I have numerous hunting and plinking long guns.  Now I am looking to buy my first pistol.  I have shot my dad's .357 revolver and 92fs Beretta.  I am comfortable with the higher power of the .357 but like the package of the Beretta.  I know 9mm isn't the best "man stopper" but I'm not buying for that purpose or I would look at the 40 S&W 96 Brigadier Inox.  I've been looking at the 92FS Brigadier Inox.  It will be used for a plinker.  Can someone give me some info on it and should I just stick to the 92FS Inox instead?  I believe the brigadier just has the heavier slide.  Also, what should I be looking at for price range?

Quoted: I have numerous hunting and plinking long guns.  Now I am looking to buy my first pistol.  I have shot my dad's .357 revolver and 92fs Beretta.  I am comfortable with the higher power of the .357 but like the package of the Beretta.  I know 9mm isn't the best "man stopper" but I'm not buying for that purpose or I would look at the 40 S&W 96 Brigadier Inox.  I've been looking at the 92FS Brigadier Inox.  It will be used for a plinker.  Can someone give me some info on it and should I just stick to the 92FS Inox instead?  I believe the brigadier just has the heavier slide.  Also, what should I be looking at for price range?

If it's just a plinker, I'd go with the 9mm.  But then again, I don't think it's bad for Self defense either.  But either way it's cheaper to shoot.  With probably more options of type of ammo to shoot.

I bought a 92 Brig Inox during the summer, and she's a pussycat to shoot. The heavier slide adds 3 oz (total 35) to the 32 oz for the regular 92fs, an extra 10%.

My outdoor pistol range is 25 yd, so unless you're a seasoned shooter, being accurate with a recoil-challenged pistol can be tough going. First time out with it I was doing a pretty fair job on a big rectangular Dirty Bird, and the guy at the bench next to me must have been watching my target because he commented favorably on my hits during the cease fire. He was even more astounded when I told him it was my first outing with it. He seem very unhappy with the results he was getting with the shorter-barrelled S&W he was firing.

I offered to let him shoot my Brig, and he did much better hitting his target. When he returned it to me after firing off three mags of his own 9mm ammo, he said, "Thanks very much, I'm going to get one for sure".

Only thing about the Brig is the somewhat limited range of available holsters. To my knowledge there are no molded-types available (Blackhawk, etc); I have a Bianchi UM-84I for it, which I can also use for my SA MilSpec and my B96. That makes life easy if SHTF, I only need to grab one holster, no matter which gun of those three I get to first.

My biggest shoot in one day was 300 rounds over the course of a couple of hours on a vacation weekday during the summer, and my hand was in great shape when it was over. If you are looking for a plinker you can put mucho rounds through without your hand getting tired, the Brig is the way to go.

Mine ran me $600 (I and my dealer are in New Haven County. For comparison, his normal price for a 92FS is $550 and an Inox would be $575); if I had bought it in Fairfield County (CT's Gold Coast), it would probably be in the mid-to-high $600s.

HTH

Don't automatically rule out the 9mm as "not a good man stopper"  There are several 9mm rounds, especially some HP rounds that are GREAT man stoppers.

First and foremost, the beretta 92 is a combat pistol. It is designed to be taken into battle, and as such is incredibly durable, reliable, and lethal.  It is just as good SHTF pistol as any other in the world, and at the same time can be a great plinker for a saturday at the range.

Some things to consider:

1. Who will be shooting the pistol?
The beretta has large grips that may not be comfortable in the hands of a smaller shooter.  If you have a wife or kids who may be using the pistol, you may want to consider how the pistol fits their hands.  Most people like the hand filling nature of the beretta grip, however some do not.  If grip size is a consideration, perhaps look into the Vertec grip.  It is a smaller grip built onto the same pistol, so if you or someone else who will be using the pistol is not comfortable with the standard style grips, look into the Vertec.  Another thing to consider with your shooters is the caliber.  The 9mm's recoil is significantly more forgiving than some larger calibers.  This will make the pistol much less of a chore to practice with, and therefore the more you and your family practice with it, the better prepared they will be to use wel it if ever necessary.

2.  What will you be using the pistol for?
I know you said it would be primarily a plinker, but it wouldnt hurt to think about what else you may use the pistol for.  The 92 is a FULL SIZE pistol in every regard.  It has a 5" barrel, full size frame and holds 15 rounds (unless you live in one of our more communist states).  This makes the pistol LARGE and HEAVY relative to some other pistols.  That means that the 92 might not be the best choice for CCW as its large size would be tough to conceal, and its weight will make itself known after a day of carrying it.  

3.  How often do you want to shoot/how much do you want to spend to shoot?
The 9mm is a great round to have your gun chambered in.  It is a great self defense round (dont let any .45 guys tell you otherwise) and is VERY common and VERY cheap (all things are relative).  If money is a concern for you, the 9mm is definately the way to go.  A 9mm round runs from 9-11 cents per shot, whereas as .40 can go from 13-18 cents and a .45 usually for around 20 cents.  You will get a lot more bangs for your buck with 9mm than you will with .45.  As I stated in point 1, the more inclined you are to shoot the pistol, the better you will be with it and the more able you will be to employ it effectively.

Typical cost for a new 92 should be around $550-$625.  It will generally come with a hard blue case and 2 15rd mags (or 10 if you are in any of our people's republic states).

Good luck and I hope you are happy with whatever pistol you decide to go with.