I hit the range with my M9A3 and Octane.
I have both been very enamored with the 92 series and very critical of Beretta's marketing and product lines off and on over the past thirty years.
I first came in contact with the M9 when we traded in our 45s about thirty years ago.
Ranger Batalion and SF guys had 45s that were rattle making, inaccurate, mediocre reliability, and beat up old magazine guns. You would occasionally get pristine 40 years old guns that had sat in storage, but overall they were beat like a 20 year old rented mule. No well maintained and tweaked operator guns.
Hardball 45 was lauded while hardball 9mm was sneered at, but it was dictated to go to a NATO round. The guns themselves were sleek, new, reliable, accurate, and accompanied by piles of new highly functional magazines and gave you twice the capacity. The AMU came and spent two weeks of high quality instruction on grip, stance, breathing, trigger pull, sight picture, etc. it was nothing tactical, but it was a good foundation many miss out on and never get. The new holsters and mag pouches were not all that tactical either, but an improvement on the leather flap holsters.
Movies that were huge and popular came out with 92s having starring roles as well.
With huge military contracts, LEAs jumping on the platform, and everyone wanted a mil/LE gun and cool movies gun, things must have been fantastic for Beretta.
Maybe too good, as I feel that led to some latter issues.,
I bought my first 92FS a few years later.
It was still my work side arm, I went to a few matches, it was still viable and pertinent.
In the mid 90s,
I was a caliber snob.
Serious shooters were still using the 1911.
9mm was weak.
10mms and double stack 45s were readily available.
Rails were becoming desired vs gun specific accessories.
Mag capacity laws made new purchases of berettas less desireable.
Slide and locking block areas for improvement came to light and were magnified like a republican politician's foibles in the mainstream media.
Other platforms with issues got passes like a SJW Democrat and glossed over.
Features like front sights that were indestructible became less popular to features like readily changeable sights. The platform had lost its shine for many.
Updates, like the Brigadier, or G model,
Were unknown by most.
Special models like elites were both unknown and at price points not competitive with other options.
Beretta addressed items like frame or slide strength, locking block upgrades, radiused back strap etc. unknown by most.
However, they also did radical things like the Vertec or 90-two that turned off many and were not popular.
And unpopular things that may have been for valid reason or economic reasons that have proved unpopular, like non INOX furniture, plastic parts, less durable base pads, etc.
Wilson gave them a kick in the ass.
Many slightly different models were offered with difficulty to find a single model with all desired features.
While waiting for a G model A3,
And reviewing the features, I had actually decided not to get one.
However,
The past half dozen years or so have been a period of some revival with my appreciation of the gun, and I felt a need to support my local small businesses.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am primarily a heavy, light recoiling 9mm shooter now.
usually a beretta. I had the same M9 and M4 my last eight years in. I would sign for someone to get a SIG or Glock instead if they fessed up to little girly hands, but we were not shooting 45s.
I came home with a MD made FS.
You are all familiar with it at this point.
I long ago scoffed at the Vertec. It was just too significant a departure from the standard M9 grip for me when I first encountered it. Having experienced the scalloped backstraps, checkering, etc. over the years, I have a new appreciation of the Vertec grip and have changed my mind. While not as sexy looking, this M9A3 grip is good and probably suitable to the widest range of hands of any 92 model.
I also did not previously understand the desire ability of the Vertec slide, at least vs the brig.
At this point in time, I would probably make the Vertec the standard slide for the 92 series.
I went to the range, and liked the dozens of other 92s and M9s I have taken to the
Range it ate all NATO, WWB, FC, Egyptian SMG surplus, and minor power factor reloads I they in it.
Unlike some other BEretta platforms, it does not care. Bullet weights, shapes, and FPS seem to be of little concern to it.
As for grips, it is not the 80s anymore. Standard factory plastic is not the quality, density, or bite I want. I wish it came with VZ tactical slants. But, like crappy cheap Glock factory sights, I assume they that they assume, owners are likely to choose a replacement.
I was not thrilled with the plastic parts either.
I am ecstatic they put night sights on from the factory. The rear sights look like plain black to me in daylight. I am VERy disappointed they did not put suppressor height sights on this fun. I did not like the brig tac rear sights either. I wish they had either put on cheap sights at a lower price point, or went all in on some tall super day/night visible premium sights. On this model, a tall rear sight with intrinsic screwed in plate for RDS mounting would have been the professional way to go.
I am also ecstatic they finally have a factory threaded barrel.
However, it need to be a few tenths longer to ensure all popular suppressor options would be available to choose from.
As for the color, I am ambivalent. There was a time in my last unit when we had BDUs, mod top BDUs, DCUs, mod top DCUs, OD flight suits, civilian clothes, nice civilian clothes, and ACUs and then Cryes depending on what unit we were working with. FDE is a touch color to keep matched. I don't hate it and I could care less if the gun was OD, coyote, foliage, gray, etc.
I am also happy a G conversion is slotted to be easy.
I have concerns about cost, availability, and am kind of pissed it will be cougar style levers instead of 92 levers.
Like the new Vertecs, SDs, G models, and Brigs I truly appreciate Berettas efforts with this gun and bringing it to market. However, as with those others guns I don't appreciate why they could not have offer all desireable features in one gun. You can get an all metal CZ gun that has all the right features and kills it in price point. And most other major companies have an offering in this niche that rolls up those feaures at lower, similar, and higher price points.
The finish, especially on the frame, already shows evidence that my use will not keep this in a very pristine appearance.
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Originally Posted by Hot Sauce
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