My Beretta 92F Compact: What can you tell me about it

[modelflyer2003]

And no, I am not looking for the answer: Sell it and buy a Glock! I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me about my Beretta. I bought it new at the Rod and Gun Club at RAF Bentwaters (I was in the Air Force) in the United Kingdom in 1991 (Yes, I actually bought a handgun in England). It is black with walnut handles, the safety/decocker level, two white dot sights like the M9, SN that begins with D418---, has had about 400 rounds put through it, two factory magazines, and the original box. On the left side of the slide is written “Pietro Beretta Gardone V.T. Made in Italy.” I am considering carrying it concealed in a supertuck rather than the Taurus 605 in the paddle holster. My question is, “Is the gun rare or not?” I have seen lots of Beretta 92F’s on the internet, a few Compacts, but not like mine. The trigger guard was rounded on the one I saw online and mine is not rounded in the front. I really like my pistol and I am interested in hearing from others about what they know about it. Info added: I looked at my original paperwork and it says that it is a Beretta 92FSC.

 

[iamaclone45]

Any way you can post some pictures of it? Sounds like a neat gun with a cool history.

 

[modelflyer2003]

Here is a picture of it.

 

[AJBB87]

you might visit...

berettaforum.net

for more information

I know that the squared trigger guard models are newer than the rounded.

Depending on if yours is an "L" version which takes double stack mags or an "M" version which takes single stack mags will help determine the value. It should say on the slide like "92F - L Compact" or something...

"M" versions are generally more sought after. Mags for the "M" are getting hard to find and are expensive when you do.

I wouldn't say your gun is too rare to carry. Yes its out of production but you can still find them around. It's a Beretta and if it's as accurate and easy to shoot/own as mine are, I would definitely carry it.

Give the Beretta forum a try. I'm a member and its a good bunch of helpful guys/gals just like INGO.

AJB

* Thats a good looking gun by the way!

 

[00BlasterResto]

And no, I am not looking for the answer: Sell it and buy a Glock! I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me about my Beretta. I bought it new at the Rod and Gun Club at RAF Bentwaters (I was in the Air Force) in the United Kingdom in 1991 (Yes, I actually bought a handgun in England). It is black with walnut handles, the safety/decocker level, two white dot sights like the M9, SN that begins with D418---, has had about 400 rounds put through it, two factory magazines, and the original box. On the left side of the slide is written “Pietro Beretta Gardone V.T. Made in Italy.” I am considering carrying it concealed in a supertuck rather than the Taurus 605 in the paddle holster. My question is, “Is the gun rare or not?” I have seen lots of Beretta 92F’s on the internet, a few Compacts, but not like mine. The trigger guard was rounded on the one I saw online and mine is not rounded in the front. I really like my pistol and I am interested in hearing from others about what they know about it. Info added: I looked at my original paperwork and it says that it is a Beretta 92FSC.

Sorry but, Thats right sell it to me and buy yourself a glock

J/k..... I love mine.
I'd carry it, The W. German P226 in my Av. is carryed daily.

 

[modelflyer2003]

Thanks for the info AJBB87. It is a 13 shot, staggard round magazine. I would assume that the double stack would be side-by-side. Am I wrong?

 

[00BlasterResto]

I think staggard would be the double stack, You weren't able to find the L or M on it anywhere ?
**Yep looked it up, the single stack would be an 8 round capacity.

 

[stmoore]

Nice gun. It's _somewhat_ rare. For example, those are walnut grips, which are $50 new - if you can find them. Very few were shipped with the factory walnut grips, especially to the states. Depending on condition, the gun is worth between $400 and $550 - Mint, it might bring $600 - $625.

It has the 4.3 inch barrel as opposed to the standard 4.9 inch. They are quite accurate and are good for CC. It does have 13 round mags, it is not the M which is single stack 8 round (popular in high cap ban states).

The only suggestion I might offer, if you plan to CC the gun ... look online for some standard, non-walnut grips and use those (if you like). Also, finding spare mags can be a pain at times. When you do find them, they can be a little costly.

It was preceded in model by the 92 SBC.

 

[modelflyer2003]

I cannot seem to find an L or an M on it. On the right side of the slide it says 92F Compact and then stamped in lighter writing FS. Thanks for helping me narrow it down. It has lived in a sock drawer for 19 years, and it is about time I got some good out of it. I am rather new to CCW, as the Air Force ddn't even trust its own cops to carry when not on the job. They could trust me for 8 hours than as soon as another shift came on, we were apparently no longer trusted with a weapon. What kind of BS is that? Perhaps the outcome at Fort Hood would have been minimized had the soilders had the option to carry. It was only another pistol that stopped the SOB. I realize this has nothing to do with a Beretta 92FS Compact, but I got myself all fired up. That stuff just smokes my britches though.

 

[snorko]

I grow to like Berettas more and more. I have a 96 compact and really like the proportions. I would love to find a 92 compact like yours or a Cougar compact in .45.

BTW check beretta's website and look at the gun accessories clearance section. I recently got some Md 96 compact mags on clearance for $19.95 each and I think the 92 compact mags were on sale also.

 

[eliteimagery]

Nice! Can you get different grips for it, and are the sights adjustable?

 

[modelflyer2003]

Nice! Can you get different grips for it, and are the sights adjustable?

I should be able to get different grips for it, as Stmoore suggested. The sights are not adjustable. It has the older two dot sight rather than the three, like some models. I'm glad you like it. I am quite fond of it too.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Sorry... The only thing I can tell you about your Beretta is that I'd like to have it.

-J-

 

[drgnrobo]

Other than its freakin awesome & everyone seems to be drooling over it, Its a really nice example of a 90's era beretta & you bought In europe is pretty cool too. Love the factory wood grips and i think it might be worth a call to the beretta factory to have a history done on it

 

[Joe Williams]

Don't know where you are, but if you are within driving range of Marshall, Pearson's Sporting goods had a number of the compact mags in last time I was there.

 

[modelflyer2003]

A little more personal history about the gun. When I bought the gun I was 21, living in the dorms (I was single and in the Air Force). I reviewed the paperwork yesterday and I see that I spent $677 on it, put half down and made payments for the rest. I spent money I really didn’t have. Most of my money went to the NCO club and to the video game console. Because I was living in the dorm, I had to keep the gun at the Rod and Gun Club. When I went to leave the base for my second duty station, I went to go get it so I could have it shipped with my personal stuff, which the movers were taking two weeks before I left. The day before they were suppose to get my stuff, I called the Rod and Gun Club to tell them that I would be picking it up, but the phone rang off the hook. It seems there was an unscheduled closing for the day. I thought, “I am hosed, because they are coming to get my stuff tomorrow.” I called my flight chief, Tech Sgt Rick Stewart (Fort Wayne, IN…IF anyone knows him drop me a line, I have looked for him for years) and he called someone and she was willing to open up first thing the next day to give me the gun, but I had to have a lockable hard case for it, and written permission from the commander of my squadron because I was going to my dorm. Handguns are just so regulated in England and on Air Force bases. If I had lived in base housing, it would have been a different story. Sgt Stewart had to go through our shift commander before he could approach the commander, so he called him and he told us that the commander was on vacation, but Capt. Eichen was the acting commander. My shift commander called Capt. Eichen and woke him up (yikes!) and he said to come by his house so he could sign the paper. He wasn’t smiling when he came to the door. I was finally able to get the gun back to my dorm and the movers boxed up my stuff and shortly after I was gone to my second base, Kirtland AFB in New Mexico. Once there I had to keep my gun in the police armory, because I, of course, lived in the dorm. It stayed there for the next two years without me firing it. Too much of a hassle to get it out and shoot and return.

Here is the scary story. When I left the service in 1993, I moved in with some friends who had two sons in junior high school. The kids were over at a friend’s house with some other kids playing with some guns and one of their friends, 14 years old boy named Peter accidently shot himself in the head and died instantly. The boys were upset and started spilling their guts to their parents. My gun had been locked in a cabinet with a trigger lock in place. My Beretta was not one of them at the accident scene, but they admitted that a month earlier they had sneaked the keys off of their father’s key ring while he was sleeping, took my gun to school to show their friends and their friends had went to the woods and went shooting with a box of ammo. They cleaned it and put it back. It just kills me, because I thought I was doing everything right when it came to safely securing the gun, as it was double locked. It came close to being evidence along with the other pistols they found under the bed at Peter’s house.

 

[modelflyer2003]

According to this link and decifering the stamp marks, my Beretta was made in 1988. Thanks to the Beretta Forum.
Beretta Forum - FAQ: Beretta Handguns FAQ