Beretta M9A3

Whether or not the price is justified, it is up to the buyer; as far as I can remember, the A3 comes with
- night sights (it uses Vertec slide, so also dovetailed, just like all other Vertecs)
- 11 degrees upswept safety lever (reduces chance of engaging safety while racking the slide, which is really more of a training issue more than anything else)
- slide already prepped for G conversion kit (normally this would require a trip to the gunsmith)
- threaded barrel (no-op in Canada, desiderable down south)
- beveled mag well
- extended mag release
- checkering on front and back straps (normally Berettas have plain serrations, vertical to boot, which don't do much)
- grip conversion: default is Vertec frame with thin grips, but also comes with Hogue rubber grips that make the grip identical to a traditional FS
- 3 magazines instead of normal 2
- PVC coated magazines for better operation in sandy environments
- comes standard with D spring
- (slightly) tuned action; even with a D spring and elite hammer, my Vertec Inox is not quite as good as the A3. The A3 is just a tad crispier and about 3 oz lighter in SA.
- cool case

I'd say if you *wanted* all the features, then yes, it's a good price, as overall it would be cheaper to buy the A3 then upgrading a different model. If some of the features are of no interest to you, then the price might be too high for your case.

Canuck44, note that some Berettas have a short *reach* trigger, not short reset. The distance the trigger needs to travel should be exactly the same, the only difference being that one with move the start-end positions farther back. Personally I believe it useful with standard frames for shorter fingered shooters, but on a Vertec is just too much, imho.
Now, 1911s and Shadows can have really stupid short resets distances.

Personally, I'm more accurate with the A3 than with any other pistol I own other than my tuned 586 and I can get better groups with it than with the Shadow Canadian. I also have come to prefer the recoil impulse of the Beretta design over the standard Browning design. I don't know, it just feels different, more fluid and less abrupt.
 
The Beretta G Conversion kit does not require a trip to a gunsmith. The swapping of the kit is not that difficult.

The mag is $80 on a bad day.

I still don't see the difference in price other than it is a different model with the perception of it being more upscale. I doubt the factory does much, if any, work on the trigger group.

The 92A1 I have has the Elite hammer and short REACH trigger and the reset is about half of what my other 92A1 with the stock trigger and hammer. I have tried them side by side. I have Medium Large hands and prefer the longer reach of the stock trigger. Off a bench with stock sights both guns shoot as well as my CZ's and that is high praise. I have a tuned 85Combat and a Dlask tuned 1911 that have very short resets. I just don't have the talent to take advantage of them either.:>)

Take Care

Bob
 
Not the A3 just the 92FS and 92A1. The A3 may be an improvement but I don't see $250 worth of improvements. The gun is a 92 with a Vertec frame. The checkering is machine checkering and is better than the ribs found on the 92A1 for example but not like hand checkering.

Beretta, along with CZ and SIG upscale their designs along with an increase in price for essentially the same gun. For the average shooter, and I am pretty average, most of the "improvements" have more to do with marketing then actual improvements that impact results. Once the glow of the newest purchase wears off, my personal experience has been my scores remain about the same as they were before when shooting the IDPA Classifier. I am not saying it isn't fun to own upscale guns or more than one gun of a particular design. Hell I have a safe full of pistols, (it is a small safe), that all are marketed as the latest and greatest. They probably are if I only owned one of them and was asked..... The reality is they all shoot about the same. The A3 has some additional features that were installed on the hopes of catching the US Army's eye. How much the features have to do with actual results....the jury is out IMHO.

I bought the 92A1 because it has a dovetail front sight, where the 92FS does not. I will replace the front sight on my 92A1 witha green FO. If the 92FS had the dovetail front sight I would have bought it. The D Spring was cheap enough and I doubt I will install the G Conversion Kit I don't have a problem with the stock decocker/safety. As it turns out I like the white three dot sight system and just may leave well enough alone.

Take Care

Bob
 
I purchased two off of the EE. Both were as new. $850 including shipping and $800 inc shipping IIRC. The guns were as new. Both came with new grips, D Spring, and one came with the Elite hammer and SRT trigger. Both came with two mags. Since then I have seen two great deals on 92FS. I have my eye on another but I am trying not to be silly. LOL If I bought my wife a new car I could probably convince her chasing down an Elite would be a good idea. Some things are better left alone.

I have to say I like the 92A1 better than my CZ Shadow. Much better trigger out of the box by a lot. The gun is big but it only weighs 33 ounces due to the Aluminum alloy frame. I have larger hands so the grip size fits me perfectly.

FWIW due to a bad shoulder, I can draw my M&P Pro about 20/100th faster than I can the 92A1 but do transitions from one target to another faster with the 92A1. Double taps are a wash. I still move as slow as ever. I should invest in lighter running shoes and a spandex shirt LOL and cut my hair shorter.

I think this year I will roam the middle ranks of SS in IDPA with the 92A1 and watch for another blaster that is guaranteed to take me to the next level...or just stick with the 92A1. I really have come to like this pistol. My shoulder now is going to be the deciding factor.

Please note everyone has different experiences with different guns and what I relate here only relates to my experiences and stage in life. If I was younger and had some talent my experiences would/might be a whole lot different. Body shape and size, age and talent have a lot to do with what we see in our guns and how they perform. If you have medium to large hands the 92 Beretta series has lots to offer the competitive shooter. Beretta has never spent a lot of marketing of their 92 Series as a competition gun. Few realize how reliable shooter the design is. I suspect some would be better off with a Beretta in their hands than some of the more popular polymer guns. Just saying.

Take Care

Bob
 
6MT said:
Is this even available to us in Canada? It probably has a different model number. I can't seem to find any info on it. There seems to be lots of the 92A1's, but the A3's I can't find. Can anyone help?
Click to expand...

Last I heard there were 20,000 back ordered. They were made at their factory in Maryland, but Beretta is/was moving their factory to Tennessee so they are way behind. I'm glad I picked one up last year because I haven't seen any for sale at a shop since spring of last year....

Wilson Combat is supposedly having issues too with their 92G Brigadier Tactical as they can't get any 92G's from Beretta....
 
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