauer. (Now works for S&W but not as a sponsored shooter.) He said "Fear Not the Double Action Shot:
http://www.craigcentral.com/fearnot.htm
 
Thanks for the info Jim and i will definantly look into the model paint. Will I have to worry about the paint coming off with solvents during cleaning?

I'm not going to shy away from the DA press out of the holster.
 
Depends on the solvents you use. I don't have any problem with it, but then I don't spray or dip the whole gun; all the sight gets is a wipe.
 
When you find the ammo or reload it likes, the 92's will shoot. The smallest 3-shot, 50 yard group I ever fired with a handgun came from a bone-stock Beretta 92G Centurion. Mine liked hot loads; in this case Federal 9BPLE.
 
I run a 96 for IDPA and IPSC. All you really need is a "D" spring, a sear polish job, and maybe lightening up the safety detent.
 
IPSC Production class does forbid the practice of thumb-cocking the first shot. Appendix D4-17:
17. Single-action-only handguns are prohibited. Handguns with external hammers must be fully decocked. First
shot attempted must be double action.
Click to expand...

IDPA, on the other hand, does not clearly forbid thumb-cocking in SSP class, stating only that you must
Begin hammer down for selective DA/SA pistols.
Click to expand...
( '05 rulebook 2. H)
 
What edition of the rules are you looking at? My January 2008 USPSA book has D4-17 as:
Slide ports permitted Yes, on factory-original approved models
All I see on the subject is
Special conditions:
— Handguns with external hammers must be fully decocked at the start signal.


Are you maybe looking in IPSC rules? Not often applied in America.
 
I shoot IPSC when I'm home, and tried it with my friend's 92F once. I shot extremely fast and put a lot of rounds on target, but that first shot killed me, even when I took my time. I ended up cocking it as soon as I drew, and that worked alright. The pistol is too large cock it without changing hand position though, so it does take some time to correct. If it were my pistol I would have learned how to shoot DA, but it wasn't, so I wasn't too concerned with it.
 
Jim,
Apologies; I thought I provided a link.
http://www.ipsc.org/pdf/RulesHandgun.pdf

Only reason I know about it is because one of the guys at my USPSA club complained about me thumb-cocking. I still shoot faster that way, but I've developed the habit of squeezing off the first shot DA (probably bad).
If you can thumb-cock without anyone fussing, here's the fastest way I've found to do it:
As the weak hand wraps around the strong, release the safety with the weak thumb, then rotate it rearward to cock.
 
What I thought, that is an IPSC rule.
I really doubt you shoot IPSC in Iowa. The sanctioning body thereabouts is USPSA. It is supposedly the US Region of IPSC, but we are the biggest and the smartest and we have our own rules. The phrase "First shot attempted must be double action" does not appear in the corresponding USPSA rule book. The guy who complained was wrong.

Thumb cock if you like but I fail to see how it can be faster than a controlled DA first shot, especially what with you Ayoobing the safety on that Beretta.
 
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