HISTORY
After being used by the U.S. military for many years, 1985 was a tough year for the Colt 1911A1 in .45 ACP. Many specimens – which had last been produced new for military contracts in 1945 – were worn out, and the heavy-kicking cartridge was not accepted by our NATO allies.
Enter Beretta with the Model 92FS, commonly called the M9. Not only was it chambered in 9mm, but each magazine would hold 15 rounds. Now troops could carry more ammo and spend less time reloading.
Related: Two Guys One Gun, Episode 6 – The Beretta 92
Qualification tests included a drop test onto a concrete surface without firing, being buried in mud, sand, and snow, and a non-stop test firing of 35,000 rounds without failure. It passed them all to become the new sidearm of the United States military.
MY IMPRESSIONS
This Beretta 92 A1 is a big pistol. It feels heavy, with a forward center of gravity. The grip is noticeably wide to accommodate the double-stacked magazine, and it feels chunky. If you have small hands, you may find it difficult to hold. My medium-sized hands grip it well, and I find the grip reduces recoil by dispersing the kick somewhat.
Most notable is the exposed barrel and lack of ejection port. Beretta wisely eliminated the port to allow for reliable ejection, and the exposed barrel cools more quickly.
Related: Beretta 92 Buyer’s Guide
The large curved trigger is easy to reach and comfortable but requires substantial effort to squeeze in double-action mode. Single-action trigger squeeze is much lighter. It is staged with a noticeable amount of take-up prior to reaching the breakpoint. I like the exposed hammer and ambidextrous safety, which provide the option to cock the pistol prior to firing and set it on safe mode if I wish.
Sights are fixed, with three white dots that are easy to pick up and aim. I like the forward Picatinny rail, which will allow a tactical flashlight or laser sight to be added.
The slide catch lever is right-hand only, but left-hand shooters can easily pull and release the slide to reload. The magazine release is a right-hand device that’s a bit difficult to reach and release.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Overall Length: 8.5 inches
- Width: 1.5 inches
- Weight: 2.1 pounds
- Barrel: 4.9 inches, hard chrome-lined
- Trigger: Double action pull 10.9 pounds, single action 6.5 pounds
- Exposed hammer
- Picatinny rail: 2 inches
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Magazine: 15-round steel
SHOOTING TIME
Loading the magazine and racking the slide is easy with the Beretta. Notice that the hammer is back and ready to fire, but I will test the safety/hammer drop feature first. Engaging the safety drops the hammer on a loaded round without discharging the gun, just as expected – that is reliability.
Engaging my steel plate, I see a nice, centered three-shot group at 10 yards and can reliably hit the flapper. Head shots are no problem. I am no pistolero, but this gun makes me look good. I am always amazed at the power of the 9mm when firing hollow-point ammunition. Two-liter root beer jugs come apart when hit, and the ginger ale cans are especially violent and open with explosive force. The full-size weight and nearly 5-inch barrel make the pistol accurate and tame recoil.
Notice how easily the empty magazine drops out after the slide locks open after the last shot. I like that reliability. It is instinctive to load and release the slide. During each sequence, I make a rapid-fire mag dump to check function. The barrel lockup, the exposed barrel, and the lack of an ejection port all contribute to great functionality.
Several shots offhand at my steel plate at 40 yards show that I need to practice a bit more with the Beretta. My shots all went left of the mark due to my self-induced flinch. Another mag dump on the nearby boulder reveals no malfunctions, but that hot barrel teaches me to allow the gun to cool. It gets hot in rapid fire!
Shooting the classic 92 A1 was a blast today. Too bad I ran out of root beer jugs. No jams or malfunctions of any kind were encountered during firing or reloading. I see why the military relied on this 9mm blaster to protect and serve our troops well for so many years.
PROS & CONS
