Beretta 96 a good choice

[GCPD0171]

I carried a Beretta 96 for 3 years at my former agency. It shot very well and was always reliable. The only downside to it was the size of the grip. If you have small hands it can be hard to handle comfortably with one hand. It also required more daily maintenance than a Glock or Smith & Wesson. Mine would tend to rust quickly if you didn't keep it oiled down. I would still recommend as a duty weapon.

[J.DIXON]

Berettas are too large for the round that they are chambered in.(9mm) They need to shave about 1 1/4 inches off the barrel and slim the grips up. Those are my gripes. Otherwise,every one I have ever shot has been accurate and reliable. They are,I beleive,an acquired taste. Just my humble opinion.

[Padres19]

Re: Beretta 96 a good choice

Originally posted by GCPD0171
I carried a Beretta 96 for 3 years at my former agency. It shot very well and was always reliable. The only downside to it was the size of the grip. If you have small hands it can be hard to handle comfortably with one hand. It also required more daily maintenance than a Glock or Smith & Wesson. Mine would tend to rust quickly if you didn't keep it oiled down. I would still recommend as a duty weapon.

I own a 96...excellent weapon. The grip is a bit wide for my puny hands but I still liked it better than the Springfield 1911 I'm carrying now. Guess that's the price of switching departments.

Yes, Berettas are very prone to barrel rust and keeping the slide rails lubricated is a must.

Just a note...the model 96 is .40 S&W and the 92 is a the 9mm. The 9mm is just a couple of millimeters thinner than the 96. I know because my 96 wouldn't fit in my military 9mm holster.

As for large weapons...Smiths and Rugers aren't exactly slim and trim. Some Rugers have barrels that feel like they're made of iron!

[GCPD0171]

Sorry guys. I made a forum rookie mistake. I was trying to reply to a post about picking a good .40 cal duty weapon. I hit the wrong button and started a new thread.

[jpk]

I am a fan of Glock, and have been even before becoming a Police Officer. You should know that the MD Transportation Authority Police took their Beretta 96's out of service because the weapons apparently were not firing properly. Just and FYI

[John from Maryland]

jpk, not to correct a fellow Maryland roller, but I believe the MdTA PD had problems with Vertecs rather than 96's. Maryland Park Service has used the 96D for some years with reasonable success. MSP also transitioned to the 96D several years ago.

Be safe.

[JRT6]

My agency has issued Beretta's since the mid 80's and have only had to send one gun in for warranty repair and have never had any fail in street shootings. I recently purchased a vertec in 9mm and have shot about 8,000 reloads so far with no gun related malfunctions.

Beretta in .40 will wear out a lot faster than the 9mm's but for all the agencies that rarely shoot it will never be an issue.