Beretta 92

Armi Beretta SpA of Gardone Val Trompia of Italy developed the Beretta 92 in 1975 and production continues to the present day. In 1985, this handgun effectively replaced the United States Armed Forces' M1911 .45 ACP pistol (designed by John Browning) as a standard sidearm. The Beretta 92's precursors were the M1922 and M1951 models and it features the now legendary open slide design peculiar to Beretta handguns. Its alloy metal frame makes the Beretta 92 extremely easy to carry. It was only later that Beretta handguns began to be produced with polymer instead of aluminum.

The open slide design can lead to faster accumulation of dust and grime in actual field use. However, it has some major advantages - it is highly conducive to reliable round feeding and ejection. Moreover, the barrel cools down at a faster rate. Yet another notable feature in the Beretta 92 is the locking block barrel lockup, which delivers advanced accuracy during firing. Additionally, its high-capacity magazine reduces the need for repeated magazine changes. Moreover, it has a reversible release system, making it a highly efficient ambidextrous weapon.

The Beretta has been featured to great advantage in the Lethal Weapon movies with Mel Gibson, as well as in many other prominent Hollywood productions. This has given it something of a cult status. However, the Beretta 92 is a highly effective handgun in its own right, even without the hype and posterity.

The Beretta 92 and its different-caliber variants, the Beretta 96 and Beretta 98, are semi-automatic pistols. While the Beretta 92 fires 9 x 19 Parabellum rounds, the 96 chambers .40 S&W and the 98 fires 9 x 21 mm IMI rounds. It weighs 950 grams and is 217 mm in length. The barrel measures 125 mm ion the original version. It incorporates a detachable box magazine that accommodates 15 rounds.

The original blueprint for the Beretta 92 resulted in a limited production of 5000 pieces between 1975 and 1976. However, it spawned four other patterns - the FS (which was given the new designation of M9 by the US Armed Forces), G (created for the French Armed Forces), D (double action) and DS (double action with safety). It was adapted for use by certain law enforcement units with the addition of a slide mounted combined safety de-cocking lever inserted in place of the manual thumb safety mounted on the frame. This adapted variant was called the 92S.

Later came the 92SB, which successfully won the United States Air Force trials it was designed for. In this model, the magazine release catch was shifted to the trigger guard's lower bottom and a firing pin safety was added. The 92SB Compact, which saw manufacture between 1981 and 1991, featured an abbreviated barrel and incorporated a 13-round magazine. This handgun was further modified into the 92F and 92G - handguns with enhanced ease of disassembly for maintenance, modified trigger guards and hard-chromed barrel holes for better resistance to corrosion.

The Beretta 92 was initially designed and manufactured to military specifications and naturally found its greatest use in the various armed forces it was issued to. However, it eventually became a favored weapon for civilian competitive sport, as well. It is often customized for this purpose - which is not a problem with most Beretta handguns. Some of the common modifications done on this pistol are grip change, replacement of the original hammer with a skeletonized one, changing of the mainspring, inclusion of adjustable sights and smoothing of the trigger for a better pull. The Beretta 92's barrel can also be replaced with an 'aftermaker' for increased accuracy, but this is not often done because such a modification is quite expensive. Sometimes, the recoil spring guides are also tinkered with. Such modifications are known to enhance the Beretta 92's accuracy, but also to compromise its overall reliability. For these reasons, the Beretta company does not support such modified pieces.