Beretta’s have been passe and over played for a long time now… Since the first Mel Gibson Lethal Weapon movie. Robocop packed a Beretta. The Grammaton Clerics of “Equilibrium” packed them. The Matrix was probably the last of the big Beretta Block Busters.
And people kinda got tired of seeing them. So they pretty much disappeared from the Big Screen. Replaced by Stainless finished Glocks quite often.
Well, Beretta came back big time in TAKEN 2. A long extended Chase Scene featuring Beretta 92FS‘s, 90-Two, and Storm Pistols. And they looked awesome on the Silver Screen.
But is this a good thing? I mean, isn’t the Beretta old school 80’s?
We all know the US Army just purchased a freaking ton of them, making it the handgun for the US Military for at least another 5 years. Probably longer. Why? Because the 92FS is a very high quality pistol with reliability like the Sun Rise. They are super smooth, consistent, accurate, soft shooting, and extremely safe handguns. I will argue they have the safest of actions of any semi-auto handguns. Yet, when they are run properly, they are just as fast as anything else.
The other handgun that US Military uses is the SIG P226 and the 228… Which are very good indeed, but during the Handgun Trials, the Beretta did indeed outperform the SIG’s. You can argue that all you want, but the Beretta won it. And if you were on the selection board, you would have given the Beretta the nod too. I think what makes the 92 so good is what makes it so distinctive… That open slide. A common upgrade to many handguns is to open up the ejection port. I’ve never heard of anyone wanting to open up the 92 anymore. Clear ejection. Any gunk getting in there gets blown back out too. The feed geometry is ideal. It’s almost a straight shot in from the magazine into the chamber. Unlike a 1911 or other guns which makes the cartridge have to do some gymnastics to get loaded. And then there is the locking block. Under the barrel there is a winged wedge-like block. This is what locks and unlocks the action, allowing the 92 to be naturally and inherently smooth… Probably the smoothest action of any locked breach handgun.
The classic 92FS is also a very good looking handgun. It looks cool. There is something wrong with you if you can’t appreciate the lines and curves of the 92… It just looks like what a handheld weapon should look like. And I think the newest version of the 92 looks awesome.
If there is any downside to the 92, it’s the size. The 92 is indeed a large handgun. But then again, it’s supposed to be. It was designed to be a Full Sized, Duty Sidearm. For the guys out there packing only a handgun in their Fight against Evil, the Beretta was comforting, it had some heft, sure, but it also had something few other handguns had… a huge capacity. 15 Rounds! Back then, that was amazing. Now, 15 isn’t a huge capacity… but then again, I’ve not seen a guy that can shrug off 15 rounds of well placed 9mm hits. A big gun is a comfortable gun for shooting… felt recoil… accuracy… They are just easier to go the distance with than a small gun.
Beretta is the oldest company on the planet. They know how to make a good product. Sure, they have had a few flops… Such as the 9000 model. But overall, you can’t beat Beretta’s track record.
We’ve seen a marked upswing in Beretta sales locally. They are coming back in popularity, so expect to see more of them in the Media and Cinema.
The Monica Bellucci of handguns.
It is sexy.
I don’t recall any berettas in any of the matrix movies. The only handguns I remember were the agents desert eagles. But it’s been a few years.
On my second 92 FS after 35000+ thru the first one. Kept it also but it is semi retired. Have carried one for 20 years. May purchase one more with the light rail on the frame. Like the long sight radius compared to a S@W 6913, 3 1/2 barrel. And it is still much smaller than my 6″ Colt Python
Got a 92FS NIB for $400 way back when. Got tired of it after a few years and sold it.
Still kicking myself today.
Hard.
Go buy another one, while you still can
Trinity packed two, not 92s though. I think Neo whipped some out at one point. When Baretta going to make a 10mm model so we can stop making fun of Tom Clancy?
We should never stop making fun of Tom Clancy.
Big for the caliber.
Worst trigger I have ever tried to use.
Lots of other guns that feel better and are better.
Let the movies have ’em.
This is the best Mad Ogre post ever.
The 92 is an extremely well-made implement.
I can tell you from experience that when the locking block breaks it will be a nightmare to get the gun apart to clear the jam. The small trigger spring isn’t the best design as well as they do break as well. I did enjoy shooting them on the range as they are very comfortable and accurate…but they are just not my cup ‘o tea.
Everything you wrote is true, George. Only one problem, the. _feel_ in the hand to indivual users. To me, the barretta (taurus also) felt like a 2×4 in the grip. Glock grip just feels friendlier, like a 1911 w/ a rounded mainspring housing.
Concur with the cinder block ergos, but if I were to be perfectly honest with myself, it may just be a “grass is greener” reaction. An Iraqi Officer once handed me his personally-procured Italian Beretta w/side-heel mounted mag release button was (similar to the one pictured above but with slide-mounted safety) and I just couldn’t help but think it felt much more natural in the hand than my “9-mil” chaffing me in its SERPA drop leg holster…even though it was the same friggin pistol!
I hear that the “Made in Italy” are, err, different to the “Made in the USA” models.
Not really.
I recall it appearing very well-made, if well-worn with the slide steel shining through commercial blued finish. But the frame anodizing was still resolute
That was an original 92, or a Maadi 952.
They use blueing, not the Bruniton of an M9.
Also, high polish frame anodizing.
Sorry block of wood feel killed it for me and I carried one for years on duty. My son took mine when he turned 21 but then he is three inches taller and has large hands. For the normal person the B feels large, uncomfortable in general and the grip angle I have never gotten over either…
I’m not a fan, per se, but I have no qualms about being issued an M-9 as my “go to war” gun. Despite being WAY too big for it’s capacity, it still fits better in my hand than my P229. It’s stupid-reliable, points naturally and has good accuracy. I just hate that it doean’t have a captive recoil spring.
The 92A1, 96A1, and 90-Two have captive recoil spring assemblies.
I don’t get the “block of wood” or “2×4 grip” or “cynder block” ergo/grip feel comments. If you were talking about a .45 MAC-10 I would agree. Grip has “corners”. Even the front strap of the Uzi family is flat with corners. The Beretta might have a wide grip circumfrence but it’s far from having squared edges.
By all means, call the grip fat because for some it is. But a 2×4? Hardly.
And it might come with 15 round mags but 17 or 18 rounders can be easily had. Or 20 with an extended basepad. I’m 6’1″ and 225 and have no problem concealing one. But I also have a friend who is 5’10” and 190 that has no problem either. I used to carry a Taurus PT-92 with the old school 20 round mags in the gun and was never “made” as far as I know. All depends on the holster and how you’re dressed.
You are wise beyond your years.
Hey, I just turned 43 on the 7th. 😉
But I’ll take the compliment anyway! Thank you sir!
A former co-worker of mine pulled off on an interstate ranch exit (ie dark, deserted & rural), in Utah for a nap. A LEO comes to investigate the parked vehicle. They had a conversation and the LEO is about to leave, as a second thought the LEO asks if my friend has a weapon. He responds 92F. The LEO’s curiosity is satisfied why my friend would be confident stopping at that dark deserted exit and he left.
Big fan of the 92FS. It’s a great handgun, duable, reliable, accurate, and easy to use.
Like mad ogre says it did win the Army trials, if you read the ivestigation papers it was actually the onl handgun to pass the trials, so the Army altered the trials to allow the Sig to pass in order to keep Beretta from going to high on the price of the M9.
I believe it was the mud test that crippled the Sig entrant.
I much prefer the Cougar series. Whenever I find one (actual Beretta not Stoeger) for a good price I pick it up.
Meh, the Cougar is cool, but I’m much more of a fan of the 90 series. The cougar was way too topheavy for my taste.
Check out the PX4 series.
Not that the PX4 is less topheavy, but it’s lighter, so that offsets it.
I’m opposed to slide-mounted safetys/decockers on religious grounds.
Okay, what is the rub on the trigger about?
The 92 seems sorta fat and lumpy compared to , say, a Hipower or better yet, a CZ75. Or a 1911.
Now if you want to talk magazine angle, ever look at a HK P7? Now that is a short straight feed.
Makes me want to dig out my Beretta 96G-SD out of the safe and renew an old friendship.
Hell, if you don’t want to, I’ll take it 😉
My first Beretta was a 1951 Brigadier, Very nice ergo. 92 is bit beefier but not that much more then a Hi-Power. As far as a good movie that displays the 92 a lot. “Replacement Killers”
For those interested, here is the GAO investigation regarding the XM9 trials.
http://archive.gao.gov/d4t4/130439.pdf
Best part is even after seeing this sigaide drinkers still say the Sig won the trials lol. Also the HK entrant did pretty poorly as well. SACO=SIG.
Here is the importan part, the sig was as good as the beretta until the dry mud test.
The evaluators concluded that SAC0 had met the requirement because lt had passed the wet mud portion of the test and because the dry mud requrrement was probably unrealistic when compared with potential field experience. In addition, the evaluators pointed out that SACO’s exdusion would have resulted m the elimination of an otherwise out- standing candidate and would have left only one candidate in the competition.