Update THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, ABOUT 1/3 COMPLETE. A dude asked for progress pics. These are it

Sorry for the scattered pics. But I figured last night was as good as any so I busted out a half round jewelry file and a 1 inch flat file. Turned on squid games and got to the initial cuts.

This pig nose has to be leveled, the radius matched and the frame line raised.





No tricks here. Just don’t over cut the ditch and the rest is cake. There’s a tons of material to work with here.



At this point a coat of alumiblack and I’m about done with the files. There’s only so much freehand filing sitting on my couch that I’m going to do.



The lines need to walk higher on both sides, and the bottom radius needs more shaping. But I’ll do that in a vise at the shop with some emery boards or similar.





The side lines like I said still need to lift and the whole thing needs to be sanded still. But that’s what I did last night.





In the end it just did indeed bother me that bad
Op

Title says it all. I only traded for a 92 from nostalgia for my Navy days.

Turns out, I can’t stand the angle of the fs dust cover. I don’t want any part of it.



There’s so much noise on the internet it’s hard to get a straight answer. But which is regarded as the better gun? Why is the fs $70 more than the American made gun?

Can I just reshape the dust cover and coat the frame? Has anyone done this?

Or should I just sell or trade and get an M9?

Let’s get this stupid question out of the way in the op.

“Who cares what it looks like it’s a tool hurrrrrrrdurrrrr?”

I do, I do ok. I care very much actually, if you don’t. Sweet.

So has anyone done it? Or is it a value killing mistake?

And yes, I’m aware the material was added for the .40

Not relevant to me.

Sell it or trade for an M9.

Please explain "cut the dust cover".

Like machining it to eliminate the angle and refinish the frame.

"Can't stand"... visually or how your support hand fits when gripping?

Is this an OCD kinda thing.

Yes, to all of that.

Ordinarily I don’t critique on things like this. But as this weapons only purpose was a trip down memory lane. It does bother me.

So yes I’d machine the material off then just cerakote instead of re anodizing .

The question is, is the Italian made fs “better” in any way than the American M9? Is the extra cost just from extra parts? Or is it the more desirable gun?

As I got this on a trade it’s in my best interest to keep it rather than buy an M9 at retail.

I don’t want to go through the hassle of transfer again. Particularly at cabelas which is the only place local that has them. I really dislike dealing with the those guys.

If it’s a stupid endeavor so be it. But as I look at this frame I could quite easily re profile that line by hand. I’ve done far more complicated fabrication than that before.

And I wonder if anyone has done it before?

Fair enough!

If you reprofile the dust cover, take progress photos and post them.

It sounds like something interesting to see!

This

I'm the same way, I don't like the look of the angled dust cover either.  I've got an M9 and I asked an online shop to send me a picture of a new INOX 92 I was looking at on their site so I could check it had the flat cover before I ordered it.  She found me one.  

I can honestly say I’ve been away from beretta for so long I never knew they made a sloped frame. So that’s definitely on me for not knowing what I was trading for.

I saw yours in another thread. Nice find bro

Angled Dust cover is nasty and hideous. The Inox guns are disgusting looking with the angled DC and black controls. Just trade for an M9 or older straight DC 92.

Upon closer inspection I’m most likely going to trade.

Believe it or not, I can make that straight line with nothing more than a jewelers file. But, in order to shape it that way you’d have to come at it from two angles. In fact you have to spend quite some time from two angles to make it straight.

That being said, I’d be actually filing directly on the serial number for a time. I’m not paranoid or anything but could you imagine taking a case over a damn beretta?





Oh well, I’ll just bide my time and live with it till an M9 comes my way.

God why did they ever do that?

I mean cracks yeah sure, but has the ever been a cracked frame on an M9? I was under the impression it was all slide related problems?

I sold my slanted dust covered blued 92FS and bought an 92FS inox.  FWIW - All current production Inox models made in the U.S. have a straight dust cover.

Attached File

Good to know, I’m not bothered by stainless at all. Thanks for the info

Wow, I can't believe the hatred over a slanted dust cover.  Whew!  I have a 92X (has rail) and a 96FS clone with slant.  They both look fine to me.  I wouldn't butcher a gun over it for sure.

Me neither tbh, I’ve never been so laser focused on a VERY minor cosmetic change.

And I assure you it’s me being petty. Nonetheless

I don’t want a pointed beretta anymore than I want a double action 1911.

Chock it up to buyers regret. I’m not enamored but these guns to begin with. Which is why I’ve never paid retail for one.

Had I had to foresight to read up on them. I wouldn’t have made the trade.

That being said I do also file out all my 3 hole triggers to look like a colt gold cup. No reason why, I just like to tinker.

I’m not sure if I want to round off the trigger guard or not. I definitely don’t have the patience for strap checkering but will most likely flare the mag well. There’s a good amount of metal to work with down there.

Sell it?
I wouldn't take for free.

I had no idea this was even a thing. I had no idea there was even a difference. Looking at the pictures, there is so little of a difference, how is this even a issue? I have owned my beat up police trade 92FS for years and never once ever looked twice at this area of the gun, and never will. It is how it came from the factory, and will continue to be this way.

You make ill repairable changes/damage to a gun that is now lost a good bit of it's resale value.
If it bothered you that much, sell/trade it for the model you do want.

Looks good so far!  Please post pics after you've finished it up.

Same I never noticed till I clicked this thread. Still love my Italian 92FS.

Yup. Like I said that’s as far as I’m going to take it on the couch. I’ll finish it off in a vice and raise those sidelines under some good light. Then cerakote it when I replace the plastic parts.

As I stated before this was a very niche gun for me. I put off buying one for two decades because I just didn’t wanna pay retail for one. I got this thing in a trade and after I learned about that pointed nose it’s all I could look at.

And I’m certainly not alone. There’s at least a dozen threads on this board to talk about it. And another discussion that Google has plenty of examples side-by-side if you want to check it out.

That material was added in a later revision.

I just got busy with a few other projects and have it come back to it. In the light it’s suitable for every day carry no problem as it sits. I’ll make it pretty when I feel like finishing it up.

I don’t go around taking files to every frame that I have.

If you’ve ever done any metal work at all looking at this particular frame. It’s got so much material to work with their maze will be a whole Frame on that frame.

To my knowledge every crack in a Beretta has been on the slide and after hundreds of thousands of rounds.

It’s aluminum all aluminum. Doesn’t get any easier to file than that.

Furthermore it’s a Beretta 92. I mean I know some guys live and die by this gun but dude. It’s not someone off exotic that I’m chopping up. I’m pretty sure the Beretta Community will survive hit.

So yeah I wasn’t scared at all to do irreparable changes to this gun.

My only real hesitation was raising that line on the frame was too close to the serial number. But after really looking at it it’s a light year away man. Only the warning on the other side is in danger of being touched and honestly I can walk right up to that line to.

So I know that not everybody’s comfortable with doing this to their firearms but it’s not like I took a rattle Can to a Bugatti here guys.

So you and I are quite rare in NOT knowing about this. I assure you. It’s a thing. And well talked about in this forum.








I hadn’t handled or read about a 92 in 20 years. As I wrote earlier this pistol was a nostalgic itch and not much more. I didn’t know they had different frames. That’s on me for not reading before shopping.

But if you had one for years and years and didn’t know about it then ok.

Had I known about it, I would have walked right past the trade.

Still wouldn’t have purchased a 92 at retail.

I just grabbed the EZ Rail. And saved myself having to do any trading or selling/buying.

For some reason, the website says it doesn't fit the Brigadier but it fit mine just fine, at least what they sold about 5 years ago did.

Attached File

Not the best pic, but you get the idea.

ETA: your DIY job does look good by the way!

Solution to something I never had a problem with

I, too, was surprised at how obscure the change from early to late guns is.

When nostalgia bit me, I found out about the angled dust cover when I was trying to find out what combination of letters after 92 was the same as an M9.  It was happenstance that I found a M9 vs later 92FS comparison thread.  The thing that would have bothered me most after the angled dust-cover on the FS would have been the sights.

Also in here I noticed that the used market for 92FS around here was about the same price as a new commercial M9, so I just bought the M9.



And it still wasn't right!

My nostalgia gun had slotted screws, not allen sockets.  The allen heads are arguably a downgrade too.  So I ordered replacements.



Not near as drastic as filing down the .40 reinforcement from the dust cover, but I totally understand the base need to make it MY gun.

Edit: nevermind

Nobody noticed the feet?

I did. I stared at that first picture for a long time. I thought the OP was perhaps one of those really cool people that use their feet for everything, like writing, cooking, play piano…

I looked at this thread three times before and didn’t notice until you said something.