Purchased a new Beretta Nano on Monday

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IdahoG36

New member
I just purchased a NIB Nano on Monday. It was the version that comes with the Lasermax laser installed. It was on sale for $399, plus I went to the Beretta website and submitted my info for a free $50 coupon to use in their online store.

I removed the laser immediately because I don't care for them on carry guns, and listed it on eBay. So depending on what it sells for, I will have a new Nano for around $340 or so, plus a $50 coupon. Not a bad deal

Right away, I ordered a set of Trijicon night sights for it, as well as a FDE frame, 2 spare 6 round mags, and the Beretta branded IWB holster that they have for sale on their online store. I received the holster today and it looks great. It has a perforated leather backing that makes its breathable, and a little less rigid.

I am well aware of the issues people have had with lower powered 115gr ammunition. I have 500+ rounds of Herter's Select brass case 115gr made by Sellior&Bellot, and it has an advertised muzzle velocity of 1280fps. When I take my Nano out for the first time, I am going to see how it runs on this stuff. It should have plenty of power vs much of the cheaper target ammo running 1150fps. I also have several boxes of Federal 115gr +P+ 9BPLE. I am probably going to shoot 20 rounds of this max, just to see how it performs.

Lastly, for carry ammo I ordered up 100 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124gr jhp. I am going to shoot this as well to make sure it is reliable. I don't mind if I get the occasional FTE at the range with 115gr ammo, but I won't chance it for self defense when I carry the Nano. I heeded the many warnings out there that say use 124gr for maximum reliability.

Once I take it out this weekend and shoot it, I will post an honest assessment of the gun- likes, dislikes, accuracy, reliability, etc, along with some photos.
 
http://www.pearcegrip.com/Products/search/Beretta/NANO

http://talongungrips.com/grips/beretta/nano.html

124gr ammo, runs like butter.

As configured:
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I forgot to add that to my OP- I ordered black rubberized Talon grips for it as well. I have them on all of my pistols. They are awesome!
 
This was waiting for me in the mail when I got home from work this morning. Install of the Trijicon night sights and FDE frame was very easy and straightforward. I used a small amount of blue Loctite on the sight screws. I will install the Talon Grip tomorrow and then it's off to the range.

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Very cool.

I've always been intrigued by the Nano and my wife has it on her short list for first carry guns. We plan on renting one some time soon so she can make a final decision against the shield, P238 and G26.

My wife worried about the ammo requirements but these days, its not that big of a deal. Since the great ammo runs, I've all but stopped buying ammo (minus 12 gauge) from Walmart and have settled into getting all my ammo from my LGS, not just my SD fodder. They offer a wide variety of brands and bullet weights when it comes to range ammo so its not a deal breaker. Hopefully the range test goes well for her, because quite frankly, I wouldn't mind having one around.

I look forward to reading your updates.
 
I have one and like it. It is now my Dads carry gun. I preferred the Kahr trigger he the Nano.

I would carry both without hesitation.
 
What's the size comparison to a ruger 380 lcp? Thinking of giving mine to the wife, even with the grip extension I can't get all fingers on it.
 
Sorry for the late update. I have been very busy as of late.

I took my new Nano to the range on Tuesday. I shot 100 rounds of Herter's Select brass cased 115gr fmj, 18 rounds of Federal 9BPLE +P+ 115gr jhp, and 30 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124gr jhp. The gun was 100% reliable though all 148 rounds with the exception of one dud. I had one round of Herter's that must have had a bad primer.

What impressed me the most was that the Nano was really soft shooting for it's size. I shot 148 rounds and my hand didn't hate me afterwards.:D

I am going to shoot a few hundred more rounds through it and see how it does before carrying. It's off to a good start though.

My local range is also a gun store, and I ended up purchasing a like new PX4 INOX 9mm as well as a Ruger 10/22 50th anniversary design contest rifle. I was happy to find both of them in stock somewhere finally. I shot both of them as well while I was there.
 
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I've shot plenty of 115 grain FMJ through mine, without any trouble. I know everyone says shoot 124 or better, and I carry with 124 grain JHP, but mine's never had a problem with the lightweight range ammo.

What I have had a problem with is the #@% sights fall off ALL THE TIME. I've added some loctite so we'll see if that helps.
 
Ermmmm. Loctite the sights...

Also, I ran out of 124gr last month, and I'm waiting for a free shipping sale to buy another case or two. So I'm running 115gr for the first time. I DO get fail-to-ejects two or three times per 50 round session now. I don't really care as I carry 124gr HST's, and only ever use 115gr at the range. But there ya go, my Nov. 2013 gen Nano still likes 124gr best. ZERO fails with 124gr. Round count is 830.
 
i had some fail to ejects when i first got my nano... using 115 grain fmj... after reading on forums.. advice was given to run several boxes of 124 grain to break the nano in... seems to have worked... can use 115 grain at the range and use 124 for carry... also some of my fte may have been from limp wristing... as for a little better grip ... i did the old redneck hillbilly bike inner tube deal... love my nano... can carry in front pocket with pocket holster in cargo shorts... and is very accurate for a small pistol.... here is a pic... i also did a little art work on the engraving.. its just nail polish, so it can be taken off easily...
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@veamon.... here is comparison between a taurus tcp ( which is about the size of the lcp 380) and the nano... hope that helps some...
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That's an incredible deal. I don't need a Nano, since I already know and love my PPS, but it's almost hard to pass up getting such a high-quality pistol for such an absurdly low overall cost.

The PPS and the Nano are easily the most refined of the mass-production ultra-slim, single-stack 9mm pistols. I don't think I'll ever be able to trust Kahr pistols for use as a CCW, and I'm surprised they continue to do so well in the market with such unacceptably poor QC. Besides the unmitigated nightmare my P380 has been, I still hear of way too many complaints about problems with Kahr's polymer pistols. The Beretta is a higher-quality gun than the PM9, yet the latter, quite ridiculously, is several hundred dollars more expensive. Blows my mind.

I also have several boxes of Federal 115gr +P+ 9BPLE. I am probably going to shoot 20 rounds of this max, just to see how it performs.

Lastly, for carry ammo I ordered up 100 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124gr jhp. I am going to shoot this as well to make sure it is reliable. I don't mind if I get the occasional FTE at the range with 115gr ammo, but I won't chance it for self defense when I carry the Nano. I heeded the many warnings out there that say use 124gr for maximum reliability.
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Idaho, just so you know, you can shoot 9BPLE without concern in the Nano. 9BPLE is just barely +P+, if it is at all. The ammo is rated at 38,500 PSI, which is the maximum pressure for +P ammo. Federal quite likely labeled the ammo +P+ just to protect themselves from liability in the event that some rounds go a little over the stated pressure and into +P+ territory. The pressure is not nearly high as with Winchester Ranger-T 127-grain +P+.

I would strongly recommend upgrading to the +P 124-grain Gold Dots for self-defense. Tests have shown poor expansion of the standard rounds out of short barrels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjRcV0eTohs. Beretta engineered the Nano as a .40 pistol and then released it first (and so far only) as a 9mm; you don't have to worry about hurting the gun. My PPS shoots this round very softly, and I imagine the Nano will do the same. Guessing from the video, the "Short Barrel" version of the round is probably best for the Nano. The PPS's barrel is just slightly longer than the Nano's (3.2 in. vs. 3.07 in.), and one test I saw a few years ago showed just barely higher velocities with the regular +P round out of the PPS. The Nano's barrel is probably just short enough where the Short Barrel round has a slight advantage. (But if you can't find the Short Barrel round, the linked video shows that both will perform very well.)

Any newsworthy updates on your Nano?
 
Two newsworthy trips back to BUSA for service.

On the bottom of the slide, where the striker block is located, I twice had breakage in that location. The first trip back, Beretta replaced the slide, barrel, extractor, and polished the chamber.

The second time, they machined the slide and so far I have not had another issue.

The damage was cosmetic in nature, and did not affect function, but it is not normal for a piece of the slide to break off. I have shot approximately 500 rounds through my Nano now, and it has been 100% reliable.

Here are a couple of pics of the first breakage-
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Second time the breakage occurred, 50 rounds after getting it back from Beretta-
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