School me on Beretta 92's and PX4's

[solv3nt]

Beretta 92XI SAO.

You also can't go wrong with anything that Langdon or Wilson Combat sells.

I was eyeing that to go along with the 92x Performance.

 

[Nosferatu]

Beretta 92XI SAO.

You also can't go wrong with anything that Langdon or Wilson Combat sells.

Wait...they made a 92 SAO? Well suck me sideways....I may have to track one of them down.

 

[solv3nt]

Wait...they made a 92 SAO? Well suck me sideways....I may have to track one of them down.

Ya, the 92x Performance, and most recently the 92xi & Performance Defensive.

The SAO is still DA/SA if you manually de-cock, and it has a frame mounted safety.

 

[Nosferatu]

The SAO is still DA/SA if you manually de-cock, and it has a frame mounted safety.

Now my brain hurts.

 

[Nosferatu]

Holy carp! I need some privacy.

 

[solv3nt]

Holy carp! I need some privacy.

View attachment 1442236

My 92x Performance is heavy, she shoots steel real good.

 

[titsonritz]

I won't own a gun with a Walther style safety, I hate them.

 

[Oro]

Any specific models of 92 I should consider? There are quite a few to choose from...

List of Beretta 92 models - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

You have some good advice here already but I'll chime in because I went through exactly this same process not that long ago. I decided I wanted a 92 "because everyone should have one," and started educating myself. Having a few GI .45s, an M9 felt like the answer for the military connection, and also because it's the most iconic. I decided to get the cleanest used 92FS or M9 I could find at a good price, with no rush. I stashed in several surplus M9 mags in case (WA mag ban), even before I got the gun(s). My prior experience with the 92 was shooting a 92FS my dad had in the '90s, and his older Langdon-tuned 96G Brigadier Elite II he has now. Never bonded to either, but wanted to give it a go just because.

I found a c. 2004 Centurion 92FS locally from a forum member here and I've been thrilled with it. In fact on Memorial Day my step-son, a neighbor and I all shot quite a bit with all the guns in the pic below, and the Centurion was the favorite of all three of us (this surprised me quite a bit for myself). I've been pleased enough with it I've since bought a commercial M9. And I'm really enjoying the platform now such that if I ever run across a really clean 92SB (early 80s, last of the Italian blued ones, and with the rounded trigger guard), I'll get one of those, also. By just dropping a "D" hammer spring in the Centurion and stoning/polishing a few points in the trigger system, it rivals the Elite II in smoothness, which is on par with the current Langdon and WC.

So IMO, I wouldn't overlook the basic 92FS/M9 as a starting point.

Among three of us, we all enjoyed the Centurion most of this day's shooting:

 

[WillametteWill]

Not a Beretta nerd but did own an old 92 years ago. The gun was extremely high quality, made in Brazil (I've been told this is now the Taurus factory???). It had the euro mag release at the bottom of the grip. It was a beautiful shooting gun, but not in my hands. I have normalish palm size and shorter fingers (my brother was the bass player and apparently received all the hand size). It was just too difficult for me to grip will, especially with the first DA pull. It went to someone who appreciated it.

My bride and son have a PX4 Storm compacts. Wife shoots it fine but favors Sigs, 1911s, and most of her other guns honestly. I think the feel on the full-sized 92 is better, partially due to the size and weight and this may be true on the larger PX4.

Enjoy your quest!

 

[titsonritz]

Not a Beretta nerd but did own an old 92 years ago. The gun was extremely high quality, made in Brazil (I've been told this is now the Taurus factory???). It had the euro mag release at the bottom of the grip. It was a beautiful shooting gun, but not in my hands. I have normalish palm size and shorter fingers (my brother was the bass player and apparently received all the hand size). It was just too difficult for me to grip will, especially with the first DA pull. It went to someone who appreciated it.

My bride and son have a PX4 Storm compacts. Wife shoots it fine but favors Sigs, 1911s, and most of her other guns honestly. I think the feel on the full-sized 92 is better, partially due to the size and weight and this may be true on the larger PX4.

Enjoy your quest!

Have you tried the smaller Vertec grip?

 

[WillametteWill]

Have you tried the smaller Vertec grip?

I have not. Though I think they are fine guns, I'm comfortably in another platform now. I will make note of this though, thanks!

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I won't own a gun with a Walther style safety, I hate them.

You can make the Px4 safety a decocker only like the older Sigs.

 

[Lazyfaire]

I have owned a PX4 Storm for several years. Love the gun but just not a DA fan. Sent it off for work on the trigger. Cost me $85 + shipping. Langdon Tactical does great work but face it, they are expensive. I used Triggerwork.net. Bill has done some good work for me. I bought mine used for $350.

I own a 92X too and it may eventually get it done also.

 

[Oro]

I have not. Though I think they are fine guns, I'm comfortably in another platform now. I will make note of this though, thanks!

Another thing to note, is roughly c. 2005, Beretta changed the grip on the standard 92FS without making a big deal about it. This is the real point to consider in the "straight dust cover vs. angled" debate.

From what I understand, this was a mod Langdon introduced on his tuned competition guns. My dad's c. 2000 Elite II has it, and the difference in its effect on reach is very noticeable vs my Centurion with the old style frame, and M9.

So if that is an issue for the OP or anyone, a c.2005+ 92FS is going to feel a lot more user-friendly. The date is not the pure guide since sometimes mil-type slides got re-purposed to FS units. Thus it's worth noting the visual cues to tell the difference if this is important to you.

Sorry these pics are not big enough perhaps to show the difference, but it's real and if you google/search the issue you can find more complete explanations.



Appllies to "late" 92FS, not '86 to c.'04 version:

 

[Catfishmoon]

I have owned a PX4 Storm for several years. Love the gun but just not a DA fan. Sent it off for work on the trigger. Cost me $85 + shipping. Langdon Tactical does great work but face it, they are expensive. I used Triggerwork.net. Bill has done some good work for me. I bought mine used for $350.

I own a 92X too and it may eventually get it done also.

I had never heard of Triggerwork.net...
I may have to send something to Bill and give him a try, his prices are certainly reasonable, especially with current inflation.

 

[solv3nt]

I had never heard of Triggerwork.net...
I may have to send something to Bill and give him a try, his prices are certainly reasonable, especially with current inflation.

You can always get the trigger job in a bag. It's supposed to get you like 80% of the way to their trigger job.

 

[titsonritz]

You can make the Px4 safety a decocker only like the older Sigs.

G mode

 

[Lazyfaire]

I had never heard of Triggerwork.net...
I may have to send something to Bill and give him a try, his prices are certainly reasonable, especially with current inflation.

Warning —- double check with Bill about the pricing. I think some of them are out dated. Not by much but some.

 

[YippeeKiYoRed]

PX4 Storm owner in 40 S&W. Accurate. Very good pistol. My PX4 has a single slot rail under the barrel for a laser. Something to consider. On the other hand some if the newer 92s can take a red dot on top.

 

[Oro]

You can always get the trigger job in a bag. It's supposed to get you like 80% of the way to their trigger job.

I found you can achieve a terrific trigger for free by:

A) stoning contact surfaces in the trigger assembly
B) cutting about 4 coils off the stock spring.*

This will get you a trigger that you will have a hard time distinguishing between a Langdon and your DIY job above. I did the above to two guns, then compared blind to an Elite II. Blindfolded you could not tell the difference when someone handed you a random gun.**

* I did a couple tests, using micrometers to gauge coil thickness as well as coil height. There's no difference externally between an "FS" and "D" spring besides coil count. I also tested the cut-down FS/M9 spring vs. D blind and there was no difference in feel or performance. I love science.
** except the Elite II has a radiused rear grip strap and if you were smart, you COULD figure out which gun you were holding, but it was not because of the trigger action. The other person in the test could not tell; I could but only because I knew of the grip difference, not because of the trigger action.