Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Pro's/Con's of the Beretta 92/96

Title asks it all. What say the masses?

Pro: They can be had for little money.
Mine always worked/easy to keep running.
Accurate enough.

Con: Too big for what they can do.
Big grip circumference.
There are better tools for the job.
Lousy, long trigger pull.
High bore axis.

RS

I’m one of the few fans of the 92 series around here. RipSnort is right on the cons

It is s large pistol and ergonomically you’ll either love it or hate it. I find it fits my hand quite well, and I’ve always enjoyed shooting the 92 series. Out of the box I have always had very accurate 92’s, and I’ve always thought the 92 was far more accurate than it has any right to be; considering it doesn’t have any support at the muzzle of the barrel. Reliability wise, they really are one of the most reliable pistols out there. You’ll hear stories of reliability issues, but that was related to a batch of magazines where the Air Force arbitrarily changed the finish spec on magazines, no one caught that, so the other services ordered the same mags. The magazine supplier (Checkmate) advised at the time of the order that what they were changing to was a really bad idea, but they insisted…can’t really blame the pistol design for that.

There’s a good deal of aftermarket support, and parts availability is very good. I actually have a large pile of parts that I’m probably going to be putting up for sale at some point. If you decide to buy one, and you want to swap out the plastic parts for steel parts, I’m pretty sure I have multiples of those NOS factory parts. I also have a band new, never fitted KTM 9mm match stainless barrel that’s threaded ½-28.

So as stated, trigger pull can be long and a bit heavy. Everyone says to install the D spring for that, which is 16lbs. I have found the Wolf 14lb spring is better, and I’ve never had any issues with it not being enough to set of rounds. Also the light weight trigger spring is recommended.

If I were buying a 92 series at this point in time, I would buy a 92, and then pick up a 9mm barrel. Like Glocks, just dropping the 9mm barrel in, and it will work perfectly.

Best of luck to you.

I agree with GunGeek the 92/96 platform is a great pistol, a lot of your choice will depend on if it's for range/CCW use. Is the 92/96 a bit thick and large to carry ?, yes compared to today's slimmer compacts and poly guns. But for range work it shines, thinner grips are available to slim down the width and make the trigger reach more manageable...it's heft allows for larger calibers to be tamed, follow up shots and recoil are nice...and the 40s&w is a great choice.

Similar to the CZ 75 platform, many spring kits, trigger alterations, and trigger shapes are available for customizing to personal fit. The CZ is a bit thinner, but the slide is much thinner too making racking a bit tough. The 92/96 has a slide mounted decocker/safety, 75 a frame mounted...I think the trigger is much better on the stock 96, but DA is long on both.

I have stainless versions of the 96 & 75, both are great guns for range work...if planning to carry, they still are smaller than most 1911's.

Pros: it's the pinnacle of reliability, and it's easy to use. Cons: it's too large for people with small hands

Recycling my first impressions post.

Beretta 92 review

As to the large grip - it definitely does have a large grip but that's subjective for each person. I got mine because it points exactly where I'm looking so that grip size wasn't a bother at all. After having it some five years now I still really like mine a lot.

Jim nice review, are you still running the 115gr ammo ? I run 124's in my smaller framed 9's and 147 in larger framed 9's.

Still have one box left of the Winchester white box 115 grain bullets on the shelf but these days it's mostly fed my handloads using a Remington 124 JHP, I got a good deal on a few thousand of them a while back. My self defense load is the factory Speer 124 gr. GDHP's, that's what it stays loaded with when not at the range.

I replaced the rear sight with an adjustable sight from Beretta that has three interchangeable blades of different height for some elevation adjustment, then the blade can be moved for windage by opposing screws. It was sighted in for the Speer GDHP's but my handloads pretty much duplicate their velocity with the same weight bullet so they hit to the same POI.

I've always liked the 92's and I still do. The first serious (thought out) pistol I bought, other than some small caliber handguns
I acquired when younger, was a Beretta 92FS Brigadier INOX.

I later acquired a Beretta 92FS Billennium, and then a vintage Italian Beretta 92SB Compact-M (single stack mag.)
After seeing this thread, I looked up the 92FS Billennium on Gunbroker and found one had just sold for $3,576.

<><> http://www.securityarms.com/photos/1275938479.jpg <><> ~ 92 Billennium

The Beretta 92 pistols are large sized but so are other classic service pistols - Colt Government 1911's, Browning Hi-Powers, CZ 75's, etc.
For me, it's all pro's and no con's. If a Beretta 92 could talk it would say - 'I am what I am!'

I think it should be mentioned that the Beretta M9 has pretty much set all the current bullseye score records. When properly accurized, they are pretty incredibly accurate. A fitted KKM stainless match barrel by itself when properly installed and they will just plain shoot; even without muzzle support. In fact, I think all the records were set with guns that still didn't have muzzle support (hopefully Bob can chime in and verify or correct me). Then there are the conversions with muzzle support like the one WAL does.



I find the Beretta's a bit refreshing to work on; they're pretty simple in comparison to building 1911's. Many of the accessories for the 92 series are really quite easy to install and most guys with a modicum of handiness around the shop can pull it off with ease. The last 92 I had, I hadn't even finished customizing when someone offered me a good sum for it and I couldn't turn it down. I plan on getting another one, but my next one will be a model 96 Centurion .40, for which I will pick up a 9mm KKM, cut it down, thread it, and fit to the gun. I'd probably shoot 9mm 99% of the time, but I'd have .40 and I'd probably want to pick up a .357 Sig barrel as well for rainy days.

I really like Novak's replacement rear sight, it leaves a decent amount of light on either side of the front sight; just the way I like it. I'll swap out the plastic parts, install a light trigger spring, 14lb mainspring. A couple of Mec Gar 18 rounders that I have squirreled away for when I eventually do find my 96 Centurion.

I think I would have a lot of fun with that pistol.

I have 2 M9's and shoot them more accurately than any of my other handguns. One stays on my desk and one goes under the seat in the truck for backup with 4 - 18 rd mags in the console. I have larger size hands, so maybe that's where the marriage is made.

Pros: They're ubiquitous.

Cons: They SUCK!

Another anecdote - A friend of mine at work is not a "gun guy" but has about four pistols and likes to go to an indoor range occasionally to shoot. He had a Kimber 1911 Target .45 but didn't like the recoil at all and couldn't hit well with it so he was looking around for a hi-cap 9mm for range work and a house gun. Price wasn't an object, he was looking at Sigs, top end Berettas and some others that went up into the $1000 range. Anyway, we went to the range together so he could try a few of my pistols. He's actually a decent shot (when he's not flinching ) and he liked the Beretta 92 so much that's what he ended up getting.

That was helpful, you must have small "hands"

The new M9A3 fixes most of the issues people whine about...including the large grip. Slick DA out of the box, very accurate and totally reliable. Smaller grip but a mag capacity of 17 rounds. Still a big pistol, but it's the best of the 92/M9 Berettas. I was a reluctant late-comer to the M9/92 fan club until I shot one daily for 2 years as an LAPD firearms instructor, working the 9mm transition unit. Phenomenally reliable pistols. Easy to shoot well with lots of rounds in the magazine. I later carried the one below (92FS) when I went back to patrol; it was a great pistol that worked superbly in more than one street caper. This one has had somewhere over 30,000 rounds through it. It's on it's 2nd barrel.


New M9A3 that Beretta tried unsuccessfully to interest the Army in. This would have made too much sense, but hey, in the US Army there's the right way and the Army way.


The accurized M9 has set all the records at Camp Perry.The Army and Marine guns are shooting into 1.5" or better (10 shots, 50 yds) from a machine rest.


Rear lock up on an Army M9 with a Bar-Sto barrel. The lip locks into the breech very snugly, with absolutely no play.


Front lock up.

If you have small hands you won't like them much. They are big and clunky so a good OWB pistol but not so much for concealed carry IMO (I did under a flight suit in a shoulder holster). Reliability? The second or third time I qualified with one it didn't go to full battery several times in 55 rounds. I was in the second group qualifying but it didn't seem too dirty.

Thanks gents.

A question for you about the grips. Are they soft rubber like Hogue's? That pebble finish looks suspiciously like the texture on Hogue rubber grips...and that's a grip that I mostly don't care for.

Love me A3

Nice A3!