Question on buying used Beretta

[seang]

I am looking at purchasing another Beretta 9mm. I currently have a Centurion 9mm DAO that my girlfriend uses. I would like to get a G model or Vertec 9mm. If I were to buy one and the locking block broke, who would be the best to send the gun to, to have it properly replaced?

I don't know if it should obviously be Beretta or a gunsmith. I know I have read in the past people just drop them in and that is not really the proper way to replace it. Will Beretta fit the locking blocks into the gun properly by filing if necessary or would I be better off by sending it to a gunsmith familiar with Berettas?

I'm not paranoid about the locking block breaking, but am thinking worse case scenario here. Who is the Beretta "go to guy" anyway.? Sig fans like Bruce Gray, Smith fans like Novaks or Dustin who used to work for Novaks. I know David Olhasso does trigger jobs, would he do work like this?

[John_Wayne777]

You can replace the locking block yourself. It's easily removed from the barrel. It's a standard part and shouldn't require any fitting to install and work properly. There are a number of places that do custom work on Berettas. I think Jarvis Custom still does good work on Berettas, but I haven't really been heavy into the Beretta world in years.

Beretta offers some gunsmithing services as well...and they also will perform basic armorer functions too.

While broken locking blocks on Berettas do occur, it is a much more rare phenomenon on guns bought from gunstore shelves. LE and military issue guns have more rounds downrange and experience more abuse than most guns owned by ordinary joes.

IIRC the redesigned locking blocks (which most recently produced Berettas have) are good for about a 30,000 round service life....well in excess of what most people will ever put through the weapon.

[ToddG]

seang -- I just bought a used (excellent condition) 92G Vertec myself ... hasn't even arrived yet.

The easiest way to avoid the hassles of a breaking locking block is to replace the block before it breaks. I'd recommend every 10-15k rounds. This is definitely overkill but still a better option than letting it break and possibly damaging the gun.

To fit it, you just need a file and an eyeball. The front edges of the two wings of the locking block should mate perfectly flat with the slide where they lock up. If there is daylight on one side, file the other down slowly until the block mates evenly with the slide. Any decent gunsmith should be able to do it, though you may have to explain the hows and whys. I know Beretta can do it, but I'm not sure if they normally go that far when replacing a locking block.

I'd recommend you change your trigger spring immediately and again every 5k rounds (again, this is overkill but it goes a long way toward guaranteeing that the part won't fail when you need it).

When you have the trigger bar out to replace the trigger spring, check to see if the trigger bar is wearing where it contacts the sear. There was a period of time when Beretta was getting too-soft trigger bars (their early blackened stainless trigger bars, c. 2002) and the sear was chewing them up fast.

Pull the firing pin and inspect both it and the firing pin block for wear. Excessive dry firing without a snap cap can lead to burrs on the firing pin and eventually cause light primer strikes.

Replacing the mainspring (what Beretta calls the hammer spring) with a 92D spring will give you 100% reliability but noticeably lighter trigger pull weight.

[seang]

Thank you both for the advice.