Beretta 92FS aka M9

Performance: 8

After having carried one for nearly a decade now, I can say this is probably one of the most underrated pistols today. My experience with this pistol has been almost completely positive. I bought one for my wife, also a Military Policeman, so we could train at home with the same weapon we use at work, and her gun has been very reliable and very accurate. Accuracy of this gun is better than that of my Glock 19, though not as good as my Glock 34. There were some problems with my wife's gun, and I believe it to be the green finish (it's green and black) that was on the rails causing some binding as the gun heated up. I removed the finish and polished all metal to metal contact surfaces with my trusty Dremel Tool, and now it shoots like a dream

Features: 7

I am not a fan of the controls of this gun, as I prefer the bare minimum such as those found on the Glocks. Having said that, the controls are easy to manipulate and prominent enough that a left handed firer can access the slide stop lever with their left trigger finger. Safety is ambidextrious and the magazine release can be switched from right to left hand configuration with a pair of needle nose pliers after removing the grip panels. I don't like the fact that the front sight is integral to the slide, as I want tritium sights on all my guns without having to machine them on.

Appeal: 5

This gun's first big exposure to the public came from the Lethal Weapon movie series and just gained in popularity from there. I'm sure Beretta is cursing Glock, as they fall way behind the Austrian company in terms of popularity. I can honestly say I wouldn't own one if I didn't feel it necessary to have a civilian copy of the basic firearms I use in the army.

Overall:

Performance: 

After having carried one for nearly a decade now, I can say this is probably one of the most underrated pistols today. My experience with this pistol has been almost completely positive. I bought one for my wife, also a Military Policeman, so we could train at home with the same weapon we use at work, and her gun has been very reliable and very accurate. Accuracy of this gun is better than that of my Glock 19, though not as good as my Glock 34. There were some problems with my wife's gun, and I believe it to be the green finish (it's green and black) that was on the rails causing some binding as the gun heated up. I removed the finish and polished all metal to metal contact surfaces with my trusty Dremel Tool, and now it shoots like a dream

Performance Rating: 

8

Features: 

I am not a fan of the controls of this gun, as I prefer the bare minimum such as those found on the Glocks. Having said that, the controls are easy to manipulate and prominent enough that a left handed firer can access the slide stop lever with their left trigger finger. Safety is ambidextrious and the magazine release can be switched from right to left hand configuration with a pair of needle nose pliers after removing the grip panels. I don't like the fact that the front sight is integral to the slide, as I want tritium sights on all my guns without having to machine them on.

Features Rating: 

7

Appeal: 

This gun's first big exposure to the public came from the Lethal Weapon movie series and just gained in popularity from there. I'm sure Beretta is cursing Glock, as they fall way behind the Austrian company in terms of popularity. I can honestly say I wouldn't own one if I didn't feel it necessary to have a civilian copy of the basic firearms I use in the army.

Appeal Rating: 

5

The Beretta 92 is not a bad weapon system, just not as good as other ones out there. They are very durable and reliable, provided you don't have crappy magazines. You may know servicemembers who trash the Beretta based on their experience with them, but there are a few things to remember and perhaps ask them. The low "stopping power" of the Beretta is not the fault of the gun, it's the fact that we are stuck with Full Metal Jacket 9mm rounds in the military. You feed your civilian Beretta with 124 gr Speer Gold Dot hollow points like mine, and you're ready for a fight. The biggest issue with this gun has been magazines. The Beretta magazines don't hold up well to the sandy environment of the middle east and this has caused some concern for those of us who have carried them there. I have to say I've never been too worried about it, as I deploy with a belt-fed machine gun on top of my truck and an M4/M203 combo, 12 gauge shotgun, and frag grenades with me in addition to the rest of my squad's arsenal, so a pistol is not much of an issue for me. The other thing to remember when listening to us bitch is how used and abused the military guns get. You would bem shocked if you saw someone treat your personal gun the way these are treated, and a civilian Beretta will last much longer due to (hopefully) better handling and care. Overall, the Beretta is not my first, second, or even thrid choice for a personal defense gun, but it is reliable, accurate, and priced well for most people who take their personal safety seriously and will serve you well.