[colmustard]

So I want to get a 92fs and went up to gander mtn. the other day to have a look, and they had both the american one and the one made in italy. When I was in the service I carried the m9 (American made one) obvously, and figured thats what I would want, but upon close inspection, it seems the one made in italy had a chromed barrel and the american didnt ( if it did I couldent tell ). Also the both used differant screws for the grips, one was a regular flat head and the other a hex. Also it seems on the lower reciver under the barrel on the american made one was cut more straight and the one made in italy was cut at a slight taper. I never knew this before, so now I am torn, which was should I get? Is there any other difference? HELP PLEASE!!

[JonM]

Personally i would skip it over and go.for a cz75 or browning hipower for a full size 9mm.

I domt think there is much diff tween the two.other than cosmetic and tooling set up. But i could be wrong. From quick research preference seems to be for the italy version.

[shipwreck]

Originally Posted by colmustard

So I want to get a 92fs and went up to gander mtn. the other day to have a look, and they had both the american one and the one made in italy. When I was in the service I carried the m9 (American made one) obvously, and figured thats what I would want, but upon close inspection, it seems the one made in italy had a chromed barrel and the american didnt ( if it did I couldent tell ). Also the both used differant screws for the grips, one was a regular flat head and the other a hex. Also it seems on the lower reciver under the barrel on the american made one was cut more straight and the one made in italy was cut at a slight taper. I never knew this before, so now I am torn, which was should I get? Is there any other difference? HELP PLEASE!!

All Beretta 92s have a chrome lined barrel. The italian ones just do the crown of the barrel differently.

They are the exact same gun. However... Currently, the USA plant is making 92s using the M9 frame. The M9 frame has a straight dustcover and no rear strap indentation. The NORMAL 92FS frame was changed from tthe M9 frame to one with a curved dust cover and a rear strap indentation over 10 years ago.

The curved dustcover made the frame stronger, so they could use it for the 96 model (in 40 cal). For 9mm, it's not really necessary, but've just continued to do it.

Since the USA plant makes M9s, it makes sense for them to just start using M9 frames, instead of making 2 different frames.

This combination with the M9 frame just started a few months ago. I have several 92s, and the USA style 92 frames are the same as what you are seeing on that Italian model you saw.

Normally, I would say that there are ZERO difference, but now that the American plant HAD changed to the M9 frame, you have to decide which you like best (frame wise). Otherwise, I will say that functionally, you will not notice a difference.

Now, someone who used to work for Beretta (or so they claimed) was on the Beretta Forum a while back. He stated that when he worked here, the USA plant had better quality control and less product return than 92s made in Italy. I can't really comment on that, however.

Here is a pic of the 2 frames. I personally like the rear strap indentation, because I have small hands, and it brings my trigger finger closer to the trigger.

Others with larger hands often claim that they can tell no difference with this indentation...

[colmustard]

Thank you, that slant on the dust cover is what I saw, thanks again for the pic and the info.

[shipwreck]

Let us know what U end up getting and post a pic!

[jismail]

So if you have a 92FS with the slant dust cover and indentation, it is safe to use the 96G upper slide assembly on it and use it as a .40 without fear of damaging the frame or jams from a narrow feed ramp?

[shipwreck]

The feed ramp is part of the barrel. So yes, it should be fine.

I am not sure if the ejector is the same for 40 and 9mm. Otherwise, its the exact same frame used in the 40 cal and the 9mm version.

I will say that 40 cal use will accelerate frame wear. If ya really want to use 40, I'd suggest buying the new 92A1. The slide and frame is a little stronger to handle the extra recoil of the 40, and there is a recoil buffer in the frame too.

The original 92 was made in 9mm, and when they altered it to work with 40, the 40 cal round really batters the hell out of the gun.

The 92A1 and 96A1 were redesigned a bit and just came out in the summer of 2010. It has some lessons learned incorporated into it

[colmustard]

Nice even more info! And yes I will post pics when I get one.

[TrueNorth]

I myself have an Italian Inox 92fs and I do love it. If you havn't seen one I suggest you look it up, its all stainless steel, which is more rust resistant.

I like 9mm, but if you can handle the extra kick a 40cal is also a good choice, you will not get a 92fs or 92a1 in 40cal, they are 9mm only. The 40cal versions are called the 96fs and the newest one is the 96a1.
The 92's and 96's look identical, but are chambered for the different rounds. The 96's are a bit tougher on the inside (mostly the springs I think) to handle the 40cal rnd.

While I won't comment on quality, I'd say US or Italian you'll be safe, but I have heard that some people prefer the Italian ones. The other posters have identified the slight difference for the M9 frame. While I would go Italian, I think you'll be safe with either.

[robocop10mm]

The INOX version has a stainless barrel and slide. The frame is the same aluminum alloy, anodized to match the stainless color of the top half