by Scott Smith | Contributing Editor
Beretta’s 92A1, a pistol built for harshest use is capable of being a true action competition pistol. The competition-ready 92A1 is shown here with its test ammunition.
It’s been 30 years since Beretta (17601 Indian Head Hwy, Dept. TGM, Accokeek, MD 20607; phone: 800-264-4962) was awarded the contract to supply the military with the M9/92FS pistol. This 9mm pistol holds 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition, with the new magazines, 17. The M9 has served many troops in harm’s way and saved countless lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Throughout its service there has been a love-hate relationship with the pistol. Most of that hatred came during the early years of the conflicts when there was still a shortage of 15-round magazines thanks to the “assault weapons ban” that was still alive. The government issued substandard magazines that became clogged with the fine sand of the desert and failed to feed. Fortunately, to the best of my knowledge, there were no deaths from this. Even though this issue has been fixed, troops lost confidence in the M9
While there are many troops who complain about the Beretta, like troops bashed the M16 in Vietnam; troops like Sergeant Major Brad Kasal staked their lives on the M9. One of the most famous photos of the Operation Iraqi Freedom was of Kasal being carried out of a building in Fallujah by two fellow Marines. In his hand is his Beretta M9, which he refused to relinquish until he was off the field of battle. Kasal, though grievously wounded, continued fighting, giving orders and protecting his Marines with his pistol. For his actions Sergeant Major Kasal would be awarded the Navy Cross and show that troops did stake their lives on the M9.
The internal shock buffer to prevent the locking block from battering the frame.
Berettas not only serve our troops but numerous agencies throughout the country and 25 nations. My last agency issued the Beretta 92 Double-Action-Only. Many complained about the trigger pull, but I found it to be one of the smoothest DAOs I have ever fired; and my issue pistol was a new, never-issued pistol. It performed flawlessly with our issue duty round, the 124-grain Gold Saber, and training round, the 124-grain full metal jacket UMC. Not a day on duty did I fear that my pistol was not adequate to protect me and others.
I liked the 92 DAO well enough that I purchased Beretta’s Elite II. This pistol sported the heavier Brigadier slide like those of the pistols which were issued to ICE/Border Patrol at the time. Unlike the standard M9/92FS which has a slide mounted decocking/safety lever, the Elite II was a “G” model with a decocking only lever. At the time the Elite II was a popular IDPA stock service pistol and I fired thousands of rounds through mine in IDPA and USPSA matches, and still shoot it today.
This past year while perusing Beretta’s catalog I noticed they had an upgraded 92FS, the 92A1. This pistol like the M9/92FS is a traditional double action pistol with its slide-mounted safety/decocking lever. Unlike the M9/92FS, the 92A1 has a dovetailed front sight, captured recoil spring, light rail and an internal/built-in “shock buff.” After a few discussions with folks who work on Berettas I decided I needed to add the M92A1 to my stable of pistols.
To give you accurate shots choose from Wilson Combat’s Battlesight (L) or a Novak Sight (R).
When I opened the box I found a pistol that looked and felt like the M9s we were transitioning to at Ft. Bragg just before I left active duty, with a light rail. The trigger still was a smooth 12-ish pounds double-action and single-action around six pounds; which is about standard for new double-action pistols. Like all Beretta service pistols the M92A1 sports the open slide that gives the pistol its time-tested reliability.
Before heading to the range I made sure the 92A1 was lubricated. This procedure is simple on Berettas: remove the magazine and ensure the weapon is clear, push the slide lock button, turn the slide lock lever down and remove the slide assembly. Then you can remove the recoil spring and barrel, the pistol is ready to clean or in this case put a few drops of oil on the locking block, slide and slide rails on the frame. Once the pistol was assembled it was stowed in the range bag for the range.
VZ Grips with golf ball texture give you a secure grip in all conditions while the Wilson Combat Mag Guide and Extended Magazine Release make for smooth mag changes.
To test the M92A1 I gathered a collection of reloads and factory ammunition from Black Hills (PO Box 3090, Dept TGM, Rapid City, SD 57709; phone: 605-348-5150), Hornady (3625 West Old Potash Hwy, Dept TGM, Grand Island, NE 68803; phone: 800-338-3220) and Remington (PO Box 700, Dept TGM, Madison, NC 27025; phone: 800-243-9700). The loads from Black Hills were 115-grain full metal jacket and 124-grain hollowpoints. Offerings from Hornady were 115-grain XTPs from the Critical Defense and American Gunner lines and 135-grain FlexLock from the Critical Defense line; and Remington loads were UMC 115-grain full metal jacket, HTP 115-grain hollowpoints and 124-grain hollowpoints from the Ultimate Defense family. The reloads had hollowpoint and full metal jacket, with bullets weights ranging from 115-grains to 147-grains. This selection of ammunition would see how the pistol performed with duty/self-defense ammunition and competition/range loads.
For initial testing a half dozen magazines were loaded with a variety of loads to test initial reliability and accuracy. During the initial shooting there were no failures to feed, extract or fire, which is what was anticipated. Offhand the pistol gave us sub-four-inch five-shot groups at 25 yards; all rounds in the “A” zone of a USPSA target. This is what I had expected firing the pistol offhand from traditional double action/single action. When fired from a rest, the same groups dropped to sub three inches. For a stock duty pistol this is what one would expect for accuracy, and these groups were consistent load to load.
With this initial performance and Beretta’s proven reliability, I knew this pistol could shoot better with a few improvements making this M92A1 ideal for action shooting matches. Enhancements to the pistol would include work on the trigger, sights, extended magazine release and magazine well. All of these would make the pistol fit the end user better and improve accuracy.
92A1 in YetiTac’s paddle competition holster while the 90TWO rests in the Pro OWB; custom quality kydex for the personal touch.
One of the biggest complaints of the M9/92 series of pistols is the size of the grip. Factory polymer grips have to be the size they are because of the constraints of the material. Thanks to VZ Grips (3616 Jackson Bluff Rd, Dept TGM, Tallahassee, FL 32304; phone: 850-422-1911) constructing the grips from G10, the size can be significantly reduced (in this case an 1/8”). G10 is a resin composite with continuous filaments of glass cloth that is heat set. This makes the grips tough as nails with a wide range of textures, checkering, golf ball dimples, slants, or their “frag” design which looks like a World War II grenade. These textures give the end user a good purchase no matter the weather conditions. VZ Grips are virtually impervious to extremes in temperature and to any of the modern cleaning products on the market. I have had pistols with VZ Grips take a fall off my work bench (thanks to operator carelessness) when working on them and the grips do not ding, nick, crack—nothing. They can be deemed soldier-proof. VZ Grips make the 92A1 fit my hands perfectly and are worth every penny of their $75 price. If you need verification of how good VZ’s Beretta Grips are, Wilson Combat chose them for the Beretta/Wilson 92G. Fear not if you are not a Beretta owner; VZ has grips for 1911s, CZ75s, Para P14s, Hi Powers, several compact pistols and Smith & Wesson revolvers.
Over the last couple of years, I have come to appreciate the improved sight picture provided by fiber optic sights. Wilson Combat (2452 CR 719, Dept TGM, Berryville, AR 72616; phone: 800-955-4856) has been leading the way on manufacturing parts for the M9/92FS with the Battlesights. The “U-notch” gives you a fast, accurate sight picture and with their fiber optics, it’s like shooting a red dot on your handgun. The Battlesight is a modified low profile wedge that has a ledge to assist in one handed racking of the pistol. What sets this ledge apart from others is the lack of sharp edges that can serrate your hand if you have to clear a jam. Living in the Northeast I prefer the red fiber optic rod, so it won’t blend into the green of the woods; for more barren areas the green fiber optic works well.
Another option for Beretta sights is Novaks (PO Box 4045, Dept TGM, Parkersburg, WV 26104; phone: 304-428-2676) and Dawson Precision (3300 CR 233, Dept TGM, Florence, TX 76527; phone: 866-300-1911). The time-tested and street-proven Novak rear sight ($34.95) gives a bold crisp traditional square notch. This sight was an easy direct replacement on the M92A1’s sibling the 90TWO. When coupled with the M92A1 front sight from Dawson Precision ($39), the 90TWO has a wicked fast and accurate sight picture. To get the boldest dot out of the front fiber optic, it is flattened over the sight blade, versus having the fiber recessed into the sight counterbore. Some will argue this detracts from precision shooting. However, I will give up PPC accuracy for a bit brighter front post. I have found the Novak/Dawson combination to be one of the best traditional notch combinations available. Before thinking they won’t work in low light, extensive use has shown they will pick up ambient light from a pistol-mounted or handheld light.
Wilson’s Mag Guide ($49.95) and Extended Magazine Release ($41.95) are not a must have, but they make reloads easier and a bit smoother. Factory Beretta magazine releases are very low profile to ensure it is not bumped on duty, but can be a hindrance for competition shooting. Over the last many months I have not had a magazine accidently pop out of my 92A1 or other Berettas that have them. Unlike competition releases for 1911s, these are just the right size to allow for easy activation but not big enough they are in the way for daily carry. The magazine guide is not a mag well, but a small extension of the rear of the frame. It simply replaces and becomes the mainspring cap which gives you a guide into the pistol. Again it’s not going to affect the pistol for daily concealed carry, since the new seventeen round magazines have an “extended” base pad.
With all the enhancements installed it was time to take the M92A1 back to the range. What I found was the average group size dropped by a half an inch off the rest and nearly an inch freehand. To verify the pistol/shooter were action pistol shooting ready, several groups were fired at 50 yards on a 3Gun Nation Pro Series Birchwood Casey target. The pistol kept a 15-round magazine inside the red circle, which translates to keeping all rounds in a USPSA “C” zone. This makes the M92A1 a good all round action shooting pistol. With my well over 30 eyes and beat up GI body, the enhanced 92A1 is more than adequate for use in USPSA, IDPA and 3-Gun competition and for personal protection.
All that was needed to make the 92A1 a complete pistol was a quality holster. Wanting something different I contacted YetiTac. YetiTac offers some of the brightest color holsters I have seen and they can customize these holsters with appliqués of military unit patches or anything you can think up. Priced from $60, YetiTac is very competitive and the owner is one of the most committed proprietors I have dealt with over the last 20 years. For competition, I had a paddle holster made in “tie-dye” and for daily carry a Pro OWB in woodland; both had parachutist and security police function badges applied to make them mine. Both the paddle and Pro rival the holsters from any of the big name companies. Mine have seen a lot of dry fire and range use over the last several weeks while putting the 92A1 through its paces. The holsters hold the Beretta securely, give fast presentations and stay put on the belt; just like a quality piece of kit should. YetiTac offers holsters for most popular pistols; if you are in the market for a holster put them on your short list.
After running the Beretta 92A1 for the last several months I can say without a doubt that it carries on the heritage of the M9/92FS. With the light rail, built-in shock buff, dovetail sights, accuracy and reliability; the 92A1 is a pistol that is built for hard use. In the last four months my sample has digested nearly 2,000 rounds of ammunition without cleaning and just a few drops of oil. It has been fired in monsoons, white outs and gorgeous fall days; through it all the pistol has not had a failure to feed, extract, misfire or any other type of malfunction. If you are looking for a quality handgun that has been built to survive the rigors of combat, the Beretta 92A1 is a pistol you should consider. You won’t regret it.
