Originally Posted by Polybius (Post 785029)

I am new on this board. Seen topics on Glocks, Sigs, and various other favorites.

I never hear a word about Berettas, is there some sort of stigma against it because it was considered lowest bidder military fodder? I've had my 92-FS for 15 years now. Got it when I was 21 and paid almost $500 for it in CA - a rather large chunck of my paycheck back then. I've gone on to acquire various long guns and can probably afford any gun I want now but never considered wrapping my fingers around another hand gun other than my Beretta. She never jammed even once, not even a stove pipe, this is after going through 2 barrels. Accuracy was never an issue and I can take it apart, clean it, and put it back together as easily as I can pick my nose.

So is it crap? passe? or you guys just don't care for it? Please let me know where I stand with my trusty old friend.

Originally Posted by Lars Ragnarsson (Post 785074)

First, some background on the "lowest bidder" stereotype. I remember way back when after the military went with the M-9 (Beretta Model 92F) over the "Made in USA" weapons, especially S&W. Created a big stink about how our own military wasn't "buying American."

An article appeared in a gunning mag (can't remember which), and it described the testing process the contractors used to choose the next military sidearm. What I remember most was how the folks at S&W insisted on a firm appointment for them to come test. When the testers got there, they were handed six pistols that the S&W people hand-picked for them to test.

When they contacted Beretta, they said, "Come any time you like." When the testers showed up, they were shown to a room with 6,000 pistols on the wall. The inspectors asked, "Which six do you want us to shoot?" The answer was, "Any six you like."

In addition, the Beretta had fewer malfunctions than the S&W model. That's why the Beretta won - at the time, it outperformed the competition.

I know there's Beretta haters here, and the 92F has its drawbacks. Yes, it's big for people with smaller hands, and the open slide allowed excessive dirt/debris in the action in sandy and mucky field conditions.

That said, I've had one since the late 80s. One of the "Made in Italy" ones from before they converted the old Federal plant in Accokeek, MD. I used to buy cheap Blazer ammo for TP (I didn't know any better then). My wife and I would go to the range with her S&W LadySmith and my 92F, and once we also tried a Glock (forget which 9mm model it was). Anyway, my Beretta has put every type of ammo I've ever tried downrange without a malfunction. Meanwhile, we experienced several stovepipes and other jams with the LadySmith and the Glock - one of the reasons I've never owned a Glock.

So yeah, it's a little big for concealed carry (but not impossible), but since you probably don't have a lot of sand or mud in your home, it's an excellent and reliable home defense weapon. I also got a 96F (.40 S&W) when I was in Germany for a good price.

So you're not alone - I love my Berettas. :thumbs up