Beretta vs. Taurus 92s

M

MichaelJay

New member
I need to pick some brains about the difference between a Beretta 92fs and a Taurus PT-92. I was at the local indoor range and mentioned to one of the guys behind the counter that I was interested in a Beretta. He stated a Taurus was a better value, with a lifetime warranty and some part (sorry can’t remember) in the firing system breaks LESS in the Taurus compared to the Beretta.

I don’t care about the following: resale value, name brand, or comparisons to other brands not under consideration. I am looking at these two only for the next purchase (9mm).

I do care about: safety, longevity, ambidextrous controls, and stainless steel for this purchase.

My use would be: range and home – no competition or concealed carry so size doesn’t matter. I don’t intend to have any trigger work, etc performed on the gun. So “As Is” performance is key.

With that background I am interested in opinions on either of the above.
Is there a major difference between the two?
Will one Beretta outlive two of the Taurus? Or vice-a-versa?
Are there internal differences not outwardly apparent that makes one better for my stated purposes?
Or does an apples to apples comparison show no difference in price/performance once they are outfitted the same?

Thanks in advance for you assistance and opinions,
Michael.
 
For background:
In the past, Beretta won a Brazilian contract. Part of the contract stated that the guns had to be made in Brazil. Beretta built a factory and fulfilled the contract. The contract was not renewed, and it was not worth the cost to move the production equiptement to Italy. Beretta ended up selling the tooling to Taurus.
So now you have these two very similar guns.

Taurus offers both slide mounted and frame mounted safety. This doesn't matter to me, but may for you. This is the one major difference I can identify.

Some people will say that Taurus's are not as well finished as a Beretta, both in and out. The worth of this is debatable.

Both are relatively ambidextrous. The safety can be accessed on both sides, and the magazine release can be moved for lefties.

I don't think that one firearm will double the lifetime of the other. I know of several Berettas that have over 50000 rounds throught them.

Personally, I think that the extra money I spent to buy a Beretta was well worth it. Both are more accurate than I am, though.

For my personal tastes, I think that the various stylings are showy in a negative sense. The gold finish on parts looks like cheap plating to me. Since I like nice looking guns, I prefer nicer styling. The Beretta seems to look more classy. Once again, it is all personal taste.
 
I have one of each

I like both equally well

Fit and finish seem to be about equal

They both shoot very well

Going by the rules you set forth, I would go for the least expensive one I could find, which will probably be the Taurus.
 
TAURUS PT92/99

GOT MY PT99 IN 1989. THE FRAME AND BARREL HAS OVER 9900 ROUNDS OF CORBON THROUGH IT WITH NARY A PROBLEM AND NARY A MALFUNCTION FROM THE TAURUS 15 ROUND MAGAZINES.
TAURUS DID REPLACE THE PT99 SLIDE WHEN THE REAR SIGHT PIN WALLOWED OUT IT'S HOLE SO BADLY IT WAS NOT FIXABLE. IT WAS OUT OF MY HANDS FOR A WEEK. NO BIG DEAL.
LATER I WAS TALKING TO THE PRESIDENT OF TAURUS USA AND ASK HIM IF THE PT92 SLIDES WERE INTERCHANGABLE WITH THE PT99 SLIDES. HE ASSURED ME THEY WERE INDEED SO AND I FORGOT ABOUT IT. A FEW WEEKS LATER A BOX SHOWS UP FROM TAURUS AND IN IT WAS A NEW PT92 SLIDE. IT ACTUALLY FIT BETTER THAN MY PT99 SLIDE. THOSE FIXED SIGHTS WERE DEAD ON THE MONEY UP N' DOWN BUT 2" LEFT AT 9:00. MOVED THE REAR SIGHT RIGHT AN RCH AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT PT92 COULD WIN CAMP PERRY WITH THE RIGHT GUY STEARING IT [ AND THAT AIN'T ME...]. WITH A SET OF DAVE WAYLANDS DOUBLE DIAMOND THIN THIN THIN COCABOLO STOCKS ON IT, IT IS STILL ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE 9MM PISTOLAS.
OH I FORGOT...IT ALSO HAS A BERETTA 92 TARGET TRIGGER IN IT, BUT THAT IS ANOTHER STORY.
 
I have a Taurus PT-92. I like it better than the Beretta. Mine is more accurate than my friends 92FS. I like the fact that you can carry the PT-92 cocked & locked, and you cannot with the Beretta.
 
I just ordered a Taurus PT-101SS from a local dealer here in Alabama and put it on layaway. It is the .40 S&W version of the Taurus PT-99, which is really the same thing as a PT-92, except it has a fully adjustable rear sight.

Before I purchased the PT-101, I compared it to the Beretta counterpart. I thought the finish on the Beretta was a little better than the finish on the Taurus, but I really had my heart set on a fully adjustable rear sight and the Beretta didn't provide a model that had one (so I was told). I preferred the decock and safety lever on the Taurus--the decock was down and the safety was up. It is the opposite on the Beretta. That is just my personal preference. The Taurus has that locking system of theirs, which I think is pretty cool even though I'll probably never use it. Taurus has an excellent reputation for customer service. Beretta's customer service may be equal or better, but since I haven't heard about any reputation for customer service, the Taurus won that category. The same thing goes for the Taurus warranty. And considering that the Taurus costs about $100 less than the Beretta, the correct choice seemed obvious to me.

I imagine all these things apply to the 9mm models as well.
 
Greeting's Rebeldon and Welcome To TFL

Good to see another handgunner from Bessemer, AL.:D Feel free to jump-in any time and respond to other's post, on any topic;
or start a new thread yourself. You join Capbuster and myself as
being the sole representative's from the Marvel City.

With the introduction out of the way, I cast my vote for the Beretta 92/96 line of fine firearms. You asked, "Why"? Cuz of
their excellent customer service department. I have heard some
terrible stories about the Taurus counter-part's!!!

And beside's, the Beretta 92fs Centurion is one outstanding
handgun; very capeable of excellent combat accuracy.:D:)

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
Michael,

Several years ago I was trying to make the same decision you are making today. I decided on the Taurus and am pleased that I did. The differences between the two are not noticeable enough to mention except for the safety which Taurus places in the correct position and the Taurus has both a better price and a better warranty.

You can probably find normal size (15 round) magazines easier for the Beretta if that is a consideration but Taurus mags are out there, you just have to look for them. They do not interchange.

Good luck.

Joe
 
Everyone that I have talked to who owns a Taurus loves it. I would choose a Beretta though for one reason. Abundance of Parts Being a Military Sidearm for what...15 years now? There are plenty of parts kits floating around in surplus catalogs cheap! You can get all your common parts that could break in the field in one small package for under $10. The availability of mags seems to be better as well.
 
I'd vote Taurus as well, having owned 2 - PT92 and PT101, with several more "in the family".

As for available 15 rounders, I still see PLENTY of Taurus Factory mags at CDNN and other places for $34.99.

Heck, I've got 3 at the house, and one 32 rounder that works fine... didn't pay more than $35 for any of them.
 
He stated a Taurus was a better value, with a lifetime warranty
Click to expand...

I have a 92FS that I've owned for 13 years and I am very happy with it.

I was considering a Taurus earlier this year when the folks at the gun store told me that the good thing about Taurus, is the lifetime warranty, they said you'll need it.:(

M2C;)
 
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