Since its introduction in the early 1980s, the Beretta 92/96 series has evolved over decades to meet various user demands with a diverse range of variants. If you’ve ever wondered about this series of pistols, who uses them, and what for, you’ve come to the right place. Today we will provide some insight into the series. Also, if you’ve ever been confused about how to pick out the right magazine for your variant, be sure to check out the Magfinder section at the bottom of this article.
Beretta’s History
Founded in the 16th century, Beretta is the oldest manufacturer of firearms and firearms components in the world. And surprisingly, the company has been owned by the same family for nearly 500 years.
During WWI and WWII, Beretta manufactured arms for the Italian military and other countries. After WWII, they repaired American M-1 rifles. They also continued developing weapons for both the Italian military and police units, as well as the civilian market.
When Beretta’s 92 pistol was chosen as the 9mm M9 pistol for the US Military, Beretta enjoyed a surge in popularity in America. The military contract also helped to boost law enforcement sales in America, with many police departments using the Beretta pistols.
Why Is It So Popular?
Although Beretta firearms were popular for many years, the adoption of the Beretta 92 as the M9 for the US Military really catapulted Beretta’s popularity. When the military chooses a small arm, lots of people tend to follow suit.
The 92 evolved into various models based on the needs of law enforcement departments in the form of various safeties/decockers and actions. A fully automatic version was even introduced. Compact models came along, which appealed to concealed carriers and undercover law enforcement. Eventually, the 96 series was spawned in a new caliber.
Let’s take a look at the series here.
The 92/96 Series
We’ll take a look at the Beretta series here briefly to give readers an idea of the timeline of variants.
92
Production of the 92 ran from May 1976 to February 1983. Approximately 52,000 of them were produced.
92S
A safety/decocking lever was added to the slide to satisfy requirements for various Italian law enforcement and military units. This replaced the frame-mounted manual safety. Of note is the magazine release button mounted at the bottom of the grip in typical European fashion. Production on this model ran from 1978 to 1982.
92SB
The 92SB was adopted by the USAF. This model includes a firing pin block, 3-dot sights, and ambidextrous safety levers. Also, the magazine release was moved to the lower portion of the trigger guard.
92SB Compact
This is a compact version of the 92SB with a 13-round magazine and a shortened barrel. It was manufactured from 1981 to 1991.
92F
This model was introduced in 1984 and had several modifications compared to previous models:
- All parts were made to be interchangeable to simplify logistics for government agencies.
- It had a new coating to protect surfaces from corrosion.
- A hard chromed bore was included to protect it from corrosion and wear.
- The front of the trigger guard was squared off.
92FS
This model has an enlarged hammer pin, which fits into a groove under the slide to keep the slide from flying off of the frame should it crack.
There was also a Centurion 92FS model, which had the shorter barrel and slide of the 92 Compact on a full-sized 92FS frame.
93R
The 93R is a modified 92 that has a three-round burst option. The barrel is longer and ported, and it has a heavier slide, as well. It can be fitted with a shoulder stock and has a forward folding grip. There is also an extended magazine. As far as Beretta pistols go, this one is the ultimate in coolness. I mean, it is a machine pistol, after all.
The M9
We’ll take a hard look at the M9 (the military version is the 92SF). Why? Because it put Beretta on the modern-day map more than any of their other pistols.
The M9’s adoption by the US Military was an effort to standardize the Department of Defense’s handgun ammunition with our NATO allies and to issue one handgun for all of our armed services.
In 2006, the Marine Corps added a Picatinny rail to the dust cover, and the pistol became the M9A1.
Just to give you an idea of the numbers involved, in January of 2009, the US Military announced a contract of up to 450,000 92FSs. By December of 2013, Beretta had produced approximately 4.2 million of the Model 92 and its variants since its introduction.
The 92 series has been in use by the US Armed Forces since 1985.
92FS / M9 Specs
- Caliber: 9mm
- Height: 5.4 inches.
- Length: 8.5 inches.
- Weight: 33.3 ounces.
- Width: 1.5 inches.
- Barrel: 4.9 inches.
- Capacity: 15 rounds.
- Action: Double/Single.
The pistol uses an aluminum frame to help keep weight down and the open top of the slide helps to reduce stove pipe malfunctions.
Safety/Decocker
This is one of the features of this pistol that I despise. It is located so far up on the slide that there is no way that my thumb can come close to manipulating it without a drastic change to my grip. It’s just completely impractical, in my opinion, and very poorly designed.
Grip
The grip of the Beretta 92SF is, for my hands, large. No, it’s huge. Gargantuan. For me, it’s just not a comfortable grip. I suppose this is magnified these days by the fact that there are a huge number of pistols out there with thinner, more comfortable grips that carry a large number of rounds. I guess I can’t blame the 92SF, as the grip was considered normal for the era it was invented in.
Beretta 96
Introduced in 1990, the Beretta 96 is the .40 S&W equivalent of the 92. Just like the 92 series, the 96 is a double-action/single-action semi-auto pistol and features the same safety/decocker that the 92FS does. In fact, the 96 looks, feels, and operates nearly identical to the 92 series.
While used 96 series pistols surface from time to time, Beretta currently only offers the 96A1 model in factory-new condition, which has a Picatinny rail so all the popular accessories can be added. They also advertise that they added a machined recoil buffer, which increases durability.
Tech Specs
- Caliber: .40 S&W.
- Weight: 33 ounces.
- Height: 5.4 inches.
- Length: 8.5 inches.
- Width: 1.5 inches.
- Barrel Length: 4.9 inches.
- Magazine Capacity: 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15 rounds.
Details
The 96’s barrel is cold hammer-forged. Like the 92, the slide is open on top, so stove-pipe stoppages are virtually eliminated. The finish is Bruniton, which helps to protect components from corrosion. The dovetailed front sight can be adjusted for windage. The front sight also features a white dot to aid in aiming.
96D
This one is a double-action-only variant of the 96, which was used by some police agencies.
96G
Here, the decocking lever does not serve as a safety, but only as a decocker. It springs back up to its firing position when the shooter pulls down and releases it.
The Mag Finder Tool
Before we leave you to wander the wide world of Beretta 92/96 Series pistols, we’d like to educate readers on a very useful feature on the GunMag Warehouse home page. We call it the Mag Finder, and it makes finding the exact magazine(s) that you’re looking for a real breeze.
The Mag Finder can be found on the left-hand side of the GunMag Warehouse homepage.
The Mag Finder is designed to work like an internal search engine and populate model-specific results, making your hunt for the perfect factory or aftermarket mags a walk in the park. Simply select your firearm’s make, model, caliber, frame size, and desired capacity from the dropdown menus, and let the Mag Finder tool do the work. Better yet, the Mag Finder doesn’t just work for handgun magazines; it’s designed to work for just about any rifle, handgun, or shotgun out there! Now of course there are some rare and outdated firearms out there that aren’t built into our Mag Finder tool, but those are the exception. So go on, give it a whirl, fill up your cart, and get those mags you’ve been looking for but can’t seem to find anywhere else!
