Anyone notice that when they manually pull back their slide on their 92/M9 and lock it on an empty mag that there is still a tiny bit of play to push up the slide stop to fully click in for full engagement?

Mine doesn't do that. It clicks right into place.

Had that happen on my 92F about 30 years ago. It wasn’t the slide stop/release, field stripped it and checked to make sure it wasn’t binding or the little tab that contacts the magazine wasn’t bent or damaged. The problem was with the original factory magazines. Which at that time the magazine followers were aluminum and not the white plastic. The metal followers were wearing where the metal slide stop/release was contacting them on empty. I noticed it when I was doing magazine insertions/reloading the slide would literally go forward by itself. Which made for really quick reloading. Lol So cleaned the gun, and got replacement followers. Good to go. You probably should take apart the magazines, get a good cleaning and check your followers for wear or binding inside the magazine and magazine spring. Which they could also be the problem. But I’m pretty sure it’s magazine issue.

Mine doesn't

I concur with the magazine issue guy. Some springs could be weak but it’s probably a follower issue. I have a couple very old (AWB time frame) CZ mags that won’t hold open on last round. Ended up realizing the followers didn’t even have the correct shape to engage the slide stop. Nothing I can do besides buy new correct followers.

Try different mags, different manufacturers, etc. if it bothers you or actually causes an issue. My B92’s, all of them are probably my most reliable design. And yes I include my Glocks in that statement because all my 92’s have been flawless reliability wise where as I have had minor “issues” with assorted Glocks over the years. Brass to face being the big one, perhaps not reliability so much but I still had to swap out parts. Berettas just run as is in my experience.

Don’t think mags are issue. The two that came with it are basically new, and I opened up a fresh one new in the package and the same thing. If I rigorously retract the slide, it locks every time, almost no play when I do it with gusto. Still less than what a live round would do. The previous owner said live fire was no issue and it locked back every time. I’ve just never had a 92 that needed any parts to break in. Better little stiff than too loose I guess though.

Used gun? There is a spring that you could replace. It’s a 2 dollar spring that also coincidentally has the leg that holds in the trigger pin. Maybe that spring got bent or weak over time.

^^^^^yeah perhaps it’s just that the gun is only very lightly used and it looks better than most new ones I’ve seen in the cases over the years funnily enough. I’ll try and just live fire it and see if it breaks in. I called Beretta and they didn’t seem concerned especially since the previous owner had no issues with locking back live fire.

Ok. I just played with my EII and a 92F. My two oldest 92’s. The slide stop on both pops right on up. That spring I mentioned probably has nothing to do with it because the spring tension holds the stop down not up. The magazine spring is what pushes it up.

I do suspect it will work fine under live fire. Is this your only 92? I ask because I would try the mags in a known “good” 92 and see what happens. Both of the ones I checked sprung up with authority on a very mild racking. One MecGar, one surplus Checkmate, ie nothing special about either.

If you got a buddy with a 92, maybe try a completely different style/brand of mag. The fact a brand new one didn’t “work” is odd. However if it works while shooting I guess none of this matters. Except to my OCD lol.

No I have had many 92’s over the years and still have several. My Inox from 1994 is smooth and doesn’t have the slide stop tightness. It’s had a few hundred rounds through it though so not sure if that matters. I am in the camp that Berettas shouldn’t really need break in though like a 1911. I have a 2000 year production with over 1600 rounds through it and it has been fine from day one even with crap ammo.

Well now you got to burn through some of your stash so inquiring minds will know whether it works or not. Lol. I’m betting it will, all of mine are machines and I live on crap ammo!

Ha ha yeah I can spare maybe 50-100 rounds.