Personal experience with M9/Beretta 92 ?

[Matt VDW]

In my very limited military experience with the M9, circa 1991, the mandated carry mode was "round chambered, safety on". I believe that the military specifications for the M9 trials included double action operation to address the speed/safety dilemma of carrying the M1911A1 either in Condition Three (chamber empty, hammer down) or Condition One (chamber loaded, hammer cocked, safety on).

I have heard of some skittish commanders ordering the M9 to be carried with an empty chamber, but that is just a CYA move and not the method found in the military manuals.

IMHO, the 92FS is such an easy pistol to shoot, even in double action, that there's no need to carry it half-cocked. If you want to carry a pistol half-cocked, buy a Glock.

 

[sig970]

My brother has put approx 12000 rounds each, through both of his 92f's. They are the most reliable guns I've ever seen. People, we completely ABUSE these things. We regularly have our 100 round competitions using the 33 round pre-ban mags. We go head to head to see who can shoot 100 rounds of ammo the fastest/most accurate. shoot/reload/shoot/reload/shoot. I'm am talking serious abuse. We have done this for almost 6years. They never jam, they never fail, they never do anything but fire. Accuracy is not as good as my Sig, but who cares? I can hit a tack at 3 yards. I can hit a silver dollar at 7. I could hit a BG from a long way away.

I have heard all the, "old stories."

Berettas fall apart
They are not suitable for carry
After 500/5000 rounds, it is acceptable for them to fail

Our 2 92's, 2 96 Border Marshals, 2 21a's, and the little Beretta cougar are still firing after years, of 2 owners that have put them through more abuse than the military could even think up. At the end of the day, I still marvel that our 7 Berettas don't fall apart.

They are worth every cent we spent on them.

 

[Shake]

Here is a post from member Mike Irwin that I think is relevant to the locking block failure issue:

I was working in the gunshop when a man came in with an EARLY aluminum-framed 92.

Said he picked it up in Europe when he was in the military in the late 1970s, and had fired, to the best of his record keeping, over 600,000 rounds through it.

I'd say that his count was accurate, because he was a heavy-duty regular in the range, and was always shooting the Beretta.

The total number I can't vouch for, but the gun certainly looked like it had been fired that much. Virtually ALL the finish was gone from the grip frame, and the slide wasn't in much better shape.

He took the gun apart to show me what was going on...

The very front part of the frame (looks like a trough) had a 1/2" split in it.

There was another crack in the frame on the right side extending about 1/4" of an inch back from the slide lock hole.

The locking block itself was no longer smooth faced. It had a distinctive half-moon shape from where the barrel lock stem had been hitting it.

I don't know what they're called, but the slide rail lugs were pretty badly battered.

There was some other stuff also going wrong with it.

The end result was that the base frame was pretty much trashed.

He eventually ended up buying ANOTHER Beretta 92.

 

[Rob96]

When I carried the M9 in the USAF as a SP we carried one in the chamber with the hammer decocked and the safety off.

 

[sig970]

I totally agree with the post from Shake, that was previously posted by Mike Irwin. I have no doubt that our Beretta's will still be going after several more years of abuse. Ken, I just have a hard time accepting that fact that I should expect my gun to fail. Nothing personal against you, but from experience, I would recommend a Beretta 92 to anyone. I'll let you know when it fails.


2020 sound about right?

 

[Ken Cook]

No problem Sig,
One thing I didn't mention is that I really like the M9 as a shooter. Very easy gun to shoot well. I personally will never be able never trust them.

Someone commented earlier in the thread about the expected failure round count on M1911A1 .45 autos. I'm not going to force everyone to listen to me extoll the virtues, but...
Consider that the LAST government contract M1911A1 rolled off the line in 1945 and they remained in service with many active duty units as late as 1991!
Sure, they were rebuilt God knows how many times, but that Beretta with the 600,000 rounds through it can't be rebuilt. (aluminum frame)
An active service life of 50 years or better ain't nuthin to sneeze at, and we as shooters should be able to demand that kind of endurance from ALL of the manufacturers.

 

[J. Parker]

Well, I can't let this thread die on a negative note now can I? If the M9 doesn't work so well then the Army has a problem don't they? Like I said earlier "civilian" Beretta mod 92's flat out work, period. Just ask any "civilian" who owns one......

 

[2kiddad]

I was a gunner on a CH53 and a Huey while in the Marines. I had an M60 that ALWAYS jammed. It didn't matter what you did to it, how well it was maintained or how often the armourers f***ed with it. Our Air Group's armourer told me something I've never forgotten. It could just as easily be applied to this discussion:

"Always remember that your weapon was manufactured by the lowest bidder".

Personally, I own a civilian 92FS. It's one sweet pistola! I regularly shoot 3" groups at 25 yards. Of course, it's one of many pistols I own and will probably never see severe use.

 

[Ken Cook]

Well if you want to get "hung up" about the Military's problems, the M9 is a pretty small one.

The M60 was not so hot, and the Marine Corps made it worse when they adopted the M60EIII. Talk about a POS!!!
In all my time in service I never saw an EIII that didn't rattle itself to pieces.

 

[41magFan]

Ron in PA
I'm currently on Temporary Duty and desk ridden on lovely Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo. I've carried the M92 in Bosnia and now, Kosovo. Most of our guys live downtown in houses and when they are out walking around their obstinas, their M9s are de-cocked with a round in the chamber. It is engrained in our muscle memory to push the safety forward and engage targets, first round double action, after countless hours on the range and thousands of rounds. I have no complaints with it. Jim

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