Beretta 92FS

Users’ Rating

Summary: The description, specs, pricing, photos, user ratings and user comments for the Beretta 92FS pistol (also known as the M9).

Manufacturer’s Description

Beretta‘s 92FS, also called the M9 by the U.S. military, is a semi-auto pistol built on an aluminum frame with a steel slide, and chambered in 9mm. This double-action/single-action pistol operates on a short recoil, delayed blowback system.

Other standard features include:

• An aluminum frame;
• an open-top slide designed to eliminate jamming and stove piping. It also allows you to load and chamber one cartridge at a time should you lose or damage the magazine;
• a chrome-lined barrel to provide corrosion resistance, as well as ease of cleaning;
• a deeply recessed combat muzzle crown to protect the rifling;
• a disassembly latch designed to simplify field stripping for maintenance by allowing quick and easy disassembly. It stays on the gun, preventing accidental dropping and loss;
• a visible automatic firing pin block that prevents the front part of the firing pin from any forward movement until you pull the trigger completely back. The block is located rearward, away from the fouling and debris of the breech face. Because the block is visible, you can ascertain proper operation at any time;
• a white-dot front sight pinned into the slide;
• a dovetailed notch rear sight with a front projection so that in an emergency, you can retract the slide single-handed by pushing the rear sight against the edge of a table, door, etc.;
• an external hammer;
  

  

• a reversible magazine release positioned next to the trigger guard for either right or left-handed shooters;
• a slide-mounted ambidextrous safety/decocker, spring loaded so it’s either positively “on” or “off .” When pushed down, the rear part of the firing pin (striker) rotates out of alignment with the front part of the firing pin. An additional hammer drop catch (half-cock notch prevents striking of the firing pin unit) in the remote chance of unintentional hammer drop;
• a Bruniton non-reflective black coating;
• checkered black plastic grips; and
• high-capacity steel magazines designed to drop-free when you depress the magazine button, even when empty. Beretta says the 92-series magazines are interchangeable within caliber, and range in capacity from 10 to 20 rounds in 9mm.

Beretta offers a variety of grip options, including various aluminum and wood models.
Beretta also offers a number of 92FS and M9 variations, including:

• the 92FS Inox, which features a satin stainless finish and stippled-textured soft rubber grips;
  

  

• the 92FS Brigadier, which features a heavy profile to minimize recoil, dovetailed sights, a Hogue wraparound rubber grip and either the black or Inox finish;
• the 92FS Fusion, which features: a steel frame; a matte stainless finish; carbon-fiber/walnut grips; mirror-polishing on the edges, pins, screws, breech bolt, bolt release button and the trigger guard; geometrical checkering on the slide an trigger guard; a handmade case of black leather hand sewn on a wooden frame; an extra magazine; a cleaning kit; and a special folder containing the instruction manual and a card signed by Cav. Ugo Gussalli Beretta, President of Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta. Beretta says it produced 90 of these pistols, 60 chambered in 9mm and 30 chambered in 9x21mm.
• the 92FS Centennial, a limited-edition pistol that celebrates Beretta’s 100-year-old Model 1915 pistol and features a steel frame, a frame-mounted safety lever (no decocker), engraving on the slide, dovetailed sights and wood grips.
  

  

• the M9 Exclusive, a limited-edition pistol that celebrates the M9’s 30th anniversary. Features include gold inlay text and graphics on the left and right side of the slide, premium wood grips with a gold medallion, a velvet-lined premium wood box with a Beretta-logo plaque, a gold limited-edition coin and a certificate of authenticity featuring the pistol’s serial number. Beretta made 30 of these pistols.
• the M9 Limited, a a limited-edition pistol that celebrates the M9’s 30th anniversary. Features include silver inlay text and graphics on the left and right side of the slide, a walnut shadow box and a limited-edition M9 30th anniversary edition challenge coin.

Beretta USA Reliability & Durability Stats

• • The average reliability of all 92FS/M9 pistols tested at Beretta USA is 17,500 rounds without a stoppage.
  • During one test of 12 pistols fired at Beretta USA before U.S. Army supervision, Beretta-made M9 pistols shot 168,000 rounds without a malfunction.
  • The Beretta 9mm pistol was the most reliable of all pistols tested in the 1984 competition which resulted in the award of the M9 contract to Beretta.
  • Two-thirds of all M9 pistols endurance tested at Beretta USA fired 5,000 rounds without a malfunction or, at most, only one malfunction.
  • The average durability of Beretta M9 slides is more than 35,000 rounds, the point at which U.S. Army testing ceases.
  • The average durability of M9 frames is more than 30,000 rounds. The average durability of M9 locking blocks is 22,000 rounds.
    

    

On camera: Check out Hickok45’s video review of the Beretta 92 FS.
The Specs

Caliber	Capacity	OAL	BBL	Height	Width	Weight
9mm	15+1, 10+1	8.5″	4.9″	5.4″	1.5″	33.3 oz., unloaded

MSRP: $650 (standard version)
MSRP: $795 (Inox version)
MSRP: $11,000 (Fusion version)
MSRP: $830 (Brigadier version)
MSRP: $3,700 (Centennial version)
MSRP: $1,099 (M9 Limited)
MSRP: $3,500 (M9 Exclusive)