best place to find a Beretta M9 civvie model

[chadbag]

My brother just re-joined the Army after about a 15 year break. He had been in the Utah Army Guard (aviation) up through about the mid 90s as a mechanic. He had to muster out after having some weight problems.

He is now 41 and just passed the Officer Candidate interview and by the skin of his teeth the physical exam / weigh-in and will be sworn in to the Arizona National Guard this coming week I guess (infantry) and will be off to OCS in about 3 months. He literally made the last class he could get into through the AzNG and get commissioned before he turns 42 and would be ineligible he explained. He lost like 113lbs in 6-7 months and wants to lose another 50 in the next 6 months... He looks pretty good.

He wants to use the occasion to reward himself and get a civvie M9 for himself. We are trying to find him the best deal he can get on an in-stock one. Any good ideas on where to look for a reasonably good deal? Bud's lists them but are out of stock (he found that).

Thanks for the suggestions

[cathellsk]

Hate to say it but...good luck. I found mine on Gunbroker. It was listed as a 92 and not M9 so I'm guessing thats why it didn't attract alot of attention. I got it for $525 I believe. The few ones that have been showing up are going for some HIGH prices. Two sold for over $1K. One, a legit retired Generals issue pistol with documenting paperwork, went for almost $3500, but that was a genuine issue M9.

The reason for the scarcity is because of that 450,000 some pistol order the .gov placed last year. The US plant is working around the clock to crank out real M9s so civi production has been halted, apparently. Thats why there are so many Italian made 92s out there lately as they are helping with the civi demand, but they don't make the M9.

[Lee Indy]

http://www.berettaforum.net/vb/index.php

the EE there has them all they time. and make sure you do a search on Y stamped guns. some are demo guns returned. nothing wrong with them but still count as a used gun so the price should reflect such.

[Slater]

Same goes for the M9A1 apparently. Scarce as hen's teeth.

[Robb Jensen]

From what I know all US made Beretta 92s/M9s are currently going to fill a contract.
Italy made 92s are available but are scarce.

[556A2]

From what I know all US made Beretta 92s/M9s are currently going to fill a contract.
Italy made 92s are available but are scarce.

Yep

He is going to have a very hard time finding a M9 right now as even regular 92FS models are fairly hard to find (Only saw 3 NIB Italian made 92s at the last big gun show). The M9s on Gunbroker are going for astronomical prices due to this even though they have the same MSRP as the 92FS.

[citizensoldier16]

I saw a listing for police trade-in 92fs's in Shotgun News a couple weeks ago. Might try there.

[Alpha Sierra]

Other than the .mil label, is there any compelling reason to get an M9 over a 92FS?

[Robb Jensen]

Other than the .mil label, is there any compelling reason to get an M9 over a 92FS?

IIRC they are held to a higher degree of accuracy testing at the factory.

[opmike]

Other than the .mil label, is there any compelling reason to get an M9 over a 92FS?

Depends on your definition of "compelling". Some prefer the M9's straight dust cover over the slanted one on the 92FS aesthetically. The M9 has a non-radiused back strap, but I can't conceive of a reason why someone would prefer it.

I believe most of it deals with them being perceived as a collectible. For someone looking for a shooter, the 92FS will do everything the M9 will, and for a lower price.

gotm4,

Do you have any other information on this? That's the first I've heard of the accuracy testing.

[Joe Mamma]

Other than the .mil label, is there any compelling reason to get an M9 over a 92FS?

Here's a link to a lot of information on the differences:

http://www.berettaforum.net/vb/faq.php?faq=bf_faq_bhandguns#faq_bf_faq_bh_diff

Joe Mamma

[Alpha Sierra]

Here's a link to a lot of information on the differences:

http://www.berettaforum.net/vb/faq.php?faq=bf_faq_bhandguns#faq_bf_faq_bh_diff

Joe Mamma

Thanks. It seems it just boils down to personal preference. I asked because I thought the issue was one of branding only. But I see that there are small physical differences.

Personally, I'd just get whichever of the two is the cheapest and easiest to find since there appear to be no performance or quality differences between the two other than the normal sample-to-sample variation inherent in mass production.

[Cobra66]

If you have the desire to get a mil-spec M9 for your brother, then it will the most expensive option (other than wanting a M9A1). As people have mentioned already, US production of M9/92FS has been dedicated to fulfilling the DOD contract and Italian made guns are now being trickled in to fulfill civilian/LE needs. Anyhow, the Beretta is getting some renewed interest and as a result, the days of the $500 NIB Beretta are gone.

There have been some recent (last 10 years) changes made to the 92FS that make them slightly different than the M9. Also in the last 10 years, some plastic parts have been appearing on both M9s and 92FS. I recently bought a 2008 vintage 92FS police special (only thing special is the Box and a little "P") that incorporates the slanted dust cover and reduced radius back strap, it also has all the plastic parts. This little pistol is just as nice as any of the earlier ones and the back strap (borrowed from the 92Elite series) makes it a little bit more friendly for those with small hands.

In the used market, there are lots of 92s for sale, some police trade in with a fair amount of holster wear. Other used ones have very few rounds through them and are just being sold by the owner in search of the latest "cool" gun (as was the case with my most recent 92). That is the route I would go right now. An early 92FS (pre-2000) will be identical to an M9 with the exception of markings and most likely the 3-dot sights (that said, I do have one 1980s vintage 92FS that has the same sights as the M9). Check pawn shops and local gun stores as well as message boards, there is bound to be someone with a lightly used older 92FS that they are wanting to off load to help fund their next mega-blaster purchase. If you are looking for essentially the same gun as the M9 but don't want to spend the extra being demanded for and M9, this is the way to go.

For the most part it boils down to this:
M9 - straight dust cover, fat back strap, post-dot sights, military markings, metal or plastic parts (depending on year of make).
Old 92FS - straight dust cover, fat back strap, 3-dot sights, lawyer "don't shoot yourself markings", metal parts.
New 92FS - slanted dust cover, reduced radius back strap, 3-dot sights, even more lawyer "don't shoot yourself markings", plastic parts.

If you don't mind getting a pistol that is slightly different than the M9, then a new 92FS is a really good choice too. There is a perceived qualitative difference between Italian and US made guns that some people have so maybe a new Italian gun is the way to go. Keep in mind that I have noticed some "new" production 92FSs on the market that do not have the slanted dust cover so there may be some variation out there from gun to gun.