New Beretta with standard frame/Vertec G slide

[cathellsk]

Todd,

I thought I remember reading on Ernie's site that he used Berettas because thats what the military used and he knew the system so well from when he was in the service. Does he still prefer them or does he prefer something else?

I, and I'm sure alot of others, miss his services in the Beretta world. I still have an LTT speedbump trigger I use in whatever Beretta I own at any given time. None currently but I'm picking up the one I mentioned above hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday.

[ToddG]

Ernest has gone through a long succession of guns in his industry career. I think he's still the only person ever to win national IDPA championships with TDA (Beretta 92G, 92G Elite, 92G Elite II; SIG P220ST), SAO (1911), and striker-fired (S&W M&P45) guns.

For what it's worth, when I saw him yesterday he was back to carrying a Beretta for his CCW gun.

[cathellsk]

Thanks Todd.

Update to my original post.....My dealer was sent two more .40s instead of 9mms. He called the distributor to ask why she sent them and she told him these are only available in .40. Appearently there was miscommunication between them about calibers. Oh well, guess I won't be getting one now.....unless someone can convince me to consider a . 40 Beretta which I've always heard has a less than stellar longevity record.

[Sam]

Todd:
I beg of you and Mr. Langdon to leave off the light rail on this proposed limited pistol. Why? My read is that you intend for this gun to be used among other things, competition. We know that IDPA doesn't allow a rail mounted light, so the extra weight in the rail is just making the gun needlessly heavier.
Thanks.

[ToddG]

Sam -- Thank you for your input. I'm sorry to inform you that we're definitely planning to push for the light rail.

Extra weight on the frame, especially immediately below the muzzle, is only going to help control the gun. In fact, for a time, one (now "former-") IDPA Board member wanted to outlaw guns with light rails for that reason.

Furthermore, history has shown that while a certain subset of the consumer base will buy the gun with no interest other than competition, quite a few more -- especially among the IDPA crowd -- will want the gun suitable for carry and/or home defense duties. From that standpoint, the light rail is a plus.

The two major complaints people tend to have with light rails are (1) holster compatibility and (2) appearance. The first is easily resolved because the gun will fit in any holster made for a Vertec or a M9A1; the second is easily resolved by "we don't care, deal with it." The gun is being purpose-built, not aesthetics-built.

The whole thing is nothing more than a concept paper right now, anyway. We don't have high expectations that Beretta will jump on it, at least not until 2010.

[Sam]

Thank you Todd.

As for the holster for the light railed Spaghetti gun, I got that covered with a precious ACP by the late Lou Alessi. It's hard to believe that he's gone.

[ToddG]

FWIW, there was a long thread about the concept over at the Beretta Forum, and quite a few folks pushed for no rail. It's sort of a weird truism in the industry that brand fans tend to dislike rails, while the general (much larger) buying market sees them as a major feature.

[cathellsk]

Todd,

What are your thoughts on .40 cal. 96s? This pistol is appearantly only available in .40 so I'm trying to justify buying it still.

[ToddG]

I would never buy a 96-series. Like most guns, I'm sure you can find someone somewhere who loves his and put 50 million rounds through it without a problem. But in general, the gun has a 10k service life. After that, the frame is probably starting to crack. And while the 92-series guns are usually extremely reliable, 96's are less so. Quite a few LE agencies bought switched from 92's to 96's, had serious problems, and demanded Beretta switch them back to 92's again.

[Dave L.]

That would be my guess, as well. If they've got 92G Vertec slides lying around, I may need to make a phone call and get a couple of those.

Ernest Langdon & I are working on a proposal to Beretta to build a next-generation Elite pistol that is similar in concept, but on the M9A1 frame.

Todd,
Would the new slide be able to retro fit a standard 92 frame?