92FS First Pistol Your Thoughts.

I think a .22LR pistol is the best choice for a first pistol but for casual, range-only use I think a 92FS is fine. I like Glocks a lot but with their unusual grip angle, light weight and unforgiving trigger they are easy to shoot poorly, and I would not recommend them as a first pistol.


I've got small hands myself and don't have an issue either with the DA or SA trigger pull on my Beretta.

I agree and disagree with you. I do agree op should start with 22lr as I stated previously, but I disagree about glock being a bad first pistol because of the lightness because it like any other rival lightweight poly pistols show poor form immediately. Heavy steel frame pistols like 1911s and czs soak up a lot of it so you can get away with more. So to be honest I think a light poly pistol is ideal. Because with proper fundamentals you can make any gun run hard. And a light gun immediately tells you what you are doing wrong, whether it is incorrect sight alignment or a flinch
 
Beretta 92's and related series firearms are great guns. Reliability and quality being Beretta's most well known traits. Their in house testing is some of the best in the industry too as they've test fire some guns in excess of 90,000 rounds. Sure there's better guns out there but after almost 500 years of buisness, you can bet you'll never go wrong with a Beretta.

Please note though, I'm totally biased. ;)
 
So to be honest I think a light poly pistol is ideal. Because with proper fundamentals you can make any gun run hard. And a light gun immediately tells you what you are doing wrong, whether it is incorrect sight alignment or a flinch
That's a good point I hadn't considered. As long as a new shooter sticks with it and is not discouraged, a lightweight pistol would be a good way of learning fundamentals.
 
Although a top-of the line firearm always costs more, and most of the time out-performs the cheaper ones, there is no guarantee that this expensive firearm is the best. Since you are likely new to handguns, I would strongly suggest you to try whatever pistol available to you. Ask fellow shooters to try theirs. Likely, since you are looking at a 92FS, buy few boxes of 9mm ammo, politely ask whoever in your club uses 9 mm for a few rounds. Grip, Sight, Weight and Recoil factor are some of the considerations you have to take into. There are cheap pistols, no question about it. Buy what suits you... Only you can decide... Reviews are just reference and not necessarily a factor for you to decide. Welcome to pistol shooting!
 
Go for it...very pretty gun, really accurate, lots of "extras" to be found for it and due to being all metal it handles recoil very very well.

I do not own one but I have shot my buds many times and I love it. One (without the light rail) is on my short list for 9mm's I wish to own.
 
It was the first handgun I bought (1989) - I sold it to a buddy in the Army who got out to be an Ottawa Cop.

It was not for me, and I don't like them -- but a number of folks like them and shoot them well.
See TDC's list of the why I don't like them.

I do however disagree with him in the fit/pointability aspect --- a gun that you feel comfortable with will help you.
 
Pros:

Beautiful gun
Accurate right out of the box
Good reliability
Easy to disassemble and clean

Cons:

Grips are pretty thick- not for small hands
Mags are expensive

Overall: If it fits you, don't hesitate to buy one. They are readily available gently used for +/- $700, and you can sell it for the same if you end up not liking it.

However, as other have mentioned, try one out before you get excited.

Paul

+1

Have had a few 92 series Berettas over the years. Starting out back when it, along with the BHP & the early double stack S&W's were some of the only commonly available double stack pistols in 9mm at the time. This was before the Glock showed up & the rest followed, too. I have larger sized hands but always felt the Beretta didn't fit me right.

After I got one of the first CZ75's when they first became commonly available [back when a 15 +1 shot 9mm was aactually a 15 +1 shot pistol...lol...] I found it fit me best over all I tried. Then came the BHP MKIII and I never looked back.

Anyway, as others have said, if it fits you, go for it. But try out some others first, too.

:canadaFlag:
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NAA.
 
Further to what I said about Beretta 92's, I am still often tempted to try out one of these new Girsan clone pistols, though.

Go figure, eh? :p

:canadaFlag:
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NAA.
 
That's a good point I hadn't considered. As long as a new shooter sticks with it and is not discouraged, a lightweight pistol would be a good way of learning fundamentals.

That is on the user. When you are a new shooter like me you have to stow your ego and accept that you are gonna shoot like ####. Bunker down spend some money training, and then practice what you have been trained.
 
The 92 is enjoying a bit of a comeback in certain circles. Actually I'm a bit surprised by the love it gets from some very checked out shooters. As a carry or LEO gun there are valid arguments to be made for a DA trigger. It's not for me, but I don't particularly think it's a bad choice for a first pistol. You have to put in some work to learn the DA/SA trigger, but I do think if you master the Beretta trigger you will probably be able to shoot any pistol well after that.
 
I have 3 92s and a 96 (92FS Inox, 2 92G Elite II and a 96G Elite II) and really like them. I have fairly large, somewhat old and partially arthritic hands and find the grip size "just right". My first was a Glock 22 and frankly it hasn't seen a lot of action in the last few months as I find I just simply enjoy the 92/96 more.

If it feels good to you and you like it - go for it. Having said that, still think it's a good idea to have some form of 22lr pistol to use for training/fundamentals or just cheap shooting days. I got a Buckmark supposedly as something for my wife to use, but use it quite regularly when she doesn't come to the range with me.

It's like motorcycles. A lot of ppl will tell you that your first motorcycle should be a 250 to use the "learn" on and as a stepping stone to something bigger. For my first bike I bought a Suzuki GSX-R750 crotch rocket. At age 45 I had the wisdom to respect it for the incredible performance it had and never rode beyond my abilities. I'm kinda the same way with guns - I never liked buying something as a stepping stone - just go right ahead and get what you really want.

I always hated stepping stones, once you use them they're kinda useless (other than a way to lose money selling for the next thing).

Just my 2 cents.
 
Sorry, not intending to hijack... Love the Beretta.

I've got no skin in this game really, and I'm not into long protracted battles of opinions, however fit and feel are important, otherwise everyone would be able to be outfitted with one kit and one kit only. Manual of arms notwithstanding, if your kit don't fit...

It's pretty clear that some people shoot some guns better than others, I can't shoot a Glock for #### and they were all the rage when I got the Beretta, the grip angle of the Glock just does not suit me. My precision rifle is set up with a LOP that fits me, my cheekpiece is offset to allow for proper alignment behind my scope, again fit to me, my buttstock is canted to fit my body mechanics, my grips on my AR, and the grip on my M&P are setup with the insert that best fits me. IN the year 2013, we have evolved to understand that we are all different with different needs, that's why manufacturers like Glock, S&W, Magpul Vickers VLTOR, etc etc, now offer customizable options in grips, and other kit. I'm not sure but I believe that some Police forces also allow options for their officers in the sidearm they choose. I might be off here, but one of the reasons Glock developed their Gen 4 pistol with grip inserts was to address the differences in peoples ability to comfortably hold/fire accurately.

We are not one size fits all, have a look in the mirror.
 
My 0.02cents
I learned shooting with a Beretta, got to round count 12k in 8 months before reselling. Loved the fat grips, i got small hands. Fat grips with skate tape are something big to hold on to.
As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for IPSC i would be still shooting the beretta. Lack of aftermarket parts shoved me towards the Shadow like everyone.
Think it took me 3-4k rounds to learn the trigger, once i had learned it seems like any pistol is easy to figure now. With beretta you could figure the exact breaking point on the double with some practice, so you could prep double and call your shot timing.
Now if they could release a 92G elite lll with many aftermarket/ipsc legal parts, i would drop the shadow real quick...
 
Since you live in Calgary according to your user info you NEED to go and try a bunch of guns out at The Shooting Edge located in Calgary. Link to company info found in the buttons at the top of the page. Try a bunch of different handguns in 9mm and then go buy the one that fit and felt the best. If you've already done this and you liked the Beretta then fine, you should go buy one.......

Well said. The key is to have a gun that fits your hands and fits it well. If it is not comfortable / awkward / too big / too small etc etc then regardless you will not be able to enjoy it let alone shoot it to its full potential accuracy wise.

It's a Ford vs Chevy debate and in the end, given what we are allowed to use handguns for in Canada it's very much a matter of personal preference.
 
S&W M&P range kit set up around $850 is a much better deal. Good ergos, Glock reliability. Beretta is a big gun although easy to field strip, still expensive and BIG!

I have seen the M&P Range kit for under $700, which I believe was the MSRP that S&W put out there. It is a great deal, that some retailers are bumping up in price where they can get it. I have an M&P, the stock trigger is total crap though. I would recommend spending extra cash and getting an APEX trigger kit for it after market, it makes a HUGE difference in the trigger pull and staying on target.
 
+1

Have had a few 92 series Berettas over the years. Starting out back when it, along with the BHP & the early double stack S&W's were some of the only commonly available double stack pistols in 9mm at the time. This was before the Glock showed up & the rest followed, too. I have larger sized hands but always felt the Beretta didn't fit me right.

After I got one of the first CZ75's when they first became commonly available [back when a 15 +1 shot 9mm was aactually a 15 +1 shot pistol...lol...] I found it fit me best over all I tried. Then came the BHP MKIII and I never looked back.

Anyway, as others have said, if it fits you, go for it. But try out some others first, too.

:canadaFlag:
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NAA.


this but i didnt dare to post it with all the Beretta fans ..... and i dont have small hands ....
 
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