Tennessee-based Beretta USA has reintroduced a classic stainless variant for the updated and modernized Model 92X Red Dot Optic Ready in 9mm, and we have the full review.  
 

Table of Contents

Overview
The Specs
Features
Trigger
Reliability
Accuracy
Pros & Cons
Conclusion
 

Overview

The Beretta 92 is an icon, some 50 years in the making, first hitting the market around 1975. It has evolved numerous times since then, and in 1990, the first Inox models – short for "Inoxidizable," Italian for "stainless," hit the market. While the company had offered nickel models previously, the move to stainless was a first for Beretta and at the time was an obvious competitor to the brace of stainless S&W "Wondernines" then in production. 

The Inox soon became familiar on screens large and small, appearing in the hands of everyone from Chuck Norris, Christopher Walken, and Sam Rockwell to Jean Reno, Pierce Brosnan, and Chow Yun-Fat. Both Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson used an Inox 92 in at least two different movies!

And for good reason – the guns just look great. 
 

The Specs
 

• Overall length: 8.5 inches
• Barrel length: 4.7 inches 
• Sight radius: 6.11 inches
• Overall width: 1.5 inches at the widest point over controls, slide is 1.1 inches.
• Overall height: 5.4 inches to top of slide, 6.64 inches to top of installed optic
• Magazine capacity: 18+1 double-stack OEM (ships with two steel-bodied mags). 15 and 10-round mags available
• Trigger pull: 11 pounds (D/A), 5.5 pounds (S/A). 10-pull average.
• Weight, with empty OEM magazine: 33.3 ounces
• Weight, loaded/equipped: 48.1 ounces (with 18+1 rounds of Federal 9mm 135-grain Hydra-Shok Deep JHP, Burris Fast Fire E mounted, Surefire X300T installed)
• MRD Optic Footprint: Beretta 90 series RDO plates offered in most footprints, including Burris, Docter, Vortex, ACRO, Trijicon, Holosun, Leupold, and C-More.

For full disclosure, Beretta sent Guns.com this handgun for review purposes. All testing was done on this one pistol.
 

Features
 

Trigger

The trigger pull, being DA/SA, was significant on the first shot when in double-action – about 11 pounds – but this dropped to a nice 5.5 pounds in single-action after the reset. I am no trigger snob, but I found the stroke on the factory pack smooth, if long, on DA, and crisp on SA with about a half-inch reset. It is not a great trigger, but it is workable. An easy upgrade can be made by talking to the folks over at Langdon Tactical. 

Video below:
 

Reliability

We put just over 500 rounds of FMJ range ammo through our test gun, followed by almost 200 JHP defensive rounds, spanning from 115-grain through 150-grain loads. 
 

The only issue we could document was three light strikes on rounds that did not fire. All of these were on the Winchester 124-grain NATO. Only one of these three ignited with a second pull of the trigger. 

Further, every round fired was with the FastFire installed. Once zeroed, the optic did not shift its point of aim/point of impact, and the plate system remained steady. 

The Beretta 92 RDO Inox proved reliable on the range. 
 

Accuracy

Beretta 92s, using a falling locking block design that minimizes barrel travel, have always had a good reputation for accuracy. Our test gun showed the legacy to endure. In offhand shooting with the red dot installed and zeroed, Alphas under 15 yards were cake, almost a cheat code, with only a modicum of concentration required at the 25. 

This is a practical pistol with a 3.5 MOA dot on it, but we attempted an impractical test once we got a feel for it: wallowing out the trigger hand of the bad guy on an ICE QT target at 10 yards with Federal Syntech 124 grain Match.
 

Pros & Cons
 

Pros

• Proven design
• Optics ready
• Accurate
• Dependable
• Lots of aftermarket support
• The optics plate system remained solid in testing 
• Aesthetically pleasing Inox format
• Long and usable accessory rail

Cons

• The plate system sits high due to its nature
• Heavy, even with an alloy frame.
   

Conclusion

The Beretta 92 has been around for 50 years, and the Inox series for 35 years, making this gun an anniversary piece of sorts. Updated with the company's X-series features and given an optics-ready format, it doesn't feel dated. It proved itself on the range, feels great in the hands, and looks good sitting still. Plus, just about every component can be upgraded from a variety of aftermarket providers, and almost any gunsmith is familiar with the design, should you want something more custom.
 

When it comes to rocks to throw, although the pistol has an alloy frame, it is still pretty chunky. Add a fully loaded magazine and some accessories, and you are soon at 3 pounds. Granted, it is a very capable 3 pounds with 18-19 rounds on tap (with extended mags readily available), but it is still 3 pounds. This sort of cuts down the appeal of the gun for use in concealed carry, but this concern abates for those wanting a great shooting gun on the range that can clock in for serious use in home defense or an open carry/duty situation. 

The RDO plate, due to the nature of the limited real estate on the 90 series' open slide, looks awkward but is usable, although it sits a bit higher than on comparable direct-milled pistols. Plus, plates are $45 from Beretta, which is kind of an "oof" factor. 
 
Still, at the end of the day, the Beretta 92X RDO Inox looks silver but feels gold.