Last week I did something I probably shouldn’t have… Okay, I know that’s a list that goes all the way to the floor, but I’m talking about one particular thing.
I pulled a Beretta M9 out of the case and really looked at it again. I felt it. Cycled it. Stripped it down and examined it closely. Now, the Big Beretta is nothing new to me… I’ve owned two of them but they never really inspired me or made me feel all that interested in them. I got them just because.
Now, looking at this Beretta… Feels good in the hand. Big and Curvy and Sexy… It’s been growing on me.
Here’s the odd thing. I’d want it in 9mm. I’d pretty much just keep it stock save for Slipstreaming. Because really they are fine just like that. Huh. I don’t know why I’d even want the thing. I prefer SIG and Glock… Single Actions over Doubles. But I am digging the M9 right now. I just don’t know why.
Unfortunately the adapter clamp wasn’t in the kit, so I can use it yet. But within moments of the ACP’s arrival, and my mentioning of this… SIG already has it on the way.
First impressions:
Yeah, its cool. If fact, I am not sure that SIG is going to get this unit back. I may have to buy it from them.
Last Saturday Headshot Willy brought out one of the new SIG P938 pistols. I’ve posted about it before… how cool I thought they were.
Well, at the Range, I was finally able to try my hand with it. The gun shoots as good as it looks. It was accurate and the recoil was plenty mild enough in 9mm. Very controllable.
My target was a small melon sized rock on a berm. 6 out of 6 hits. Plenty good enough for defensive use, and to convince me that one of these days I’ll have to own one of these pistols now.
Check this out guys. In the last pistol class, we had a young lady attend who trained as hard as she could running a Walther that didn’t want to run. She did her everloving best and got through the course. Today, Dad got her a nice present… a new SIG. Niki was so excited she was giggling constantly and doing that “Pee-Pee Dance”. The genuine delight was wonderful, radiant, and infectious… she had other customers grinning too.
When she comes back for the next pistol class... She'll be ready!
Nothing better than a New Gun! That’s some awesome Pro-Level parenting, Dad. Good job!
We finally got in a couple of the little Beretta Nano’s. A very slim single stack 9mm. It’s a striker fired gun, much like the S&W Shield. For the same price, between the two, the Shield is easily the better gun.
A Beretta Nano 9mm... finally.Looks like it's missing a part.
The Nano looks nifty at first. Cool looking lines. Unfortunately it feels kind of awkward in the hand. The trigger pull isn’t bad… it’s no Sigma, but it’s not good. I’ll call it average. But the way the gun points and feels… it’s just… not there. It’s like the Italians designed it for looks to fit within a very small box, not to be an actual firearm for a human to use. Italians are great at designing for looks first and foremost. The only Italians that design for actual performance is Ducati… unfortunately they don’t make guns.
The Germans on the other hand...
So the gun closest to the Nano, the Shield… Shield wins. Another Striker Fired single stack is the Walther PPS. Unfortunately Walther continues to struggle for relevance in the market, and I am no fan of the PPS. Like the Nano, just because you can make it that small – doesn’t mean you should. Yet it can be done right. SIG is very close to the same size as the Nano. And for the love of all that is good and holy in the world… I think the Germans made a better looking machine than the Italians. Cleaner lines, and it looks like there are no forgotten parts on the gun.
This SIG P290 as pictured does have a higher price tag, but it is coming with Tritium Night Sights and a Laser Module…. two features I rather like on a defensive pistol. I firmly believe that night sights are not optional on a defensive handguns – they are mandatory. SIG has great night sights. The Nano… not so much. The Laser is a bonus. The actions of the two guns show a greater disparity of quality. The SIG is much smoother than the Beretta, it’s like the difference between a night with a Hot Octoberfest Beer Maiden… and the Nano’s Prison Rape by your Cell Mate at San Quentin. Which one would you want to spend quality time with?
The SIG is much better feeling in the hand, and it has a slide release that is not in the way, obrusive, or awkward in anyway. It is there, and it works. Like it should. You don’t have to think about it. The Nano’s complete lack of it… What is this? A Magnum Research Micro Eagle? Come on. Kahr hangs a squared off mailbox off the side of their guns – but at least they have them. The Nano is trying to be slick by leaving the lever off. I’d rather have the mailbox, thank you. Beretta needs to look at the SIG to see how it’s done. Also, the SIG’s texture is superior. You can grip it and it’s not abrasive… it’s just… grippier. And it doesn’t snag clothes. Just like it should. The Nano… not so much. Oh, it’s snag free. But it’s also gripless. Gripless, Pointless… The SIG P290 just makes the Nano seem a cheaper, sadder thing. It’s a good thing it’s cheaper. It will appeal to those without the means to appreciate better. Like a Hi-Point. In fact, the Nano looks like shrunken an flattened Hi-Point. The SIG, looks like freaking SIG. A weapon you can trust. It feels like a weapon you can trust. And they actually shoot very well on top of it all! I’m sure the Nano shoots just fine… but do you really want to?
Have to say, the guns I go to the most are Glocks, AK’s, and 870’s.
The 23 in .40, remains my most favored handgun for CCW. The model 20, in 10mm is coming in second. The more I use the Glocks… the more I like them. Not just an appreciation for the function… but liking them for the way they feel and point, the triggers… The elegant simplicity of them… I just really like Glocks now. I don’t know… maybe it’s the crash… but I really dig them and the more I’m around them, the 19 and 23’s stand out as the perfect handguns to me – even more so than the 1911 now. Yup. They crossed that line for me. I like them more than 1911’s. No they are not the prettiest, but they are still beautiful. Kinda like the Girl Next Door that you grew up best friends with and there is that moment when you realize “You want that.” That’s Glock.
My Crusader Kalashnikov is more and more my go to rifle. I just really feel an attachment to it. It suits me to a T. It can hit. It’s reliable. Mag changes are getting much faster and everything is “Clicking”. And I get more satisfaction out of running the Kalash well than running an AR well.
For the 870’s, my adopted Police Tactical is my favorite. I have my other 870’s and they are cool and all… but something about that old wood furniture. Nothing says I am going to “Jack You Up” like an old wood stocked gun… You just know you are going to get an old school beating. The warmth it has when you handle it. Wood is an under appreciated material to a whole generation of shooters and I find that a sad state. Poly is fine – but Wood is finer. Especially nice grained wood with character. Again, Wood stocked guns have “Soul” that Poly guns just don’t have and never will. They can’t. I’ve said that before… And when I pick up that old Police Tactical… You can feel it has a History of Kicking Ass and all that experience is backing you up giving you some extra confidence. A new 870 Tactical with a plastic stock – it’s like a new Police Rookie with his first pair of Mirrored Cop Shades. The authority is there… maybe even the skill is there… But not the Character and Experience – that Soul just isn’t there.
At first glance, they look identical save for the Beretta’s little medallion in the grips. There is a good reason for that. Both are made by Uberti in Italy… Both are Spaghetti Westerns here. However, the Beretta is imported by Beretta and the Uberti is imported by Stoeger for some reason. What’s interesting is that the Beretta marked gun is less money. What makes that so interesting? The Beretta is the better gun by far. Let me show you why.
Here you can see the grips if the Beretta very nicely. The way they should fit.The wood grips on the Uberti have a bit of overlap that you can see and feel. Less comfortable in the hand too.The Beretta uses a pretty standard, but well executed, Transfer Bar Safety, allowing you to easily load and carry in all six chambers.The Uberti's firing pin on the hammer set up means you pack it with the hammer down on the empty chamber. Which is a good theory on safety, but leaves you will one less shot to fire.You can see the seams between the panels. Not bad at all. That's a good fit and finish here. And that little medallion looks sharp.Huh... Not so good.
What you can’t see in the photos is the FEEL. The Beretta feels like it’s a much nicer gun. It feels that way, because it really is. I’d buy a Beretta easily over the Uberti, every day, every time. The Uberti’s… not so much. I like the clicks in the action as you pull the hammer back.
