Mr Master Blaster: I'm well aware the slides are steel. I've taken my 92FS down about 1000 times. The information I read was that the "slide" failures were fractures of the frame forward near the locking block that allowed the slide to continue rearward and not stop. Since I didn't see them personally, I can't swear to it but given what we all know about metal: do you think the steel failed or the aluminum?
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Colt 1911 vs Beretta 92fs, why the fight?
- Thread starter AAChang
- Start date
That isn't what happened. There was a frame cracking episode, but independent of the slide failures. What happened with the slides is that they split in two right at the locking block cutouts. This is the main reason why Beretta came out with the beefed-up Brigadier slides. The US Navy also contracted out with the Phirobis Corporation to manufacture similar slides for their use.
This is what a Beretta memo on the subject said:
M9 Pistol Slide Update
(May 10, 1988)
The following is a memo from Beretta to its dealers on the slide breakage that was reported.
"As part of our effort to keep you advised on the most current developments as associated with the M9 slide breakage, we have prepared this second update notice. Facts contained in this update should help set the record straight and correct inaccurate and outdated information that is being circulated, in some cases, as part of a misinformation campaign against the Beretta made U.S. military M9 and 92F semiautomatic pistol.
1. No problem exists with the military M9 pistol. U.S. Government engineers and technicians have extensively examined the metallurgy, dimensions and manufacturing of the M9 pistol and can find nothing which indicates that the cause of breakage lies with the weapon. U.S. Government examiners have commented on the remarkable quality of the product.
2. The two unexpected slide breakage incidents occurred with non-NATO certified ammunition during non-standard, continuous endurance firing. Field use of the weapon was limited to 3,000 rounds each while a study of the cause of the breakage was being conducted.
3. The focus of the study is now shifting to the ammunition which broke the February slide. Preliminary analysis by Beretta indicates that the ammunition may produce pressures exceeding 50,000 psi, or almost double the pressure of a standard cartridge.
4. That the breakages were caused by excessively hot ammunition is corroborated by the fact that no one has been able to duplicate the type of breakage with any type of ammunition other than the uncertified type involved in the February, 1988 incident. Over 150 M9 designed pistols have been endurance tested under the direct supervision of the U.S. Government or by various foreign governments to 5,000 rounds and beyond (several tests going beyond 10,000 rounds) using non-problem types of ammunition. Not a single breakage, crack or even microscopic indication of breakage has occurred.
5. Since the ammunition involved can only be purchased by the U.S. military, no general warning notice to industry about the ammunition is being issued by Beretta at this time.
6. One million slides of this type have been manufactured to date. No other reports of breakage of this type have ever occurred in the history of the weapon. Law enforcement and military confidence in the weapon remains high.
Beretta Slide Separation
Several Beretta M9 pistols used by Navy SEALs suffered catastrophic slide failures, where the slide split in two after firing and the back half of the slide struck a shooter in the face. The issue of the M9 to the military was halted until the cause of these accidents was determined. The investigation took a few months before the cause was determined to be the ammunition used in the SEALs’ pistols. Normal firing pressures for the 9mm Parabellum round are in the order of between 31,000 to 35,000 PSI. The ammunition used by the SEALs was found to be of an extremely high pressure, in excess of 70,000 PSI. The Beretta M9 was vindicated, but the SEAL Teams wanted a replacement for their use immediately, so the P226, as the XM9 Trials’ runner-up, was quickly tested. SEAL testing verified everything previously confirmed, but it also showed the P226’s construction allowed salt water to quickly corrode completely through the P226’s modular sheet steel slide if not properly maintained. Equipment maintenance is a very high SEAL priority, so after determining the drawback was not serious, the SEALs adopted the P226 on 20 January 1986.8
Several Beretta M9 pistols used by Navy SEALs suffered catastrophic slide failures, where the slide split in two after firing and the back half of the slide struck a shooter in the face. The issue of the M9 to the military was halted until the cause of these accidents was determined. The investigation took a few months before the cause was determined to be the ammunition used in the SEALs’ pistols. Normal firing pressures for the 9mm Parabellum round are in the order of between 31,000 to 35,000 PSI. The ammunition used by the SEALs was found to be of an extremely high pressure, in excess of 70,000 PSI. The Beretta M9 was vindicated, but the SEAL Teams wanted a replacement for their use immediately, so the P226, as the XM9 Trials’ runner-up, was quickly tested. SEAL testing verified everything previously confirmed, but it also showed the P226’s construction allowed salt water to quickly corrode completely through the P226’s modular sheet steel slide if not properly maintained. Equipment maintenance is a very high SEAL priority, so after determining the drawback was not serious, the SEALs adopted the P226 on 20 January 1986.8