Editor’s Rating: 6.5/10
Users’ Rating (Click a star to rate this gun.)
Summary: Dave Spaulding’s review and rating of Beretta’s 90-Two pistol, plus pricing, photos and user ratings. (Click here to see all Spaulding’s handgun reviews.)Editor’s Review
The Beretta 90-Two descends directly from the Beretta 92F with its cut-away slide and long barrel. It differs from the original in its new rounded contours that offer a snag-free drawing capability, interchangeable grip and light/laser-mounting rail built into the dust cover. Each 90-Two pistol comes with a plastic cover that slides over the rails to prevent snagging.
Available in three different models—double action/single action with a safety/decock lever, double action/single action with decocking-only levers, and double action only—the 90-Two uses the 92F’s falling locking-block system designed to offer enhanced accuracy and longer service life. When you fire the pistol, the recoil energy pushes the slide/barrel to the rear. After a short distance, the locking block falls and releases the slide, allowing it to recoil while the barrel locks to the frame. The slide continues to the rear, extracting the fired round, chambering a fresh round from the magazine and cocking the hammer for follow-up shots. The recoil spring then returns the slide into the battery and the gun is ready for the next shot.
The frame is made from a light aluminum alloy that keeps the gun’s weight to 31.9 oz. (.40 S&W; 32.5 oz. in 9mm), quite reasonable for a gun this size. You can easily reverse the magazine-release button for left-handed use, and you can adjust the entire grip to fit smaller or larger hands. With diversity a necessity for police agencies in the 21st century, a gun you can adjust to a wide range of hand sizes is an important factor when police administrators select a gun to issue to their troops. The grip panels are lightly stippled on the sides with a more aggressive fish-scale checkering on the front and back straps.
The magazine well has a slight bevel to make magazine insertion easier. The sights are of the three-dot variety with the front sight dovetailed into the slide, something the original did not have. Installing tritium night sights on the 92F required shipping the slide off to a company that could drill and insert the tritium vial per Department of Energy requirements. This is not the case with the 90-Two.
I tested a double-action/single-action model with a safety/decock lever located on each side of the slide in caliber .40 S&W. I’m not going to kid you here: The first double-action trigger stroke was long and heavy, breaking my trigger scale at 13 lbs. Without considerable practice, most shooters will shoot the gun low left (low right for left-handed shooters) as they tighten their whole hand in an effort to press the long and heavy trigger to the rear. Fortunately, the single-action trigger is a very nice 4.5 lbs. with a ¼” reset distance. Please don’t misunderstand, the 90-Two’s double-action/single-action trigger can be mastered, but it takes time and effort.
Once you accomplish this, the 90-Two offers exceptional accuracy. At 15 yards, I was able to fire unsupported, hand-held groups into a 3″-circle with boring regularity using Federal, Winchester and Corbon ammunition. The 90-Two also proved its reliability as it fired 300 rounds of various hollow-point bullets without a single failure.
Dave Spaulding is a 28-year law-enforcement veteran, retiring at the rank of lieutenant. He’s worked in all facets of law enforcement—corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training and SWAT. He currently operates Handgun Combatives, a handgun-combat training program, and he’s authored more than 800 articles for various firearm and law enforcement periodicals. In 2010 Spaulding received the Law Officer Trainer of the Year award, and he’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives.
The Specs
| Caliber | Capacity | OAL | BBL | Height | Width | Weight |
| 9mm, .40 SW | 17+1, 12+1, 10+1 | 8.5″ | 4.9″ | 5.5″ | 1.5″ | 32.5 oz., unloaded |
Pricing
MSRP: $690
The only reason I dinged it a 7 instead of a 10 is because it only comes with one size of grip. The other you have to buy and since the stock one was too large I got the smaller one and even then it is too big in my hand (my S&W M&P fits perfect).
The other thing I dinged it on (which is really just as important to me) was that I had a very hard time finding a concealed carry holster that locked that I liked. It is just too big for anything Bianchi makes and only the PX4 storm holster fits it. Next time I buy a pistol I want to make sure that there is a holster in my favorite style (Bianchi Carrylock) that fits it before buying it.
The only reason I dinged it a 7 instead of a 10 is because it only comes with one size of grip. The other you have to buy and since the stock one was too large I got the smaller one and even then it is too big in my hand (my S&W M&P fits perfect).
The other thing I dinged it on (which is really just as important to me) was that I had a very hard time finding a concealed carry holster that locked that I liked. It is just too big for anything Bianchi makes and only the PX4 storm holster fits it. Next time I buy a pistol I want to make sure that there is a holster in my favorite style (Bianchi Carrylock) that fits it before buying it.
I also own the Ruger SR9 & SR9C. While the Rugers are a nice running Chevy truck, serviceable and efficient, a joy to shoot, the Beretta has more of a sports car feel. Very clean, nicely balanced, muzzle flip lower than expected, can punch holes in paper all day long and still come away liking it.
Now mind, I’ve not a lot of experience with pistols, but I do know what I like.
I also own the Ruger SR9 & SR9C. While the Rugers are a nice running Chevy truck, serviceable and efficient, a joy to shoot, the Beretta has more of a sports car feel. Very clean, nicely balanced, muzzle flip lower than expected, can punch holes in paper all day long and still come away liking it.
Now mind, I’ve not a lot of experience with pistols, but I do know what I like.
Been a Beretta owner for over 25 years and having owned several 92’s I swear by them.perfectly smooth trigger.ultra reliable,I have never had a s in ngls issue.I don’t understand all the gripes about the double/single action or the safety.takes very little time to become proficient with the controls.flipping the safety lever up is second nature.being able to decock and make the gun safe with a flick of the thumb is nice.the Beretta 92 is the 1911 of 9mm’s.also have a military px4 .45 with 92 type safety levers from the factory and it is a great gun too.
Been a Beretta owner for over 25 years and having owned several 92’s I swear by them.perfectly smooth trigger.ultra reliable,I have never had a s in ngls issue.I don’t understand all the gripes about the double/single action or the safety.takes very little time to become proficient with the controls.flipping the safety lever up is second nature.being able to decock and make the gun safe with a flick of the thumb is nice.the Beretta 92 is the 1911 of 9mm’s.also have a military px4 .45 with 92 type safety levers from the factory and it is a great gun too.