IzzyTheGreat
Regular
- Location
- SE Alberta
I was in the market for a second 9mm to complement my CZ P-09, after spending several weeks looking at different options I came across this Girsan Regard at G4C at too good of a price to pass up, I've always wanted a classic Beretta 92/M9 type pistol. After picking it up from the post office I learned the disassembly & reassembly and give it a good cleaning to get it ready for it's maiden voyage. I don't have a bona fide Beretta to compare this to (I have handled them at stores) but I was surprised at the level of fit and finish and lack of plastic parts for a gun at this price. The gun locks up very nicely and the machining feels to be high quality with no sharp or rough edges. The blued finish looks good and feels like it will last. I found the grip felt a little too thick for my taste and I had trouble actuating the magazine release easily. The trigger seems heavy (in DA) but more on that in the range report below
Photo: https://imgur.com/yItmuCy
After a long wait I received my reg. certificate in the mail and got to take it out this afternoon and put about 200 rounds through it. Here's my range report;
- I started the gun off with some factory ammo, it cycled Remington UMC 124gr with no failures or stoppages. Accuracy was okay but I think the results might have been spoiled by my handgun shooting skills being a little rusty (it was my first time out in about 6 weeks.) as accuracy improved considerably later, how much of this is due to me warming up versus the ammo is uncertain
- The DA trigger pull is very heavy, but feels smooth. The SA trigger is perfectly acceptable in my opinion and if it wasn't for the heavy DA pull I'd say this gun has a good trigger.
- The grip is indeed a little too big for my hand, I have to change my grip to actuate the mag release. It's a little uncomfortable but still useable. I may have to adjust my grip as I find the thumb position I like to take tends to cause me to ride the slide release and the slide would sometimes lightly scrape my thumb while cycling, but it wasn't enough to cause any pain or significant discomfort.
- After the factory ammo I tested some of my 124gr handloads and got promising results. Only 1 stoppage that was due to a light load and accuracy was good. All shots were nicely within a fist-sized group at 10 yards with a slight tendency to the left of point of aim. At 25 yards the left tendency became stronger and I'm thinking I will need to adjust to the windage on the rear sight to account for that.
Overall I am quite happy with my Regard. I don't have a Beretta to compare it to but I'd like to think the Girsan is a better value considering the price difference. I think it will be a keeper in my collection for some time. I will probably still consider my CZ my "go-to" pistol but I think this is different enough that it has a unique place in my collection rather than just being a "backup" gun.
After doing some research on Beretta 92 parts compatibility I have decided to order some parts to do a few modifications;
- I ordered a Mcarbo Pro trigger kit to reduce and smoothen the trigger pull further, out of all my research this is by far the most commonly suggested upgrade for any Beretta 92 or clone.
- I ordered some thinner grips from Lok Grips, they were having a 4th of July sale and even with shipping it is still cheaper than any options I could find domestically.
- I ordered some Mec-Gar Beretta 96 magazines, I couldn't find any 92 mags but my research indicates they will function and hold more than 10 rounds while being perfectly legal in the eyes of the RCMP
. I will update the thread on their performance with the Girsan.
- I ordered a Beretta stainless steel guide rod and spring and oversized magazine release from Stoeger Canada, I'm hoping the new mag release will be easier to use than the stock one.
Anyways that my report on the Regard, I will update the thread as the new parts come in and if there are any further developments. If anybody is looking at these and has any questions let me know I can try to answer to the best of my ability.
Cheers,
Izzy
Photo: https://imgur.com/yItmuCy
After a long wait I received my reg. certificate in the mail and got to take it out this afternoon and put about 200 rounds through it. Here's my range report;
- I started the gun off with some factory ammo, it cycled Remington UMC 124gr with no failures or stoppages. Accuracy was okay but I think the results might have been spoiled by my handgun shooting skills being a little rusty (it was my first time out in about 6 weeks.) as accuracy improved considerably later, how much of this is due to me warming up versus the ammo is uncertain
- The DA trigger pull is very heavy, but feels smooth. The SA trigger is perfectly acceptable in my opinion and if it wasn't for the heavy DA pull I'd say this gun has a good trigger.
- The grip is indeed a little too big for my hand, I have to change my grip to actuate the mag release. It's a little uncomfortable but still useable. I may have to adjust my grip as I find the thumb position I like to take tends to cause me to ride the slide release and the slide would sometimes lightly scrape my thumb while cycling, but it wasn't enough to cause any pain or significant discomfort.
- After the factory ammo I tested some of my 124gr handloads and got promising results. Only 1 stoppage that was due to a light load and accuracy was good. All shots were nicely within a fist-sized group at 10 yards with a slight tendency to the left of point of aim. At 25 yards the left tendency became stronger and I'm thinking I will need to adjust to the windage on the rear sight to account for that.
Overall I am quite happy with my Regard. I don't have a Beretta to compare it to but I'd like to think the Girsan is a better value considering the price difference. I think it will be a keeper in my collection for some time. I will probably still consider my CZ my "go-to" pistol but I think this is different enough that it has a unique place in my collection rather than just being a "backup" gun.
After doing some research on Beretta 92 parts compatibility I have decided to order some parts to do a few modifications;
- I ordered a Mcarbo Pro trigger kit to reduce and smoothen the trigger pull further, out of all my research this is by far the most commonly suggested upgrade for any Beretta 92 or clone.
- I ordered some thinner grips from Lok Grips, they were having a 4th of July sale and even with shipping it is still cheaper than any options I could find domestically.
- I ordered some Mec-Gar Beretta 96 magazines, I couldn't find any 92 mags but my research indicates they will function and hold more than 10 rounds while being perfectly legal in the eyes of the RCMP
. I will update the thread on their performance with the Girsan.- I ordered a Beretta stainless steel guide rod and spring and oversized magazine release from Stoeger Canada, I'm hoping the new mag release will be easier to use than the stock one.
Anyways that my report on the Regard, I will update the thread as the new parts come in and if there are any further developments. If anybody is looking at these and has any questions let me know I can try to answer to the best of my ability.
Cheers,
Izzy
