Well, you guys ended up costing me money again…or well, guns this time. I traded my Mini-14 today for a Beretta 92X Compact RDO that’s been hanging on the peg at the LGS for a month or so now, tempting me every time I go in there (no pedropcola, I didn’t give them my Model 66…I’m keeping that one!). It hurt me to let the Mini go, but over the past few weeks I’ve come to terms with the fact that I don’t need a 5 MOA + rifle when I already have ARs that shoot much, much better, and when I looked at what it was going to cost to maybe potentially improve it, I decided it was time to cut bait. Part of the reason I bought it in the first place was because I didn’t think I’d ever own an M1 Garand, and now that I have that covered it wasn’t really filling any significant gaps in the collection anyway.

I’ve had this burr up my butt for a high capacity DA/SA carry gun for a while now, and while I’ve always loved my 92FS, it’s just a hair too big to carry around everywhere. My regular off-duty carry gun these days is a P245, and while I love that gun there are times that you just wish you had more bullets. The stainless slide on the P229 is a pig, I’ve literally never seen a P228 locally and the ones online would require selling a kidney, so I decided to fall back to my first love and look at Berettas.



The one I bought is a railed model…I would have preferred non-rail, but I’ve been looking for months and this is the only one I’ve seen anywhere in this part of the state. It’s also optic ready, which I guess is a nice option, but I don’t see myself doing that to this gun. There’s just something wrong with putting a huge RDS on top of a sleek Beretta slide…especially the way Beretta does it with that massive plate. But who knows…never say never. I didn’t think I’d ever see the day that I lobbied the chief for red dots on duty guns, either.



Dimensionally, it’s a hair longer than my P245, but the grip size is pretty similar and unloaded weight is basically the same (26.68 for the Sig, 26.96oz for the Beretta). Ammo will cost you, though…fully loaded the Sig is 34.05oz, while the Beretta weighs 37.09. But you get 9 more rounds, which ain’t bad. That 15 round compact mag is pretty cool, too. My old full-size 92FS from back in the 90s came with 15 round mags, and the older compacts only held 13. The new factory mags (it comes with 2) are labeled Mec-Gar, and they’ve figured out how to fit 2 more rounds in. They have nice witness holes along the back for each round, too, and the price for extra factory mags isn’t bad either at $22 a pop from MGW.



My son and I took it out to the range and there weren’t really any surprises. It’s a Beretta, so it’s reliable and accurate. I was initially hitting a bit high, but a bit more trigger finger corrected that, and it makes sense given the shorter reach of the Vertec grip. Accuracy is good…it’s not quite as easy to make precise hits as my full-size gun, but I blame that on the shorter sight radius. Speed isn’t bad…the long DA pull requires some concentration and costs some time out of the gate compared to a striker gun, but transitions on the plate rack were smooth and accurate, and times were on par with what I can do with my P245.

The DA trigger pull is long and smooth, and surprisingly not too heavy. Reset is short and crisp. I was originally planning to put an LTT TJIAB in this gun, but I’m honestly not sure it needs it. Reset is right on par with my full-size that has an LTT trigger bar in it…I think Beretta has maybe borrowed some design elements from Langdon for the 92X series. The trigger is worlds better than my old 92FS was from the factory.

The sights are great. The front sports a painted orange dot for quick acquisition, and it’s dovetailed on rather than a permanent part of the slide like the older guns, so you can swap it out pretty easily. This may happen to mine at some point, but the one that’s on there is perfectly functional for the time being. The rear is a nice plain black with glare-reducing serrations and a deep notch. It all makes for a very usable, uncluttered sight picture. I’m a fan.



The trigger and other controls are metal, unlike the plastic-encased parts that Beretta was putting out for a while. The guide rod is plastic, and I may swap that out at some point, but it’s not really a priority as it functions fine.

All was not sunshine and roses, though.

First, and least significant is the finish. After a short range session of about 100 rounds, I’m already seeing some spots on the inside of the slide where the “painted on” finish is flaking off. I know the Bruniton finish on the older guns never had a great reputation, but mine has held up significantly better than this. It’s not a huge deal to me as I bought this thing to carry and shoot the snot out of, not to look at…but it’s something that others might care about and I figured I’d pass it on. Also, the finish on the frame is kinda purple…not a nice plumb like a well-used Sig, but kind of a faint purple hue. It comes nowhere near to color matching the slide. The billboard on the side of the slide is overly large and unnecessary, too. If you are jonesing for a pretty Beretta, I’d watch the market for a 92SB rather than one of these.

Second, the safety lever on this gun is not positive…almost like there’s a burr somewhere or the spring is weak. Sometimes when flicking the lever off, it stops about halfway up. The safety is still engaged in this position, and the gun won’t fire. You can’t even force my old 92FS to do this (the safety lever will just spring up the rest of the way on its own), so something isn’t right here. This would be a HUGE issue, except that I’ve already ordered a “G” conversion kit, so I’m planning to take it all apart anyway and get rid of the idiotic manual safety. While I’m in there I’ll make sure everything is intact, polished, and correctly installed, and hopefully that resolves the issue.



Finally, the grips. I love the aggressive texture of the grip panels, but the Vertec grip does feel a bit small. Easy solution, the gun comes with a larger “clamshell” style grip that pretty much emulates the traditional 92 grip profile. It wraps around the backstrap and snaps into the magwell recess. Unfortunately, mine doesn’t fit. I’ve tried everything I can think of (including sanding down the inside of the plastic grip), but I can’t get both of the bottom two grip screw holes to line up with the bushings at the same time. I can get 3 out of 4 every time, but there just isn’t enough clearance there to get that last one aligned. The panels are snapped into the magwell recess, but they are off just enough that you can’t get the screw in without cross-threading it. This really sucks, as I love the feel of the larger grip, but I can’t get it on the gun. If anybody has any tips or tricks for getting this to work, I’m all ears. I could take a drill to the screw holes and enlarge them, but I’d rather not do that.


I’m excited about the new gun, and really like the form-factor, but I’m kind of annoyed with Beretta for dropping the ball on a few things. If nobody here has any solutions for the grips, I may give them a call on that, and I’ll report back about the safety lever situation once the “G” kit gets here and I have it swapped in.

I got a non-rdo version of that same gun a few months back. Oddly mine came with a metal guide rod but I’ve read that most don’t which is strange. I also got the 13 round Beretta mags instead of the 15 round Mec-Gar, though I ordered several of those. And I added a short reach trigger and I’ve got new sights on order. I prefer the larger grip as well and thankfully mine fit.

I do not have the safety issue you do either. Mine is very positive on and off.

I really like the gun. I’ve shot around 500 rounds through it and have not had any failures. I would like to add a TJIAB after the sights and I’m thinking it will be a near perfect gun after that.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pale Horse,

Good trade! Enjoy

Nice pistol. I was amazed at how much nicer the 92X is over the standard 92fs. There is nothing wrong with the standard model but many things were upgraded and are now standard with the 92X RDO. You can actually get other front sights, add a light or whatever on the rails and the option of a rds. Great choice.

quote:

There’s just something wrong with putting a huge RDS on top of a sleek Beretta slide…especially the way Beretta does it with that massive plate.

Truer words have almost never been spoken.
I have always loved the look of the open top slide 92. Never ventured to get one and have always said if I do it will be an Italian made Inox.
Though these newer 92X Compacts with the grayish hue frame really look good and feel great and n the hand and as you mentioned magazines are super cheap.

If a compact, no rail, non rdo makes it to the local shop. Layaway will likely be initiated.

Congrats on a Great looking pistol!!

I was worried about that 66. Lol

Heads up, the 92X (I have 2) are the most difficult to remove sights I have ever encountered. I use a MGW sight pro/master/whatever and a cheater bar and I tried good old brass punches and a hammer. Those sights are in there TIGHT.

I replace with the WC battlesight night sight setup. Love their combo.

My trigger was good out of box but I still went the TJIAB for that little bit extra. I also dislike the big old baseplates. I had some old Cougar metal baseplates that are same shape but smaller that fit better. Plus the CZ rubber ones work as well.

quote:

If a compact, no rail, non rdo makes it to the local shop. Layaway will likely be initiated.

I'm not sure they're making those anymore, as every new one I've seen in stock anywhere is railed and RDO ready. But they do tend to produce in batches, so maybe they'll do another run. The RDO cut doesn't bother me much, as the cover blends pretty nicely with the top of the slide and isn't particularly noticeable. The only way I'd consider putting an optic on this gun, though, is if somebody come out with something more low profile than what's available now that would direct-mount without the massive plate.

Pedro, that's good to know about the sights. When I do get around to it, I'll probably just replace the front blade as I want something with a tritium insert, but I like the blacked out rear. Ideally, I'd really like a high contrast green dot like the Sig X-ray sights, but that Wilson with the orange outline around the green tritium dot looks like it would work well as well. Great to know about the cougar and CZ baseplates, too...I may have to give that a look.

I did some judicious work with a Dremel tonight (on the grip only, not the gun) and got the large grip installed. I only had to remove a small amount of material around the rim of one of the screw holes, and if you didn't know what you were looking for, you'd never even notice. Screws are in straight, large grip is installed. I'm a happy camper. Now to break out some kydex and make a holster...

If those do come out, they’ll likely be Wilson Berettas. That’s also assuming that Beretta catches up on production.

I threw together a Kydex holster for it this afternoon, and have been carrying it around just to get the feel of it. It's not really noticeably heavier than the P245. The grip texture is rough, but so far not uncomfortable.

I swapped one of the baseplates with an old 10-round full-size Beretta 92 mag that I had lying around (came with the gun years ago when I bought it). It fits great, and they fit my hand just right...no pinky overhang, but no extra grip length either. I went ahead and ordered more so I can put them on all my compact mags.

I’d recommend you shoot it before you swap all those baseplates. I did the same thing you did and it felt great in my hand but when I shot it the gun moved too much for my comfort and I had to keep readjusting my grip. I ended up swapping it back. I might look into other options but for now I’m sticking with the original baseplate.

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
I’d recommend you shoot it before you swap all those baseplates. I did the same thing you did and it felt great in my hand but when I shot it the gun moved too much for my comfort and I had to keep readjusting my grip. I ended up swapping it back. I might look into other options but for now I’m sticking with the original baseplate.

Good call. I'm hoping to take it out again tomorrow, so I'll definitely try the shorter baseplate out and see how it handles. With the grip texture being what it is, I imagine that the gun moving around in your hand is not gonna feel very good...kinda like sliding your hand up and down a cheese grater !

You know the grip has been pretty comfortable actually now that you mention that. I’ve got one of the new M9A4s as well with the same texture and that too has been very comfortable while shooting, though I definitely notice the texture just holding the guns.

I’ve carried the compact a few times and don’t have any issue with the grip there either. Of course I always wear an undershirt between the gun and my skin too. But so far no wear on the shirts though I doubt I’ve carried it enough to really know.

I put another 100 rounds through it today. No issues with movement under recoil, even with the short baseplates. It did seem like it was easier to establish a grip in the holster with the extended baseplate, though. I need to do some dry fire work on the clock with it and see which is actually faster.

I really need to get that G conversion in...the safety was driving me nuts the whole time I was out there...I kept decocking then forgetting to disengage it.

I don’t know why but the lines of a beretta are just so nice.

The color of that frame alone would of caused some hesitation.

I love the color. One of my 92X’s is that color and the other one isn’t. I prefer this color. The extended pinky rest baseplates work great they are just oddly oversized. It’s weird. I swapped an aluminum pinky rest from a Cougar Compact and it is perfect. It is also from a mag they don’t make anymore so I only robbed one. The CZ rubber ones are the right size and plenty grippy. To me it’s 100% aesthetics.

pedropcola, how much difference did the TJIAB make on your 92X?

The reason I ask is that my old 92FS full-size had a pretty horrible trigger from the factory. Extremely long reset, and mushy. I put a D-spring and LTT Optimized Trigger bar in it (just the trigger bar, not the whole kit), and it went from abysmal to excellent...almost on par with my Sig SRT triggers.

The factory trigger in my new 92X compact, though, feels almost exactly like the one in my full-size 92FS with the LTT optimized trigger bar installed. I pulled them side by side and there's just a hair (almost imperceptably) less reset travel in the LTT-equipped gun, but nothing like that old Beretta factory trigger used to be. I'm not sure if Beretta borrowed some design elements from Langdon for the 92X series or what, but the out-of-the-box factory trigger is remarkably better than the one my 90's vintage Beretta came with.

I was planning to rob that LTT trigger bar from my full-size gun for the 92x compact, but I'm honestly not sure I'd gain anything by doing that as the factory trigger is so good. I'd consider a TJIB, but it would have to make a pretty drastic difference to be worth the cost and effort, IMO, and I just don't see how much better it could make it.

I'm not pedropcola but I do have a 92X and in my opinion it doesn't need the TJIB. In fact, I sold the one I was going to put in my 92X. I did make changes to the action because I already had parts laying around but, in my opinion, the TJIB just isn't needed. One change I made is to replace the factory 'short reset' trigger bar with a standard stock part. I don't care about having a really short reset and prefer the feel of the trigger with the stock trigger bar. YMMV, of course.

I've only had half a dozen 92s but the 92X definitely had the best out-of-the-box trigger.

It didn’t make as much of a difference as in a standard 92. The 92X trigger already has the 13# D spring and a different trigger bar (I believe). I could have lived with the factory trigger but on my Compact I wanted it to be perfect so I bought the TJIAB and a 12# spring. It’s really good now. My Centurion I lowered the spring but kept the original parts. It’s very good but the TJIAB is better. You can tell them apart but it’s not anything like a stock 92 vs Langdon. There is an improvement. Do I think it’s $165 dollars better? Probably not if I’m being honest.

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. I'm fighting my OCD here, and especially since this is going to be a carry gun, I don't want to mess up "really good" in an expensive and possibly futile pursuit of perfection. But if there's a significant value-add, I'm open to it.

I do like the short reset. I've been working lately to overcome my deeply ingrained habit of shooting to reset and trying to move to consistently resetting under recoil. But even when giving up some of that finesse and precise trigger control in the pursuit of speed, I still don't see any downside to a short reset as it pretty much eliminates the possibility of a short-stroke. Add to that that I've gone to short reset systems in all of my DA/SA guns, and it gives me consistency across the board.

I did some dry-fire stuff today with the laser cartridge to try and compare the extended baseplates to the flat ones. Results are inconclusive on the clock so far. I will say that the extended baseplates definitely feel like they are guiding your hand into the grip more consistently, but I'm not yet seeing any significant time or accuracy improvement as a result. Some of that is probably my sloppy draw technique...I'm going to keep working on it.