Sights on Beretta 92S

L

LynnTX

New member
Has anyone put better sights on a Beretta 92S ?
As most know, the standard sights are rather minimal in size and not easy for this old man to get a sharp sight picture.

I really like this gun and would like to explore some better sights, but I assume it would take a skilled gunsmith to do it. The one I bought last year was just about perfect blued condition out of the box.
 
I was going to mention that Wilson Combat now does gunsmithing on the Beretta Model 92. But then I noticed this:

NOTE: We do not work on 92 series pistols that don't have the FS oversize hammer pin.
Click to expand...

And yours is just a 92S. :rolleyes:

You might still get them to put a dovetail on the slide and a new front sight. A call would answer that quickly.

Bart Noir
 
Bart Noir said:
You might still get [Wilson] to put a dovetail on the slide and a new front sight. A call would answer that quickly.
Click to expand...
It's worth mentioning that they may not need the entire pistol to do this – only the slide.

I suggest asking because it will substantially save on shipping costs, as a slide can go USPS Priority Mail, whereas it's illegal for an unlicensed civilian to mail a package that includes a handgun frame, and shipping it via FedEx or UPS is often obnoxiously expensive. (Refer to the stickied shipping thread in General Discussion for a more detailed explanation.)
 
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I'm not sure it will be that easy. A good source of info is the berettaforum dot net.

The Beretta 92S like the newer 92FS has a front sight that is integral to the slide. Furthermore, because of the open slide design, the part of the slide that the integral sight attaches to is the relatively short, closed front end that holds the whole slide together. I have read that there is not enough metal there to safely mill a dovetail without critically weakening the slide. Before asking a gunsmith to do this, I would make some inquiries.

It is possible to drill the front sight of an FS for a tritium insert, or perhaps you could try one of the Hi-Viz type light absorbing inserts. If this is not sufficient I think you would have to ask a smith about building up the front sight somehow, but I suspect this would also require replacement of the rear sight if the front sight height was increased or dramatically thickened.
 
The 92 series pistols are wonderful for what they are, but that's the huge complaint I have with Beretta. To this day, they are not friendly to folks who want to use aftermarket sights.
 
I talked to a local gun dealer that has good gunsmith on site. Say some tritium sites can be done, but it would probably cost about $300 or so.

That's about what I paid for the hand gun - so I doubt I will pursue that option.

I can see where the design makes it difficult to add almost any kind of sights.
I probably just need to accept the gun the way it is.
 
Just borrow some of your wife's white, or orange or whatever color you favor fingernail polish and put some on the front sight. That is what I did with mine. I don't think I'd be investing in a gunsmith to try to alter the sights on a $300 handgun.
 
TO planc: Tooltechgunshight

That is much more tempting service they provide.
I am not familiar with them but I think it might be worth it.
Sights on my 92S are almost useless in marginal light.
Especially since I am on the wrong side os 70.

I wasn't overly concerned by the cost - but the local gunsmith seemed really expensive to me. I can see where it could be more efficient to specialize in sight installations.
 
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pblanc, you are right about the lack of metal.

I compared my 92F (ex-Wash. State Patrol gun) to my 90-Two. The 90-Two has the dovetailed front sight setup, and it also has thicker steel in the arch over the front of the barrel.

So no-can-do the front dovetail with the earlier guns as they have less metal. As was pointed out.

OBTW, the ex-cop gun was set up for night sights, by that very method of drilling out the front sight. They are long dead, of course, since this was an issue weapon starting sometime in the '80s.

Bart Noir
 
Very few sight options exist for this gun. A few of them have been mentioned already. I have a 92FS that I wanted to shoot in EIC matches and had NM sights installed on. Changing out the rear is no big deal for most competent smiths, but the stock front sight leaves alot to be desired and is not easily replaced.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/921560/lpa-spr-target-sight-set-beretta-92-96-98-m9-steel-blue

I went with something very similar to this. The front sight has to be drilled to make space for 2 pins to hold the new one in place.

I went with a bullseye pistolsmith who did mine. I know you are looking to keep this on the inexpensive, but for anyone else who might target sights on this pistol this guy does great work.

http://www.kcskustomcreations.com/
 
I am posting this reply to this old thread because another wave of these guns are hitting the U.S. market and many buyers are discovering that the stock front sights are useless and want to know their options.

I recently got a Beretta 92S and quickly found out that the stock front sight is just not usable. I sent the slide to Tool Tech Gun Sights in Oxford, MI and they replaced the sights with Trijicon HD night sights. They were able to remove the stock front sight and put in a dovetail for the front Trijicon sight. Just got it back today and it looks perfect. Going to take it to the range tomorrow. It was not free; far from it, but I look at it this way: If money is tight, shooting is the WRONG hobby, and if money is tight and you insist on shooting anyway then you need to just buy a used Glock 19 and leave it at that. Total cost, by the way, for the Tool Tech work was $293 including return shipping and they did GREAT work. Really nice job.

It is a nice 15+1 round gun, uses the standard and commonly available Beretta 92FS magazines. It is a little heavy for primary carry duty but a nice gun nonetheless. Nice in a "I don't really care so much what happens to it" way; maybe good for carrying stowed in the truck or keep in a quick-access safe in the den, or whatever. It just never hurts to have a spare gun, particularly if it can be one that you do not feel compelled to treat like a piece of crown jewels. But the sights have to be usable or there is no point to owning the gun at all. I read what I could find on the Internet and concluded that my best option would be the Tool Tech route.
 
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