Why no love for the 92FS?

[Speedgelb986S]

Love my 1998-ish vintage, no-plastic-parts 92fs. It was the first semi-auto I ever owned that simply never malfunctions. And that statement still holds true thousands and thousands of rounds later, regardless of what I feed it. The wide, long ejection port makes FTE's virtually impossible, and I've never experienced a FTF either.

 

[Tandem160]

I had a 96D because loved the look of it. Took it to a class and the instructor showed the down side of if. It was like the gun was made to be field stripped by a right-handed attacker. Anyway, while at the range the slide jammed in the back position, me nor the MCSD armorer could get it unjammed so off to Beretta it went. They took care of it and traded it for G27. Beautiful gun though.

 

[HMMurdock]

Being in the military, currenly on a deployment, I hear hate on the M9 (Beretta 92fs) all the time. Why?

They say the Beretta is NOT reliable. And, honestly, the ones we have are not. The issued ones I've dealt with (and I carry one daily) have been in service and beaten up daily since they were purchased sometime in the late 80's or early 90's. Mine is so old it looks bi-tone because the bluing has worn off of the grip completely. Also, we are not issued factory mags. Ours are from Checkmate, I believe, which are prone to jam, especially at the worst times.

They also complain that the 9mm is ineffective. And, given first hand experience, they are right -- as per the Geneva convention, we cannot use expanding ammunition (hollowpoints) overseas and 9mm FMJ is not the most potent of rounds.

So that is why there is so much hate for the Beretta in the military. 'Lowest Bidder' and all of that. Now these guys that spend years hating on the Beretta leave and go civilian and whenever gun talk starts up they dog the M9 because "I was there, man!" and everyone else parrots the complaints; Complaints that are totally valid.

Having said that, I personally own a Beretta M9 (92fs Armed Forces Edition) 9mm and carry it back home daily. Mine was not produced the early 1990s, not carried daily and had hundreds of thousands of rounds through it, not abused, not carried by hundreds of different jackasses that didn't know how to care for it, and she is full of very potent 9mm hollowpoints that, given firsthand experience, can do a fine job of dropping someone where they stand. I am a former civilian Police Officer and currently work as an armed courier and I trust my life daily to my Beretta because it is a fine weapon. However, for reasons mentioned above, it gets a bad name and for good reasons. But if the military purchased Glock 17s back in the day, issued non-Glock magazines and still shot the same ammo they would be the ones being dogged on instead of the Beretta.

 

[9mmfan]

My first gun was a 92Fs. An Italian model. Got it in about 1989 or so. Absolutely LOVE it! Carried for years doing armed security. When I started carrying more often, it was the gun of choice.
I picked up the Glock 19 and that's all she wrote-same amount of rounds in a smaller package. A win-win.
It still gets carried occasionally and gets shot at the range during every visit.

 

[No2rdame]

I bought a 92A1 and love it. And, just for fun I've tried to see how many are in stock online. They're selling pretty quickly so I'd say there is plenty of love out there for them. Now, would I use it as an EDC? No, due to the weight and size as mentioned. However, it's a tried and true design from a company that has a strong reputation. No hate from me.

 

[Ricochet]

I heard the magazine problems were due to desert environments? Something about fine sand and grit not allowing the bullets to rotate as the mag spring pushed them up during firing? I had one and have to say it was the most accurate gun I've ever shot.

 

[9mmfan]

I heard the magazine problems were due to desert environments? Something about fine sand and grit not allowing the bullets to rotate as the mag spring pushed them up during firing? I had one and have to say it was the most accurate gun I've ever shot.

1. Welcome to INGO!
2. I believe the biggest problem is junk magazines and 20 yr old guns.

 

[Classic]

Love my 92. Bought it during the last ammo shortage. We couldn't get 45s in TX but it seemed 9mm was plentiful. Was a very good purchase and is one of my favorite range guns. No mag probs, no ftf or fte and no light strikes. Goes off first time and every time.

 

[indykid]

One of the nice things about the 92 Series is something many people overlook, it is built to tolerances the way an AK is built, wide open. The 92FrankenS that I keep next to my bed I built up from parts collected over a couple of years. There are parts from at least 8 different 92s, some new parts from Beretta directly, Brownell's, CDNN, a used slide off of Gunbroker.

Since I put it together, I have fired several thousand rounds through it, my future son-in-law who is in the military ran a couple of mags through it at 25 yards, taking the center out of the target, and pronounced it boring!

They are great pistols and like everything else, you will find people who absolutely love them, and those who hate them. Automobiles have the same love/hate from people, which is why there is such a good variety to choose from.

The mag problems were that our wonderful government bought the cheapest mags they could find, and the contractor coated the inside and outside with a rough coating that trapped the sand inside which is what caused the problem. As soon as the mags were built to Beretta standards the problems magically disappeared.

For civilian use, as well as those in the military, if you stick to Beretta "PB" marked factory mags, or mags from MDS or Mec-gar who also make Beretta's factory mags, you should never have a mag problem.

 

[RspecZX6]

My brother has one, but he doesn`t carry due to not having an LTCH.

He likes his.

 

[lucky4034]

I own a cz 75b and love it... but wouldn't mind having a 92 one day. I've shot one at the range and it is actually what inspired me to look into CZ's.

 

[atvdave]

I qualified with a M9 when I was in the Navy, and have no complaints. Most people back in my day's didn't like them due to the fact that the military was switching from a .45 to a 9mm. Most range marshals that I knew where just looking for a reason to complain about them.. Just old school I guess.

Personally I thought it was a well balanced gun for it's weight to recoil ratio.

 

[snowwalker]

I had a Beretta 92fs and traded it for a Glock 23 3rd gen. Have since got a 96 and really like it plus it will use the same carry gear for the 92fs that I still have.

 

[mk2ja]

I qualified with the M9, and I didn't particularity care for the way it operates. I've used guns that felt better and made more sense in operation. Haven't been deployed yet, so I can't speak about more than just training environments. I bought a Taurus PT100AF to get familiar with the model before I joined, but I don't plan to ever carry it, nor do I plan to ever get or carry an M9/92FS unless it is issued and I have no alternative.

 

[Jarhead77]

I love mine too. Fit, finish and feel all work for me!

 

[IndyDave1776]

I expect a revival at a later date. When the Beretta was adopted by the military, I hears stories of how wonderful it was contrasted with the 1911. I also heard stories about Colts that were so worn out that you could chamber a round, point the gun downward, thump the back of it, and eject the entire loaded cartridge out the barrel onto the ground--and some people wondered why they weren't accurate!

Just as the 1911 is now a respected classic, I expect the 92 to enjoy a similar revival at a later date after people get away from old worn and abused guns and the FMJ limitation, bearing in mind that the distance between 9mm FMJ and .45 ACP FMJ is much wider than the distance between the calibers with good hollowpoints.

 

[shooter651]

Have one like it. Trained with a gentlemen who carried one. He could consistently hit steel out to 100 yards!!

 

[rnmcguire]

Love my 92

The 92 series is simply one of the finest handguns ever produced in my opinion. I've carried the M9 throughout my Army career and own a retired police issued 92G. I prefer the G model as it has no manual safety but other than that it's the same as a 92FS/M9. The military guns have been subjected to the most extreme use a firearm could ever see. The durability, reliability and accuracy of the Beretta speak for itself. For a weapon to last 20-30 years of service use is pretty impressive. How many polymer guns could last as long? I own a Glock and like it and carry it more than my 92 but if I could have only one handgun it would be the Beretta.

 

[arthrimus]

I just picked up a police trade in 96d, I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but I love the way it feels in my hand. It will most certainly be my carry weapon once my LTCH comes in the mail.

 

[Tomfoolery]

I once had a 92FS. First pistol I ever owned. It was a fine gun and had no real complaints about it but it was big, bulky and yes they are heavy. Fantastic sights though.

I have heard military men complaining about the mags lately though. They don't seem sand friendly.