Beretta 92
| Beretta 92 | |
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
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| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Beretta |
| Produced | 1975 – present |
| Variants | See Variants and Development |
| Specifications | |
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| Cartridge |
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| Feed system | Detachable box magazine:
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The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. It was designed in 1975 and production of many variants in different calibers continues to the present day. It is most famous for replacing the M1911 .45 ACP pistol as the standard sidearms of the United States armed forces in 1985 as the M9 Pistol.
Although only 5000 copies of the original design were manufactured from 1975 to 1976, the design is currently produced in four different configurations (FS, G, D an DS) and three calibers:
- 92 series in 9 x 19 Parabellum,
- 96 series in .40 S&W and
- 98 series in 9 x 21 mm IMI
Contents |
History
The Beretta 92 pistol evolved from earlier Beretta designs, most notably the M1922 and M1951. From the M1922 comes the open slide design, while the alloy frame and locking block barrel (originally from Walther P38) were first used in the M1951. The grip angle and the front sight integrated with the slide were also common to earlier Beretta pistols.
The Beretta 92 first appeared in 1976 and was designed by Carlo Beretta, Giuseppe Mazzetti and Vittorio Valle, all experienced firearms designers on the Beretta design team.
92
About 5000 copies of the first design were manufactured from 1975 to 1976.
92S
In order to meet requirements of some law enforcement agencies, Beretta modified the Beretta 92 by adding a slide-mounted combined safety and decocking lever, replacing the frame mounted manual thumb safety. This result in the 92S which was adopted by several Italian law enforcement and military units. The later relocation of the magazine release button means these models (92 & 92S) cannot necessarily use later magazines, unless they have notches in both areas.
92SB (92S-1)
Initially called the 92S-1 when it was specifically designed for US Air Force trials (which it won), the model name officially adopted was the 92SB. It included the changes of the 92S, added a firing pin safety, and relocated the magazine release catch from the bottom of the grip to the lower bottom of the trigger guard.
- 92SB Compact (1981 – 1991), shortened barrel and slide (13-round magazine capacity). It was replaced by the "92 Compact L".
92F (92SB-F)
Beretta modified the model 92SB slightly to create the 92F (and 92G) by making the following changes:
- Redesigned all the parts to make them interchangeable between 92 variants to simplify maintenance for large government organizations.
- Modified the front of the trigger guard so that one could use finger support for easier aiming.
- Modified the front angle of the grip to allow for better instinctive aiming.
- Hard chromed the barrel bore to protect it from corrosion and to reduce wear.
- New surface coating on the slide called Bruniton, which allegedly provides better corrosion resistance than the previous plain blued finish.
U.S. Military use
When the U.S. Air Force (USAF) began the Joint Service Small Arms Program, Beretta entered the competition. The Beretta 92SB (92S-1) won, but the Army contested the Air Force's methods. There would be several more competitions, and Beretta refined the design of the Beretta 92SB into the Beretta 92SB-F and in slightly modified form the Beretta 92G. These designs were ultimately selected by the United States (Beretta 92F, U.S. Military designation of M9 Pistol) and France (Beretta 92G, French military designation of "PAMAS"). The M9 Pistol was intended to replace the M1911A1 and .38-caliber revolvers and pistols. Over 500,000 M9 pistols were made and the switch-over was largely achieved.
The USAF has scheduled switching over from the early model M9 (92F) to the 92FS standard, according to planning documents. In May 2005, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) posted its intent to award a sole-source contract to Beretta for 3,480 "M9A1" pistols (M9 with an accessory rail, also available to the public from June 2006). In the U.S. Army, selected M9s were scheduled to be replaced by XM8 compact carbine variants. However, XM8 and the entire OICW Increment 1 program were suspended in July 2005. Current model M9s are scheduled for replacement under the Future Handgun System, which was merged with USSOCOM's SOF Combat Pistol program to create the Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) program. The JCP winner is specified as having a number of new features; chambered for .45 ACP, an integrated rail, Day/Night sights, and capable of accepting a sound suppressor. In early 2006, the JCP program was renamed Combat Pistol and seemingly split from the Army program.
Confusing matters, the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) purchased 5,000 Ruger P95 and 5,000 SIG SP2022 (SIGPro) pistols in December 2004. However, these pistols were purchased solely for issue to Iraqi security forces.
Early problems
Beretta now had two major contracts, about 500,000 units for the U.S. armed forces and around 230,000 units for the French armed forces. In the case of the Beretta 92G, the French would supply the slide steel to Italy, until GIAT would start licensed production. Beretta decided to use 5,000 semi finished slides intended for the French to build pistols for the U.S. military contract and soon after the US Armed forces accepted these pistols, a few slides of Beretta 92Fs (less than 10 total) and some older Beretta 92SBs started to crack and fly off. An investigation would later identify the lot that had been made with metallurgically inferior French steel slides as well as U.S.-manufactured 9 mm Luger ammunition that was extremely overpressured and not within specifications. Both parties were placing blame on each other without fully admitting their oversight. It was also discovered that the locking block required a design change to increase its service life. Military then has decided to exchange locking blocks after 5000 rounds giving a bad reputation to Beretta on the civilian market as a gun with a short life span. When a new version of a locking block appeared, it was a success. The locking block now is rated for 25,000 rounds, minimum. Yet, something had to be done to reduce the risk for the user of being struck by the rear half of the slide. The solution was the addition of a slide retention device in form of an enlarged hammer axis pin, the result was the Beretta 92FS. Since then, nearly all modern Beretta pistols are fitted with this simple means of user protection.
During this time, tests were also carried out using a closed slide (slide that lacks a cut which exposes a barrel), but this reduced the reliability of the pistol. Beretta eventually designed a new slide, one that contained more steel in the area prone to breakage, basically, thickening the slide walls. Later, this slide became known as the Brigadier type slide. And, although the causes of the initial slide breakages had already been remedied, the Brigadier is currently offered to consumers as a variant in addition to the original design, because its heavier weight helps to control the pistol when a series of shots is fired in quick succession. The Brigadier slide also offers the ability to adjust or replace the front sight in a dove-tail groove. Previously, on non-Brigadier slide, it was impossible because the front sight was a part of the slide and prevented any manipulation.
The trigger spring is another aspect that has been improved. It is responsible for resetting a trigger to its original position after each trigger pull. There had been cases where this spring would snap leaving a person with a half functioning handgun that would require the shooter to manually reset the trigger to its forward position. Beretta remedied the situation by changing the spring's design so that each leg is similar allowing it to be inverted in case one leg fails until a replacement can be fitted. The best practice is to change the trigger spring at regular intervals.
Design advantages
The Beretta 92's open slide design ensures very reliable feeding and ejection of ammunition and allows the barrel to cool down quickly. The locking block barrel lockup provides good accuracy without the need for tight tolerances. The high capacity magazine reduces the need to swap magazines often. The alloy frame reduces the overall weight of the pistol.
The open slide design is believed by some to increase the amount of dirt and dust that enter the pistol. Some feel that it allows more foreign matter to pass out of the pistol's action, thereby enhancing the design's field reliability. Neither side has any more validity than the other and, in practice, the firearm is as reliable as it is.
The magazine release button is reversible, making use by left handed shooters easier.
The hard-chromed barrel bore reduces wear and protects from corrosion.
Nowadays, it is popular to reduce handgun weight using light alloys or polymer. While handgun owners are yet to accustom to an idea of polymer guns, aluminum seemed like a right choice at the design time. Recently, polymer started to enter Beretta 92/96 models. This does not count the fact that the grips were always plastic except some models that have Hogue rubber grips. In 2004, first introduced internal polymer part was a recoil spring guide. Many Beretta owners were displeased with said polymer part just because it is "plastic." The polymer recoil spring guide does, in fact, work as well as its steel counterpart. However, it is possible that weight of a steel part helps with follow up shots by reducing muzzle flip. Moreover, in the middle of 2005 new polymer parts started to appear in Beretta 92/96 guns. New polymer parts include safety levers, trigger, slide release, disassembly latch.
Variants
The Beretta 92 is available in many configurations each with a distinct model name. Combining the various options results in more than 50 different configurations, but the major variants are defined by their operation caliber (92/96/98), operation (FS/G/D/DS) and combination of optional items (Inox/Brigadier slide/Compact length):
Calibers
Each model name starts with two digits identifying the caliber:
- 92
- Chambered for the 9 x 19 mm Parabellum.
- 96
- Chambered for the .40 S&W, introduced in 1993.
- 98
- Chambered for 9 x 21 mm IMI. This option was introduced in 1991 for markets where it is illegal to own a weapon chambered for a military cartridge like 9 x 19 mm.
Operation
- FS (standard)
- The current production version of the 92F with the only change being the addition of a slide-mounted ambidextrous safety (also acts as decocking lever). It is this version that was adopted by the US Army as the M9 Pistol.
- G (no safety)
- This version was created for and adopted by the French Military as PAMAS ; it is simply a model 92F with a decocking lever that does not also act as safety lever.
- D (double-action, no safety)
- The double-action-only variant of the 92F.
- DS (double-action with safety)
- The double-action-only variant of the 92F that includes a safety.
Options
- Vertec
- (2003 –)
- New vertical grip.
- Short-reach trigger.
- Thinner grip panels.
- Integral accessory rail.
- Removable front sight (can be replaced with Tritium sight).
- Bevelled magazine well (to enable easier/faster reloading).
- Brigadier
- (1993 – 2006)
- 60 g heavier slide (and 1 mm wider) to improve control when firing multiple shots in quick succession. It also includes removable front and rear Novak type sights.
- Elite I
- (1999 – 2001)
- Pistols with this option include the heavier Brigadier slide and some modifications to the grip and bevel of the magazine well. It was introduced in 1999 and replaced by the Elite II option in 2001.
- Elite II
- (2001 – 2006)
- This option replaced the Elite I option in 2001 and includes the same features of the heavier Brigadier slide and removable Novak type sights, but also an extended magazine release catch and skeletonized hammer. This option is available only with the stainless-steel slide.
- Inox
- (present)
- Stainless barrel, slide (frame anodised to match color).
- Compact L
- (1992 –)
- Shorter barrel, slide, and more compact frame (13-round magazine capacity).
- Compact Type M
- (1992 –)
- Similar to the Compact L, but has a slimmer grip that accepts only a single stacked 8-round magazine.
- Centurion
- (1992 – 1996)
- Shorter barrel and slide of (like "Compact"), but with standard-sized frame.
- CB
- (1992 – 1993)
- Single action only. It is designed for sport shooting and includes a front barrel bushing for improved accuracy.
- Stock
- (1994 –)
- Heavier Brigadier slide. It is also designed for sport shooting and includes a front barrel bushing for improved accuracy.
- Combat
- (1994 – 2001)
- Heavier Brigadier slide, single-action only and also designed for sport shooting, including a front barrel bushing for improved accuracy. It also came with an additional longer barrel.
- Billennium
- (2001 only)
- A limited-edition (2000 copies) commemoritive (of the year 2000) model manufactured in the 2001, featuring the heavier Brigadier slide.
- Steel I
- (2004 – 2006)
- Nickel-plated, single-action-only, collector's model. [Edit: Both single-action-only and single/double-action variants exist. Also used and desirable for competitive shooting because of its steel frame (for added weight & strength), the frame-mounted safety and/or Vertec-style grip-frame that are all found to be desirable features in a competition gun.]
93R
The Beretta 93R is a 92 modified significantly to provide the option of firing in three-round bursts. It also has a longer barrel, heavier slide, fitting for a shoulder stock, extra forward grip, and an extended magazine.
Taurus
The Beretta 92 was designed for sports and law enforcement use and, due to its reliability, was accepted by military users in South America. The first large contract for the Beretta 92 was a with the Brazilian army, for which Beretta set up a factory in Brazil. It later sold this factory to the Brazilian gunmaker Taurus.
Taurus continues to make pistols (under license from Beretta) based on the original Beretta 92, calling it the PT92, the barrel of which is still interchangeable with a Beretta 92. Taurus modified the original Beretta 92 design, and its recent pistols have the magazine release located behind the trigger guard, and different safeties that act as decocking levers when pulled down and trigger locks when pushed up, presenting the end-user with a different variety of safety options.
See also
External links
- Details on the Beretta 92
- Nazarian`s Gun`s Recognition Guide
- A short story of the 92 and its derivatives
- Free videos of Beretta 92/96 disassembly
- How To Make The 92FS 9mm Shoot, Performance Shooter, October 1997
References
Blue Book of Gun Values, 26th Edition, S. P. Fjestad ISBN 1-886768-55-2
