Beretta M9A1

[Slater]

Are the Marines the only service to adopt this pistol so far? Seems to be somewhat of a stopgap until the next wunderpistol is selected.

[Turnkey11]

I dont think anyone else is too worried about their senior NCO's and desk jockey commissioned officers wearing a tac light on their M9 that doesnt come out of its holster for anything but the clearing barrel at the DFAC everyday. For the few units that actually train with their M9's and use them during their daily activities it may be worth it, but for about 95% of the big Army it would be a waste of money.

[HK45]

There is a lot more to the M9A1 than a rail.
If you think pistols are only used as you describe you have either never been in the military or never fought in a built up area.
It is a stopgap. The military does not want to go to the expense of switching pistols right now. Unfortunately.

[Slater]

Picked this one up from layaway today. Comes with the new PVD "sand resistant" mags that have a gold-colored tint to them. Besides the rail, the sights are different from a standard M9 and the front and backstraps have a more aggressive checkering. It's billed as having a "combat muzzle crown" that protects the rifling, but I'm not exactly sure what that means. Internally I would imagine that it's identical to the standard version.

Mine will most probably be a range queen so I don't have to worry too much about adverse-environment performance. My buddy at work hates the M9/M9A1 series and says that he doesn't think it's even reliable enough to use as a nightstand gun. So we have a mild difference of opinion. :D


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/pb57/HPIM0831.jpg

[olds442tyguy]

Nice acquisition. To this day I still shoot a Beretta better than everything but a 1911. Maybe some day I'll listen to my body and pick myself up an M9A1.

[HK45]

Your buddy at work is wrong. They are reliable if they are properly maintained which means lots of lube for one thing but I don't care for their size, manual of arms, or trigger. I don't care for the locking block design either. The pistol belongs to another generation of pistols that in my view have been superseded by newer designs.

BERETTA M9A1

The Beretta M9A1 (catalog #JS92M9A1M) evolved from the 92FS/M9 pistol, with specifications that exceeds the demanding requirements from the Marines and law enforcement agencies, which brought us the tactical version. Some of the changes include a 1913 rail for mounting lights, lasers, or optics, and aggressive grip on the backstrap and frontstrap, plus PVD-coated, sand resistant magazines to operate in any environment.

PVD “Physical Vapor Deposition” is a vacuum coating process, producing a metal vapor that can be deposited on electrically conductive materials, as a thin highly adhered pure metal or alloy coating. The process is done in a vacuum chamber, using a cathodic arc source. Hardness is HRc-80, and thickness is 2-5 microns. The pistol itself has a Brunitron finish and a beveled mag well.

The sand resistance is achieved not only by the PVD coating but also by a vertical groove in the magazine body, giving sand a place to go and keep the magazine from sticking in the magwell.

The M9A1also has a thicker front trigger guard. Parts are interchangeable with the current M9 and also the civilian 92FS.

Current specs are:

Caliber: 9mm

OAL: 8.5in

OAH: 5.5in

Barrel Length: 4.9in

Sight Radius: 6.1in

Grip Width: 1.31in

Weight Unloaded: 34.9oz

Magazine Capacity: 15

[Slater]

And this is Beretta's promo sheet for it:

http://www.berettausa.com/communities/le_mil/spec_sheets/M9A1.pdf

I can't disagree that the M9/92FS series is getting long in the tooth. I think the design even predates the SIG-P22x series, but I could be wrong on that.

[ralph]

Picked this one up from layaway today. Comes with the new PVD "sand resistant" mags that have a gold-colored tint to them. Besides the rail, the sights are different from a standard M9 and the front and backstraps have a more aggressive checkering. It's billed as having a "combat muzzle crown" that protects the rifling, but I'm not exactly sure what that means. Internally I would imagine that it's identical to the standard version.

Mine will most probably be a range queen so I don't have to worry too much about adverse-environment performance. My buddy at work hates the M9/M9A1 series and says that he doesn't think it's even reliable enough to use as a nightstand gun. So we have a mild difference of opinion. :D




http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/pb57/HPIM0831.jpg

I've got 2 Beretta's a M9 and a older (1988) Italian made 92F compact, both have been 100% no faliures, very accurate, I'd say your buddy dosen't know what he's talking about when it comes to Beretta's

[Turnkey11]

There is a lot more to the M9A1 than a rail.
If you think pistols are only used as you describe you have either never been in the military or never fought in a built up area.
It is a stopgap. The military does not want to go to the expense of switching pistols right now. Unfortunately. Youre right, Ive only got 30 months in country, no experience at all, Ill go about my merry way.:)

[HK45]

Your not the only one here with experience. It's factually incorrect that the only difference between the M9A1 and M9 is the light rail as has been shown in this thread. That has been shown in this thread. If your experience is that no one actually uses pistols then that is very different from mine.

[ToddG]

Not directed to any one person, but to all who have participated in this thread ...

Discussing differences between M9 and M9A1: OK

Discussing who has most experience in-country or other related pissing-match type activity: not OK.

Thank you.