I had a 96 centurion for a couple years, it always performed very well, but I never carried it CCW. I really don;t like the Beretta 9x's for carry, because (as noted above) they are heavier and bulkier than other comparable weapons.
The Sherriff's Office I worked for in TN issued full size 96s, and has for about 5 years, we never had any major problems with them, aside from boat anchor heaviness!