The Beretta 92/M9 variant was getting pretty long in the tooth. The weapon had served our military admirably, but I had no interest in owning one, other than some sense of obligation due to its place in history. I found the pistol to be too expensive, too big in the hand, it didn’t hold enough ammo, and it had that darned safety. The gun was approaching irrelevance compared to the modern competition. Even the military has finally dropped this pistol for something more modern.
Well, a few things happened that have completely changed my mind, and that of many other people. First, Beretta updated the pistol and made some better-late-than-never changes, such as adding an accessory rail, changeable front sight, and including three 17 round magazines. Second, the price has come down to less than $600 for certain models (such as the pictured 92a1). Third, Beretta came out with the “G Decocker Kit,” ($37.58 from Bud’s Gunshop) that allows the end user to delete the safety and maintain the decocker-only. Finally, some well respected, big names in the gun world have started manufacturing accessories such as Wilson Combat’s ultra-thin G10 grips ($81.95 from Wilson Combat). The thin grips don’t measure that much different than the standard black plastic grips. However, in the hand the difference is dramatic. To me, the pistol now feels thin, like a 1911, rather than huge like a 2 by 4.
The trigger pull was quite heavy, so I swapped in the, “D,” mainspring ($6.99 from Brownells). I believe that this pistol is now an excellent choice. It is a pleasure to shoot an all metal gun after years of Glocks and M&Ps. The gun is also as accurate and dependable as can be. It’s always nice to have a gun that is enjoyable. It’s even more enjoyable when that gun is a classic that has come back from irrelevance.
Rob