Optimizing the Beretta 92 for Self-Defense

Optimizing the Beretta 92 for Self-Defense

The Beretta 92 series http://www.beretta.com/en-us/92x-centurion/

of pistols is super popular with many new handgun owners because of its connection to the military and its prominence in movies, but it tends to be not as popular with shooters who have a little more experience and that’s because it’s an old design and not as nostalgic as the 1911https://www.colt.com/series/COMMANDER_SERIES. It’s double action,it’s big and heavy, and just not cool anymore. Some of the most respected shooters and instructors in the industryare big fans of the 92 and they are quick to point out the merits of the design and the fact that it’s still a viable platform. The Beretta 92 has a lot going for it and it is a serious self-defense tool. One of the things that really sets this gun apart is the fact that it is one of the most reliable handguns on the market.This is something that gets overlooked a lot of times, partly because Beretta hasn’t done quite as good a job of exploiting its reliability as some other gun makers like Glock. It’s not uncommon to run into somebody who’s got a Berretta 92 that’s gone thousands of rounds without a single malfunction of any kind and this has a lot to do with the open top slide design.

The most common type of stoppage with a semi-auto pistol is failure to eject, the classic stovepipe. With a Beretta when that empty case comes out of the chamber it doesn’t have anywhere else to go except out of the way so it’s very uncommon for a case to get stuck.When you hear about problems with the 92 it’s usually because of either poor quality magazines or poor maintenance. This is especially the case with a lot of the military’s M 9s that have been chronically abused for the last three decades. If you take care of these guns, if you lube them and use good magazines and replace the springs every few thousand rounds, they should run for a long time.

The Beretta 92 is also incredibly accurate compared to just about any other non custom fighting pistol. It soaks up recoil and it’s exceptionally soft shooting even compared to other full sized 9mm’s https://www.federalpremium.com/handgun/american-eagle/american-eagle-handgun/11-AE9DP100.html.With a Beretta reduced power hammer spring the trigger pull can be smooth and easy to manage without compromising safety or primary ignition. These are all good things, but they’re not all necessary for a self-defense pistol. If we look at what we actually needin a gun like this, it’s a fairly short list. Reliability is the absolute top priority and the Beretta 92 has got that. We also need an effective caliber and enough ammo capacity to take care of the kind of threats that we might face.Depending on the mags you’re using you can get 15 to 20 rounds of 9mm with a Beretta so we can check that box, too. The gun also needs to fit the shooter so they can reach all the controls and the trigger and still get a solid firing grip in order to adequately manage recoil. The fit is where the Beretta fall’s short for a lot of people. The standard 92 does not have great ergonomics. In particular, the slide mounted safety is not very user friendly, it’s awkward to use even if you’re lucky enough to have fingers that can reach it without breaking your grip. Some people like the safety on this gun and that’s fine, but for most people it’s a liability just because it’s not very intuitive to disengage. You can carry this gun with a safety in the fire position and it’s still completely safe because of the long double action trigger pull. However, if you do this, you need to practice sweeping off that safety. You have to make that motion with your finger every time you bring the gun up to target. Just in case the safety becomes engaged without you realizing it.Because of how awkward it is to use the safety and the fact that most people just aren’t gonna practice with it as much as they should, the Beretta 92 G is probably a better option.With the G model a lever acts as a decocker only and it cannot be left in the safe position, so you remove that liability completely. The G models are not always easy to find so if you get impatient, Wilson combat https://www.wilsoncombat.com/will convert your FSA model to a G for $150. The other issue that some people have with the fit of this gun is the large grip. This can make the trigger reach too long for a lot of people so that they either end up with a bad grip or they just can’t properly manipulate that trigger for the first double action shot. You can get a little help by trying some slimmer grip panels or by installing the short reach trigger. Those things can both make a huge difference. There may be some other options that a Hey Siri or Hey Google online search will turn up. There’s also a version of the 92 called the Vertex, which has a reduced grip with a straight backstrap. It’s not for everybody, but it can help with trigger rich issues in some cases.

If you can get a Beretta 92 setup so that it fits you. It’s really tough to beat for a full sized self-defense pistol and it doesn’t have to be an expensive custom job either. If you just have a plain 92 G, stick a reduced power hammer spring in it and put some bright orange paint on the front sight and you would be well equipped for anything you might need to do with that pistol. Of course, Beretta has made a ton of variations of the 92 over the years that add some nice features like a light rail, removable front sight and more aggressive grip texture. If you actually want to carry the 92 there are several compact models that are severely underrated.

There are many ways to store and organize handguns. One of the best that we have seen is made by Hyskore www.hyskore.com. It’s their 30277 Six Gun Modular Pistol Rack https://hyskore.com/products/30277-6-gun-eva-pistol-rack/. This is a great rack because not only does it have a smooth, semi rigid finish that properly supports handguns and keeps them from touching each other, thereby avoiding scratches and damage, it’s also modular. The rack can be disassembled, and then the various segments can be reassembled to accommodate guns of various widths such as single stack magazine guns, double stack magazine guns, and revolvers. This also leads to the ability to take several racks and add them together to make one customized rack that fills the upper shelf in the typical gun safe so you can utilize every inch and have a place for each one of your guns. This is available from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/HYSKORE-Modular-Pistol-Rack-Green/dp/B00V72R4R2/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?dchild=1&keywords=hyskore+dergreezer&qid=1573757094&sr=8-1-fkmr0.

As far as magazine storage goes, if you have that many guns you probably have many magazines. Hyskore has also developed really good pistol magazine storage racking systems. They are the 30316 Double Stack Magazine Organizer https://hyskore.com/products/30316-double-stack-modular-magazine-storage/ which holds 12 double stack magazines.