Dangerous Beretta

elmos608

I just picked up a new beretta 96 Centurion model the other day. I couldn't resist, the price was right. I love the night sights and the double action is very nice. Anyway, my question is this, is the Beretta a safe gun? I know that I've heard stories about the slide breaking in the 92 models and hitting you in the face, sometimes killing you. Is this true or just misinformation. I also remember hearing something about the slide braking because of extended use of +P ammunition. If you have any thoughts or information on this let me know. thanks

spclark

Using +P ammo, under any circumstances, in a firearm NOT SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR IT is dangerous and foolish. Read the manual that came with your Beretta & use the ammo that the weapon is chambered for.Please respect the safety of those around you, as well as your own, when you use a firearm.

elmos608

on one else has heard about this?

Cawdor

The story, as I have seen it told, is that the Navy Seals broke some Beretta slides shooting some very, very hot loads (probably hotter than +P+).The Beretta 92/96 is a fine gun. Drop by the Beretta Forum, if you want more information.

royc38

Thats the same story that I heard also. Something bout the SEALS using hot ammo in pistols using suppressors or something like that. A good Beretta is as good as any gun out there. You can say what you want but they have been making firearms for a very long time (longest I think) and they wouldn't be making junk.

axlerfan

reading a copy of a letter from beretta dated 9/25/91, they state that following the endurance tests performed by the us military before accepting the m9/92 pistol to replace the 1911, its claimed that at least one pistol fired 37,500 rounds without loss of safety or loss of funcion. further, beretta has been advised that randomly selected m9/92 series pistols are test fired to 30,000 rounds each, every month by the us army without loss of safety or function. id say thats a pretty good track record. in the military test summary, the beretta passed with all NATO and SAMMI speck ammo. no mention however of using +p or +p+ ammo. as was stated earlier, it wasnt designed to handle high pressure hot loads. dont use em.

nmyers@home.com

The US Army experienced several slide failures with the Beretta while using standard ball ammo. In at least one case, the shooter received minor injuries.Beretta redesigned the slide, and replaced the slides on the entire govt contract at no charge; however, they refused to replace the defective slides on guns sold commercially, on the grounds that these wouldn't be fired as much as the military guns.If you're comfortable putting Firestone tires on your car, don't worry about the Berettas.Neal

idsman75

They were using 9mm Submachine gun ammo in the berettas to determine compatability in the event that they needed to swap ammo. The ammo should have never been loaded in the pistol. Secondly, Firestone built a tire to Ford's specs. Ford asked for a tire that wasn't built like a truck tire. It was built like a sedan tire so that the Explorer could ride like a sedan. It didn't work. I still have my Firestone Wilderness tires on my pickup and they are perfectly safe.[This message has been edited by idsman75 (edited 12-30-2001).]

JudgeColt

The posts here all have a grain or more of the full story, both with the Beretta and the Firestone tires. The Beretta slides failed with what was basically proof ammunition after high round counts. Beretta published a press release on the issue which may be on the web site, but I have not checked. (I recognize that the Beretta press release is self-serving and some may say it is not the "whole truth."The slides were replaced on the military pistols with a redesigned slide that incorporated a safey lock disc that will prevent the rear part of a broken slide from hitting the shooter. The M92FS commercial models have that slide. (The "S" in "FS" is for "slide safety;" the "F" is for "firing pin safety.") No commercial slides were replaced as it was assumed (which may be an imporper assumption), that no commercial guns would be firing such hot ammunition in such high round counts. The .40 S&W Berettas were introduced after the modificatioin was incorporated into regular production so all .40 guns have the safety disc.The Firestone tires were safely built tires for the Ford Explorer. However, the Ford-specified inflation pressure was lower than Firestone thought prudent (for softer ride purposes as mentiioned), BUT FIRESTONE PROVIDED THE TIRES KNOWING THE PRESSURE IN THE TIRES WHEN USED ON THE FORD EXPLORER WOULD BE LOWER THAN FIRESTONE THOUGHT PRUDENT. The lower inflation pressure provided little margin for an overload or a loss in pressure from a slow leak, and, coupled with hot temperatures, some tires failed, resulting in the well-publicized accidents and deaths. Ford and Firestone both can share the blame for this mess.We have become so accustomed to being protected from our own stupidity that when we are not, we get upset. I agree there should be safety margins built into products, but how much margin can be argued at length because some idiot will always exceed it. Clearly, the designed-in margin on the Beretta slides and the Explorer tires was not enough in some cases.