Beretta 92 Reliability

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grinder08

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So I was at my local range the other day. They rent out handguns and have a pretty good selections. I noticed that they did not have any Beretta 92's in the cabinet and asked why not. They answer was "they all broke". Now these guns get really heavy abuse with many many rounds and lots of rookies using them but it seemed a bit odd to me. They have lots of Glocks, Sigs and pretty much every other reasonably common handgun. Just wondering if this is an anomaly or there really is an issue with the Beretta 92.
 
There was a post last year from one of the other "rental" ranges and they said about the same thing. there are approx 50 some odd parts in a Beretta compared to a Glock that has 20 plus so there would be more of a reliability risk just from a statistical point of view.

How this translates to single user who takes very good care of their guns I would not think it would directly be comparable but the Glock just may have a slight edge due to the simpler design
 
They are a bad design for a range gun....
For one thing they run better lubed up and don't like dirt so much, range guns might see thousands of rounds without cleaning. Locking blocks and small wire springs in these guns wear/break and should be replaced periodically.
 
There is no issue with the beretta 92, they are very reliable, most of the hate and rumors stem from problems from the pre fs models used by different military around the world that could after 10's of thousands of rounds and abuse break and have the slide come off, this problem was fixed with the fs and later models. I personally have put thousands upon thousands of rounds thru several beretta 92 and 96 models with no breakage or hardly an issue of any kind for that matter and sometimes can go more than 1500 rounds between cleanings. There was an article a while back about one of Ben Stoegers 92's having over 100,000 rounds thru it and still has a decent group. Dont forget there is a reason multiple military around the world use them, durability and reliability.
 
There is a block inside the action of the Beretta that is known to crack after X thousand rounds. 12K to 15K comes to mind.

It's regular enough that it's pretty well considered as a consumable. It may be that DVC can't source any just now and the one or two they have went down at the same time? Or since they shoot so much ammo through these guns that they end up putting in new blocks about twice a year they might have just got fed up of doing the job. It's not uncommon for guns at DVC to shoot more than 500 rounds per week for 52 weeks a year. In fact I'd say that for the more popular guns it's likely closer to 1K a week.
 
We had a Taurus 92 (basicly the same gun) here at a gun range a number of years ago that had a round count into the 5 digits; with no problems at all.
 
BCRider said:
There is a block inside the action of the Beretta that is known to crack after X thousand rounds. 12K to 15K comes to mind.

It's regular enough that it's pretty well considered as a consumable. It may be that DVC can't source any just now and the one or two they have went down at the same time? Or since they shoot so much ammo through these guns that they end up putting in new blocks about twice a year they might have just got fed up of doing the job. It's not uncommon for guns at DVC to shoot more than 500 rounds per week for 52 weeks a year. In fact I'd say that for the more popular guns it's likely closer to 1K a week.
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You're right on when in business doing extra maintenance when you don't have to by going to another pistol without the labour costs will quickly spell the demise of any firearm in the stable
 
Still alive said:
Clobbersaurus should be here soon. Didn't he do a torture test on his 92 with no issues?
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LOL, I wouldn't call them torture tests, but I've run two Beretta's and one Girsan through the 2000 challenge (basically no cleaning and lube for 2000 rounds).

I never had one make it all the way through without a stoppage but had no parts breakages. I dry fire almost daily and the guns are usually bone dry at the end of the challenge, which is a problem for Beretta's as they like to run wet. I have started using grease (Lucas Red "n" Tacky #2) on my DAO centurion and I'm quite pleased with it, there is still lots of lube where it's needed after 1752 rounds.

I do replace the trigger return springs and recoil springs after several thousand rounds, but I've never had one break. The mags require more frequent cleaning and I usually only get a couple range sessions before they should be cleaned or I risk having the followers bind. But the mags get dumped in gravel, dirt and puddles so you can't really blame the mags. Also, the extractor should be cleaned every 4k rounds or so.

Other than that they are reliable guns. I run standard weight recoil springs and keep em cleaned/lubed and never really have a problem.
 
I'm a new 92FS owner (Compact Inox actually), I put around 150rnds through it today. Fun. :)
Slide failed to lock open a few times on last round, but I'll attribute that to newness as I did notice the ejected brass wasn't going too far.

Flawless otherwise.

Very pleasurable to shoot; it's been a while since I've owned a non-polymer nine.

:)
 
Two friends have had them for a couple years now and so far they have both performed perfectly. So far they would have shot about 5000 rounds through them.
 
Clobbersauras said:
LOL, I wouldn't call them torture tests, but I've run two Beretta's and one Girsan through the 2000 challenge (basically no cleaning and lube for 2000 rounds).

I never had one make it all the way through without a stoppage but had no parts breakages. I dry fire almost daily and the guns are usually bone dry at the end of the challenge, which is a problem for Beretta's as they like to run wet. I have started using grease (Lucas Red "n" Tacky #2) on my DAO centurion and I'm quite pleased with it, there is still lots of lube where it's needed after 1752 rounds.

I do replace the trigger return springs and recoil springs after several thousand rounds, but I've never had one break. The mags require more frequent cleaning and I usually only get a couple range sessions before they should be cleaned or I risk having the followers bind. But the mags get dumped in gravel, dirt and puddles so you can't really blame the mags. Also, the extractor should be cleaned every 4k rounds or so.

Other than that they are reliable guns. I run standard weight recoil springs and keep em cleaned/lubed and never really have a problem.
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Have any broken locking blocks yet? And are you using the old squared off locking blocks or the rounded ones?
 
New locking block design is rated for 22,000 rounds. Realistically how many people will shoot that much or keep a gun long enough to shoot that amount thru a single gun? I'd guess under 5%. Also if one can afford to spend that much on ammo (keep in mind 1000 round of 9mm is what ~$350) i'm sure they can afford to spend $50-75 on a locking block :)

Two friends have had them for a couple years now and so far they have both performed perfectly. So far they would have shot about 5000 rounds through them.
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Mine has more than 5000 rounds thru it and no issues, been extremely reliable* Still looks almost new. I did change the recoil spring on it tho.

*only malfunctions I can recall are ONE box of under-powered reloads (10 years ago) and another time while running a compact upper with .40 mags
 
I've had my 92FS for 5 years now. I've probably run 2500 rounds through it. Haven't had a single malfunction ever. Now just waiting for my M9A3 to come in.....
 
I've had my Girsan 9mm for a couple months, shot through 600 before it was cleaned. Now at 1200+ shots and it just keeps plugging away. So if there is any upgrades in design with newer Beretta's then that's a bonus.
 
I didnt clean my 92S (not fs) for its first 600-700 rounds and I had no issues. Since then ive made it to about 1200 rounds by just wiping it down and cleaning the bore. Very reliable, only 1 fail to eject in 1200 rounds.
 
Clobbersauras said:
LOL, I wouldn't call them torture tests, but I've run two Beretta's and one Girsan through the 2000 challenge (basically no cleaning and lube for 2000 rounds).

I never had one make it all the way through without a stoppage but had no parts breakages. I dry fire almost daily and the guns are usually bone dry at the end of the challenge, which is a problem for Beretta's as they like to run wet. I have started using grease (Lucas Red "n" Tacky #2) on my DAO centurion and I'm quite pleased with it, there is still lots of lube where it's needed after 1752 rounds.

I do replace the trigger return springs and recoil springs after several thousand rounds, but I've never had one break. The mags require more frequent cleaning and I usually only get a couple range sessions before they should be cleaned or I risk having the followers bind. But the mags get dumped in gravel, dirt and puddles so you can't really blame the mags. Also, the extractor should be cleaned every 4k rounds or so.

Other than that they are reliable guns. I run standard weight recoil springs and keep em cleaned/lubed and never really have a problem.
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There you go, OP!
I agree with your assessment. The 92 series likes to be run wet. Only problem I've ever had with them is forgetting to lube the gun. I think the gun will be more than reliable for 99.99% of shooting. I've had my 92FS since early 1990s and no issues.
 
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