I would like to talk about a great gun that I have on my wish list of guns that I currently do not own, and one of these happens to be the Beretta 92 and the Beretta M9 which are made in Italy. First of all, what is the difference between these two pistols? Well there are a few slight differences although I was told that the main difference between the two is the sights. The Beretta 92 and its variants are the civilian versions of the M9 for the military, but I believe that it is possible to purchase either one of them as far as I know. Both guns have a 15 round magazine and look virtually identical, for the purpose of this blog I will refer to this pistol as the Beretta 92. As most gun enthusiasts already know, the Beretta 92 is the pistol that replaced the military's 1911 45 ACP handgun back in 1985 and is currently still in use with every branch of the military. Many people have often griped about changing from 45 ACP to 9mm, usually stating that the stopping power is lacking in a 9mm pistol. I will say that there have been instances of people being shot numerous times with a 45 and 9mm and not stopping dead in their tracks, so what is the remedy? Use a rifle or a shotgun! It should be noted that handguns are meant to be sidearms, weapons that can be carried easier, maybe even concealed, but at the same time not necessarily have stopping power. So what whatever the case, I would have to say that the 9mm fired from any handgun is adequate, it is very accurate, and whether you have to shoot an attacker 1 time or 15, it is usually capable of stopping an attacker so long as you have good shot placement. One of the former generals of the US Army a few years ago, said of the Beretta that it will do its part so long as the soldier does their part.
Before I continue, I should mention that the Beretta 92 as of now, is probably a bit outdated, is it a bad gun? No, definitely not, but it is showing signs of aging. How so you might ask? Well first of all it is a pretty big gun, I was able to check one out at the local gun shop and I have to say the grip is very large, I would have to say it is about as large as a Ruger P95, which I always considered very clunky. The Beretta has a long barrel, 4.9 - 5 inches, which I personally like, but for those that want more concealment and a large magazine capacity, this probably isn't your best choice. I have heard various stories about the Beretta 92 being unreliable, but as far as I can tell, most of these had been attributed to poor magazines, and poor ammunition. However, based on what I have researched, the Glock 17 is probably a superior choice. One other thing about the Beretta is that it has a 15 round magazine, which is good, but the Glock 17 in 9mm has 17 rounds, which I personally think is better, and another pistol, the FN Five-Seven in 5.7mm has a 20 round magazine so they both beat Beretta. But in all honesty, do we need more than 15 rounds? I would say 15 rounds is still pretty good, but probably in a combat situation most would feel better with 17 or 20. Accuracy is another issue, I have not been able to fire a Beretta 92, but it is a 9mm, and I have to say, the 9mm, whether in a Glock, Ruger, or whatever gun is probably going to be accurate, so this isn't a problem. In terms of looks, I have to say that the Beretta 92 is incredibly nice looking, especially compared to the Glock, which I love, but I have to admit, it is a little ugly. One last question about the Beretta, how do we mount a flashlight or laser? Well, some newer Beretta 92's have a rail, and the older ones, you can always get a laser grip, so this is not too much of a problem.
So some of you might be wondering, why would you want a Beretta 92 if it is outdated? Well, I have to say that the Beretta 92 is an iconic gun, it has been popularized by films such as Lethal Weapon as well as video games such as Resident Evil. The Beretta 92 is just an awesome looking gun, and I cant think of a whole lot of guns besides maybe the 1911 that have that same appeal. For me, I think that Resident Evil was the game that influenced me the most to consider getting a Beretta, especially the remake which featured a customized Beretta that is used by the characters Chris and Jill. I had even seen someone on Youtube who had customized his Beretta to look just like the one on Resident Evil, and I have to say, I was really impressed. While there is currently a newer model, the Beretta PX storm, I just have to say for me, if you want a Beretta, the 92 is the one I want. So if you want an iconic gun that works well for the range, home defense, or just collecting, the Beretta is a great choice.
*The above photo was found with Google.*