Hello all.  I've got a couple of questions.  First one is: there is a 92 variant, I don't know them very well, for sale at my local gander mountain.  It is marked M9 on the frame.  Is this possible?  I didn't think the M9 was available to anyone commercial.  I thought that was strictly a military designation.


Also, I have a dilemma.  This christmas my dad bought me a 1911.  The  handguns I'd been shooting previously we're a .22 Ruger MkI, a Colt Detective special, and a Taurus PT92 with adjustable sights.  I  always thought the 1911 would be the brass ring, but admitttedly, I don't think I shoot it near as well as any of the other pistols I have.  Some of you may have seen that thread.  And on top of that, when I compare the Taurus and the 1911, just holding them, the taurus just feels so nice.  I don't know how to explain it but it feels much more natural than the 1911.  I think the 1911 is a simpler design and I respect it entirely, I'm just not sure if it's for me.  I have about 600 rounds through it.  Part of me says, forge on, shoot it more, practice more, (which I need to do anyways with any of my pistols to get more proficient) but  another part of me says, get a berreta, as close to the military one as I can get.  Ammo is definitely cheaper, which would allow me to practice more.  The fit of the guns seems better to me, and it's possible that a .45 will take alot more effort to shoot more accurately  for me.  And more money obviously.  BTW, my 1911 is a Springfield Milspec.  It's only jammed once and I wasn't firing it, so I'm not counting that.  It's been very reliabel but I can't shoot it that well.  Also admittedly, I'm not an expert pistol guy but I can definitely tell a difference.  I see it like this there are many pro's to the beretta.  I personally don't have a problem with the wide grip.  And my hands aren't that big.  And you get more rounds.  What does everyone think?  

Beretta has made several runs of M9 marked pistols for civilian sales.

The current M9 Special Edition is the third time Beretta has sold M9s to the civilian market. It is to commerate the 20th Anniversary of the M9 in US military service. I have no idea how many are being produced in this run. My brother just picked one up a couple weeks ago.  I have one from the first run that was back around '98. If thats what you saw then I say go buy it, you won't be sorry.

I have the SA SS Milspec and a 92D.

Buy the Beretta, you will not regret it!

I like the SA SS Milspec but darn I just love the 92D. Can't believe I waited so long to get one.

Good luck,
Steve

Both are good guns.  It seems to me that it took me a while and several hundred rounds to become proficent with my Springfield 1911 GI model. But now that I have, it is one of my favorite guns.

If you want the beretta get it, but dont discount the 1911 yet, keep it, play with it some more.

This is the same way I feel about my Kimber and my 92fs.

I've got a S.A., a Kimber, and a 92. Get all three.

Keep the 1911. I sold mine, and have regretted it ever since.

I sold it to get the Remmy 700 that I had built up into my M40A1, but I still miss it. Kimbers have since gone through the roof, and out of my price range.

If it is a 1911 that takes standard parts I would keep it for the fact of the parts availability and mag availability. It is interesting you can not shoot it better. My 1911s are not my favorite pistols but they are as acurate as any thing if not more accurate.

Quoted: If it is a 1911 that takes standard parts I would keep it for the fact of the parts availability and mag availability. It is interesting you can not shoot it better. My 1911s are not my favorite pistols but they are as acurate as any thing if not more accurate.

I know, I'm not sure what's up.  I dont think it's the pistol though.  I think it's just the fact that all the other calibers I shoot, pistolwise, are 9mm an under up until I got this one.  The weird thing is, it's not uncomfortable to shoot, it's just more than a 9  in a full sized pistol.  I'm even debating about getting a 9mm Slide and mags for it.  I don't know.  The beretta's are nice though.  But after reading some of the feedbacks in other threads, it seems that the civilian 92FS is better than the M9.  And actually when I was at Gander Mountain, I did look at a 96 and it seemed alot nicer.  The m9 I saw did have the plastic guide rod and the finish was not as nice as the 96.  I'm not interested in a .40, I was just fondling it for fit and feel.

Here is my take,

If you don't reload, and what to keep the cost simple, the M9/92fs platform is the cheapist to shoot and tweak.  Hammer spring gets cut two winds to reduce trigger break/pull weight, and the Block is hand fitted (concaved area where the block meets/limits out on the barrel) to tighten up the barrel to slide lock up, and the recoils spring is changed from the 13 lb unit to a 15 lb unit to keep the pistol from spraying shots due to unlocking too soon.

Now if you reload, and what to drop big bucks, then the 1911 is the platform to do so.  Just remember, you end up changing out parts to tighten the barrel to slide, then they still need to be fitted back into spec from the over size state. Plus when buying ammo in bulk (or supplies to reload), the 45 ammo is going to cost about twice as much as the 9MM ammo.

Forget to add, I have had a few M-9 marked 92fs pistols that were surplused/over runs from LEO department sales. So no, it is not uncommon to run across M-9 pistols.

to tell you guys the truth, i only started shootin pistols when i was 14. I am 15 now. I got a beretta at a gun show, then went to a range to shoot a pistol for my first time. It's a beretta 92fs. the very first shot i took i hit the X at 30 feet. and after that i kept it pretty close to the middle. Since a year and a half ago, I've shot many many pistols, and my beretta is by far my favorite. A+ TO BERETTA!!!

the taurus with adjustable sights is the PT99, not 92. I used to have one, it was a great pistol but sold it shortly after getting a beretta. The beretta is jus a more smoothly operating platform. If you like the taurus, get the beretta, you won't regret it.