.223Savage
Member
A Review and Range Report on the Beretta M9
Like many gun owners, I recently had the urge to own an accurate, good looking, reasonably priced handgun. Over the last year or so that I have been considering this purchase I was amazed at the number and quality of excellent pistols out there.
I confess that my first love is accurate rifles so I am no expert on handguns. I do own a .22LR Ruger Mark III and a Norinco 1911 in .45 ACP. Both are fun to shoot but did not quite fill the bill for me.
My first consideration was calibre and I settled on 9mm Luger for the reduced cost of the ammunition, this despite the fact I do reload .45APC. It comes down to more bangs for the buck!
I suspect that most of our firearms purchases are as much emotional as rational. The intangibles of how a gun feels in our hand, how it looks to our eye and just the feeling of holding it are as important any rational research done on the Internet or the gun magazines.
All that said I ended up buying a Beretta M9, which is the U.S. military’s designation for Bertetta 92FS. Pictures follow at the end of this blurb.
A word of caution here, while I have tried to be unbiased in this review, it is human nature that some of my biases may have crept into my words. I will do my best to stick to “just the facts”.
The M9 comes in a plain cardboard box containing the gun, 2 magazines, a lock and a simple manual.As you pick it up it is quickly apparent that this is a full sized handgun. The weight and way it fills your hand confirm this fact. The grip is literally a handful and I have big hands. Anyone with small hands may be uncomfortable with the large size of the grip. The grip is large to accommodate the double stack magazine. It is easy to hold as the front and back of the grip are grooved as is the front of the concave trigger guard.
The first feature that strikes you is the large slot cut in the slide. From just behind the front sight to about 2/3 of the way to the rear sight the top of the slide is cut open exposing the barrel. Beside lightening the gun, this feature ensure that “stovepipes” (i.e. expended brass trapped by the returning slide) are not a problem as sometimes happens in 1911 style guns thus improving reliability. It also allows the user to easily load one round at a time without a magazine in an emergency situation.
For traditionalists, this is not a plastic gun as the frame is an aluminium alloy while the slide is steel. The only apparent plastic parts in this gun are the grips and the recoil rod. If you are not fond of plastic, the rod can easily be swapped for a metal one for about $15.00 and wood grips are also available.
The 2 magazines are Canadian-law compliant holding 10 rounds each. A word of caution here, the springs are very, very stiff. Getting in 5 rounds was a thumb straining exercise during my first range visit. Be prepared to insert 5 rounds in the magazines and let them sit for a few days after which top up the magazines and leave them in there for a while, this will hopefully loosen up the springs a bit making them easier to load.
Another feature of the M9 I needed to get used to was the concept of a Safety/Decocker. Unlike what I was used to on the 1911, the safety system on the M9 is really a decocker which safes the gun by physically removing a part of the firing pin system and dropping the hammer. It took a bit of getting used to, hearing the hammer slam down knowing there is a round in the chamber. The location of the decocking lever is on the slide just in front of the hammer. Initially this seemed awkward as I was used to the 1911 safety but you get used to it quickly.
Looking down the gun shows the usual “post and notch” type sight with a bit if a difference, rather than the more common 3 white dots to align there is a white dot on the front sight and a larger white dot on the bottom of the rear notch. My old eyes found this much easier to align that the more traditional one dot in front and two in the back. The front post is fixed but the rear one is in a dovetail and there is an aftermarket adjustable sight available.
I headed for the range with 100 remanufactured 147g FMJ bullets from Combat Masters plus an odd Winchester and RP round and some lead round nosed loads. The Beretta fires all of them flawlessly. There were no problems of any kind. Not being a great pistol shooter, I fired the first round from a rested position on a bench and it landed exactly where it was aimed. I was actually seeing some groups during my rapid fire strings despite my poor marksmanship.
The trigger pull in double action mode is long and heavy as is typical but when firing the second shot the trigger pull is short and very crisp. You know exactly when the shot will go off. The sight picture is excellent even with my old eyes. Not having fired a 9mm in a long time I was a bit surprised at the sharp recoil, but the pistol points well and comes back on target easily. The ejected brass arcs up high and drops nearby.
Disassembly is a breeze, just push a button and turn a lever. But watch out for the recoil spring, keep your thumb on it as you remove the slide or it could take off a long way and hurt somebody. Cleaning is simple, the barrel, breech face and rails plus a bit inside the frame, Lubrication points include the rails, falling block below the barrel and decocking lever. Since the manual with this gun is a bit skimpy I recommend that you download the manual for the 92FS which is available online in several locations.
The M9 is the culmination of a number of years of evolution and can trace its roots back to the 1970s as it evolved and was modified. Beside being in current service with the U.S. armed forces today, the military and police of a number of other countries have adopted the M9/92FS for service and has even spawned at least one clone.
Prior to my summary of my M9 I must mention that the Internet contains many less than flattering reviews of this weapon. But I also note that many of them are authored by Americans who seem to bear some frustration that their country adopted this “foreign” gun and its “puny European” calibre over the tried and true all American 1911 in .45 ACP. While no one can question the long and distinguished history of the 1911, I suspect that some of the criticism is perhaps misplaced patriotism and not always solidly grounded in reason.
Based on my initial experience with my Beretta M9 I find this pistol an accurate, reliable and simple to use and shoot firearm. It has exceeded my expectations for accuracy and maintenance and at $699.00 from Pro Line Shooters in Calgary it is reasonably priced.
I am sure there are better pistols out there but this on met my criteria and I am pleased with the purchase. If you have a chance to shoot one I encourage you to do so and judge for yourself.
Like many gun owners, I recently had the urge to own an accurate, good looking, reasonably priced handgun. Over the last year or so that I have been considering this purchase I was amazed at the number and quality of excellent pistols out there.
I confess that my first love is accurate rifles so I am no expert on handguns. I do own a .22LR Ruger Mark III and a Norinco 1911 in .45 ACP. Both are fun to shoot but did not quite fill the bill for me.
My first consideration was calibre and I settled on 9mm Luger for the reduced cost of the ammunition, this despite the fact I do reload .45APC. It comes down to more bangs for the buck!
I suspect that most of our firearms purchases are as much emotional as rational. The intangibles of how a gun feels in our hand, how it looks to our eye and just the feeling of holding it are as important any rational research done on the Internet or the gun magazines.
All that said I ended up buying a Beretta M9, which is the U.S. military’s designation for Bertetta 92FS. Pictures follow at the end of this blurb.
A word of caution here, while I have tried to be unbiased in this review, it is human nature that some of my biases may have crept into my words. I will do my best to stick to “just the facts”.
The M9 comes in a plain cardboard box containing the gun, 2 magazines, a lock and a simple manual.As you pick it up it is quickly apparent that this is a full sized handgun. The weight and way it fills your hand confirm this fact. The grip is literally a handful and I have big hands. Anyone with small hands may be uncomfortable with the large size of the grip. The grip is large to accommodate the double stack magazine. It is easy to hold as the front and back of the grip are grooved as is the front of the concave trigger guard.
The first feature that strikes you is the large slot cut in the slide. From just behind the front sight to about 2/3 of the way to the rear sight the top of the slide is cut open exposing the barrel. Beside lightening the gun, this feature ensure that “stovepipes” (i.e. expended brass trapped by the returning slide) are not a problem as sometimes happens in 1911 style guns thus improving reliability. It also allows the user to easily load one round at a time without a magazine in an emergency situation.
For traditionalists, this is not a plastic gun as the frame is an aluminium alloy while the slide is steel. The only apparent plastic parts in this gun are the grips and the recoil rod. If you are not fond of plastic, the rod can easily be swapped for a metal one for about $15.00 and wood grips are also available.
The 2 magazines are Canadian-law compliant holding 10 rounds each. A word of caution here, the springs are very, very stiff. Getting in 5 rounds was a thumb straining exercise during my first range visit. Be prepared to insert 5 rounds in the magazines and let them sit for a few days after which top up the magazines and leave them in there for a while, this will hopefully loosen up the springs a bit making them easier to load.
Another feature of the M9 I needed to get used to was the concept of a Safety/Decocker. Unlike what I was used to on the 1911, the safety system on the M9 is really a decocker which safes the gun by physically removing a part of the firing pin system and dropping the hammer. It took a bit of getting used to, hearing the hammer slam down knowing there is a round in the chamber. The location of the decocking lever is on the slide just in front of the hammer. Initially this seemed awkward as I was used to the 1911 safety but you get used to it quickly.
Looking down the gun shows the usual “post and notch” type sight with a bit if a difference, rather than the more common 3 white dots to align there is a white dot on the front sight and a larger white dot on the bottom of the rear notch. My old eyes found this much easier to align that the more traditional one dot in front and two in the back. The front post is fixed but the rear one is in a dovetail and there is an aftermarket adjustable sight available.
I headed for the range with 100 remanufactured 147g FMJ bullets from Combat Masters plus an odd Winchester and RP round and some lead round nosed loads. The Beretta fires all of them flawlessly. There were no problems of any kind. Not being a great pistol shooter, I fired the first round from a rested position on a bench and it landed exactly where it was aimed. I was actually seeing some groups during my rapid fire strings despite my poor marksmanship.
The trigger pull in double action mode is long and heavy as is typical but when firing the second shot the trigger pull is short and very crisp. You know exactly when the shot will go off. The sight picture is excellent even with my old eyes. Not having fired a 9mm in a long time I was a bit surprised at the sharp recoil, but the pistol points well and comes back on target easily. The ejected brass arcs up high and drops nearby.
Disassembly is a breeze, just push a button and turn a lever. But watch out for the recoil spring, keep your thumb on it as you remove the slide or it could take off a long way and hurt somebody. Cleaning is simple, the barrel, breech face and rails plus a bit inside the frame, Lubrication points include the rails, falling block below the barrel and decocking lever. Since the manual with this gun is a bit skimpy I recommend that you download the manual for the 92FS which is available online in several locations.
The M9 is the culmination of a number of years of evolution and can trace its roots back to the 1970s as it evolved and was modified. Beside being in current service with the U.S. armed forces today, the military and police of a number of other countries have adopted the M9/92FS for service and has even spawned at least one clone.
Prior to my summary of my M9 I must mention that the Internet contains many less than flattering reviews of this weapon. But I also note that many of them are authored by Americans who seem to bear some frustration that their country adopted this “foreign” gun and its “puny European” calibre over the tried and true all American 1911 in .45 ACP. While no one can question the long and distinguished history of the 1911, I suspect that some of the criticism is perhaps misplaced patriotism and not always solidly grounded in reason.
Based on my initial experience with my Beretta M9 I find this pistol an accurate, reliable and simple to use and shoot firearm. It has exceeded my expectations for accuracy and maintenance and at $699.00 from Pro Line Shooters in Calgary it is reasonably priced.
I am sure there are better pistols out there but this on met my criteria and I am pleased with the purchase. If you have a chance to shoot one I encourage you to do so and judge for yourself.
