Beretta 92

One of the most reliable and well-distributed handguns of the previous century is the Beretta Model 92. Despite the introduction of the polymer frame 90- 2 and the excellent 92A1, the original 92FS remains one of the most popular handguns in worldwide service. The Beretta is a reliable and reasonablyrugged pistol but there are concerns. Chief among them is locking block, a design first used with the Mauser 1896 pistol.

Few pistols still use such an oscillating wedge but it has worked well in the Beretta, provided it is inspected for wear on a regular basis. Wear isn’t always obvious and a close examination for hair line cracks is needed. For reasons best explained by an engineer, the left wing of the Beretta wedge usually breaks first. The forces loaded onto this wedge with every firing are heavy and it is important that the pistol be kept clean and well lubricated to preserve the operating system.

Keep a check for cracks near the indent in the L-shaped wedge. If the wedge breaks while firing the slide will be difficult to remove. While rare, this seems to happen more often with open top slide designs. Never attempt to force the slide off of the frame when the wedge is broken. Some preliminary work must be accomplished first. Slipping a dental pick or small object into the slide recess and shoring up and supporting the broken wedge will allow running the slide forward for removal.

Sometimes it is still necessary to use a brass hammer as the broken part may be wedged tighter than normal but keep the pick in the slide and supporting the broken part. While the broken wedge may impede movement it usually will be trapped in the slide rails and not completely stop the slide, only hinder movement. Checking the wedge every 500-1,000 rounds is good practice, replacing as needed. While not a common problem, pay attention to it with high round counts.

The wedge is pinned in and replacement is simple A considerable argument may be made that the design was intended to allow replacement of the wedge often, although no set round count is generally recommended. Trouble seems to start at around 7,500 rounds but some will need replacement at 3,500 rounds.

Also concerning high round counts, the consensus among gunsmiths and police armorers is these pistols in police service fired with 115 and 124 grain +P and +P+ loads fare well in the long term while high round counts with 147 grain subsonic loads often show eccentric wear on the oscillating wedge much sooner.

While not backed with conclusive evidence, the general impression is Beretta 92s fired extensively with 147 grain loads should be trouble checked more often. High pressure seems to have less effect than momentum on this. A number of months ago I examined a broken Walther P38 slide. The Walther was the progenitor of the Beretta 92. In some ways, the Beretta 92 is simply a highly-developed Walther P38.

The slides are prone to crack in the same places but this is a They are wedged on from long use at times. rare occurrence. Just the same, when checking the wedge also inspect the slide for incipient cracks. One trick passed on from an Army armorer involves using sound to check the slide. This individual recommends using a brass rod to tap the slide. If the slide has a sound similar to a tuning fork it’s fine, however, if it reverberates with a dull thud then it’s cracked.

This technique may require a deft hand and ear and visual inspection under magnification is still recommended. A cracked slide Barrel cracks are most often the result of a pistol fired with large amounts of heavy loads. These loads may be NATO specification or police-type +P loads. The problem isn’t the design of the pistol but the recoil spring becoming worn and tired. The recoil spring should be replaced every 5,000 rounds to mitigate eccentric wear generated by long firing sessions.

A warning sign that sometimes comes up is a bit of metal raised in the extractor relief cut of the barrel; a sure sign the pistol is being battered and the recoil spring needs to be replaced. A cracked barrel must be replaced, however, if routine inspection catches the first signs of wear there is a good chance the barrel will be saved. Replacing the recoil spring often eliminates battering problems with the Beretta pistol and replacing the recoil spring every to insure long life.

The extractor is pinned in and isn’t very difficult to replace but nevcannot be welded and must be replaced but this is rare. There are few handguns with reciprocating slides that do not occasionally break them, including the Browning High Power and the Colt 1911. er seems to give trouble, however, loose grit, debris, and brass shavings can build up behind the extractor. Removing the extractor and cleaning the groove insures the extractor lasts longer.

This is apart of the Beretta maintenance cycle and benefits the pistol in the long run. Provided the recoil spring is changed often and attention paid to the extractor,

chances are the Beretta will prove reliable and long lived in service. Berettas are criticized for a heavy double action first shot. While not much help, consider the stock spring rate and a lighter press might be obtained while maintaining complete reliability. One simple way is removing the stock 92FS mainspring and replacing it with one from a 92D double action only. Remove the grips and drive out the pin that holds the lanyard ring/mainspring housing. Press the housing in and then out and it should release.

Replace the spring and assemble the mainspring cover in reverse, driving the pin back in. Another method is replacing with a 1911 mainspring but the D-type seems to work better. Where a stock 92FS mainspring has a compression to fire of 12 pounds, the Dmodel is 9.5 pounds. Wolff Gunsprings #16 is similar but not quite as light as the D spring and may require two coils be cut off to achieve a similar let off. Is ignition reliability compromised by a lighter hammer spring?

There are different geometric designs at work between a double action only and double action first pistol but DAO pistols are intended for police duty so reliability is foremost. After fitting a Dspring to a personal 92FS used at the training company, ignition reliability seemed unaffected. The spring was left in for several months and remains in place after firing hundreds of rounds of ammunition while training many students.

The pistol has been tested with a variety of commercial loads as well as American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.

handloads using CCI primers, which are sometimes harder to crack than others. Its also been fired extensively with CCI Blazer practice ammunition and a duty load of Federal 9mm 124 grain Hydra Shock +P+. There have been no malfunctions of any type and primer indent is always good. Students have remarked that this Beretta seems smoother than their issue pistols. Another expedient that leads to an even smoother trigger action is to polish the action parts.

To smooth the Beretta action, the initial work is done on the contact point of the sear. Follow with a good polish of the sides of the hammer, the hammer pin, the head of the hammer strut, and the side of the action bar where it meets the trigger. By carefully polishing these parts while preserving the original angles creates much smoother operation. I have also used the Beretta #643 trigger kit from Wilson Combat in several pistols with excellent results. Removing the trigger assembly isn’t difficult.

First, the hammer spring retaining cap is pressed to remove the hammer spring. With the retaining pin removed, the spring pushes the spring cap out. Pull the hammer pivot pin and the hammer will come out. The hammer strut may follow the hammer spring or hammer; either is fine. Remove the hammer bar spring. The slide lock may be removed now. Push the trigger spring pin out just enough to release the spring and replace with a custom unit.

The yoke on the Wilson Combat assembly is to the rear and the trigger pin passes through it. With our test gun the improvement was excellent. I also replaced the magazine catch with a WC extended unit by removing the grips, then pressing the magazine catch inward and moving it away from the muzzle. It should be pressed out easily. Placing the new assembly in requires simply locking or clicking it in place. I also replaced the safety with a Wilson Combat unit.

Drift out the safety pins; they are small but it isn’t difficult. Pull the right hand safety lever out. Remove the firing pin retainer spring pin to remove the firing pin block and spring. Use a punch to remove the firing pin plunger. Depress the firing pin and pull out the left side safety lever. The safety lever goes up and to the left. Be careful with the safety plunger. With any handgun design, certain performance parameters must be met.

Accuracy is often a product of trigger control and the smoother trigger action produced by lightening the hammer spring and polishing the action often results in exceptional improvement. This improves practical, not intrinsic accuracy. By carefully modifying the action and smoothing the internal parts, a more tractable handgun produces better practical accuracy. The addition of Wilson Combat parts also adds up to a superior pistol. AG