Italian Beretta 92 VS US made Beretta 92.

Ozzieman · October 8, 2011, 08:41 AM

Which one would you choose and why.
Please don’t suggest another gun. This is for a lady in the military reserves, she wants a 92 so she can train at home.

Ozzieman · October 8, 2011, 08:45 AM

P.S.
Price is not a issue.

hardworker · October 8, 2011, 08:54 AM

Quality wise you never hear of one being better than the other.

Cheapshooter · October 8, 2011, 09:02 AM

carguychris · October 8, 2011, 09:24 AM

Italian ones sometimes sell for more money, but I'm convinced it's primarily because they're less common, not necessarily because they're better.

AustinTX · October 8, 2011, 09:26 AM

Why didn't you include an option for "doesn't matter"? Because it really doesn't matter. Both are top-quality, and neither is better than the other.

drail · October 8, 2011, 09:50 AM

I sure hope she has large hands. With small to normal sized hands the Beretta 92 is an exercise in frustration. The D.O.D. could not have picked a worse weapon to issue to female soldiers. If they can get their hand around around the fat grip most cannot reach the trigger without shifting their grip to the point that they have lost most of their control over the gun and the bore no longer lines up with their forearm.

Martowski · October 8, 2011, 03:48 PM

Doesn't matter; the idea that one is better than the other is convenient-sounding urban legend. Certainly there may be individual samples of each that are not up to normal quality, but as a whole they are the same.

chasep255 · October 8, 2011, 03:49 PM

Well when I sold mine the buyer was excited when he found out that it was Italian. Not sure why.

Martowski · October 8, 2011, 06:00 PM

Because of the cachet that Italian made Berettas carry based on the perceived "quality" of Italian made products and the fact that it has a stamping that says it's from someplace more exotic than Maryland. It's like anything; some elements of a product that people place value upon are based more on intangible vs. actual meaning.

10mm4ever · October 8, 2011, 06:14 PM

There's just not enough difference to prefer one over the other. The fit and finish of current US made is just as good as their Italian counterparts.

James K · October 8, 2011, 06:16 PM

I had that choice and chose Italian. But that was when the U.S. factory was having problems, and I had just held a handful of broken locking blocks from American-made guns. I hope that is behind them and the guns are now equal in quality. I have never had any problem with the Italian gun, though.

Jim

Martowski · October 8, 2011, 07:19 PM

I will admit that when I was looking for a good, clean Beretta that, given the same gun for the same price, I would have chosen "Made in Italy." But when I found a LNIB 92fs police special w/ all paperwork, night sights, and three factory 15-round mags for $405, all preferences for country of origin went out the window.

9mm · October 8, 2011, 07:29 PM

I heard one of the models have more scratches than the other from factory. Mine had some, I saw a used one and there was a big one on it. I know a few other guns with factory marks. To straight to be a idiot mark.

ShipWreck · October 8, 2011, 09:26 PM

The Italy plant took up the slack until recently while the US plant kept up with the military orders... For quite some time, ALL ya saw were Italian models... In years past, Italian models we not being imported with regularity, and there was a mystique around having an italian model. Now, it's not big deal...

Many models are ONLY made in Italy. But for a standard 92FS, I personally like the USA made ones...

MidwestRookie · October 9, 2011, 12:22 AM

Quote:

I heard one of the models have more scratches than the other from factory.

complete and utter non-sense..did you say that out loud to yourself to hear how ridiculous it sounds?

OP, there's no difference. Do you want one that says Made in Italy or Made in USA? Decide that and buy one or the other..I'm not voting for either.

Strangely enough, of the 5 or 6 92 variants I have or have gone through, I've never owned a Made in Italy version..exactly zero malfunctions through the couple thousand rounds I've put through them either..I'd expect the exact same thing if I did get one made in italy.

Martowski · October 9, 2011, 03:57 AM

Actually, Shipwreck, one of the forum members here (and an active member on the Beretta forum) indicated that as much as he loves the Beretta 92 (and he does love them), it's the only handgun he won't buy sight unseen as he has seen too many examples of NIB 92's with a lot of scratches. Now, he doesn't distinguish this between Italian vs. US made pistols.

Another member on Beretta forum indicated his Italian 92fs came NIB soaked in oil and after cleaning he discovered numerous frame scratches and dings in the magwell. Of course, that's just one example and every manufacturer of any product is going to have something slip by here and there.

Moral of the story is that if you're really that worried about it, don't buy sight unseen. I bought mine online but had enough good pictures in good lighting of the specific 92fs to be sure of what I was getting... and I wasn't disappointed.

roman3 · October 9, 2011, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Well when I sold mine the buyer was excited when he found out that it was Italian. Not sure why.

OK first off there are lots of different 92 series guns.

Some were only made in Italy , the 92, 92s, 92SB, 92SB-F

The 92F and 92FS were made in both places.

The older Italian made pistols have great bluing and are part of the old gunmaking era of craftsmanship. the 1990's Inox Italians look way better than current produced Inox's at either factory.

Finally its an Italian gun and some believe, rightly or wrongly, that it should be made in Italy. but that is the free markets choice.

Quote:

The fit and finish of current US made is just as good as their Italian counterparts.

This is true today and with current production but was not neccessarily true of previously produced guns.

If price was the same, or very close, I would probably take the Italian first but would get the US made if I wanted a Beretta 92FS with the Bruntion finish or military look.

The older blued Italians would win hands down!

jmr40 · October 9, 2011, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Italian ones sometimes sell for more money, but I'm convinced it's primarily because they're less common, not necessarily because they're better.
__________________

My experience as well. I've had a couple of US made pistols, found a good deal on an Italian version and found I didn't shoot it quite as well as the others. The good news is that it brought a little more money when I sold it because of where it was made.

NickW · October 9, 2011, 07:10 AM

As a Armorer for the U.S., weapons handler and former owner of both Italian and U.S. made versions I can say that up until a year and half ago the Italian models had better finishes and smother actions. Not biased here as I still own a U.S. version, (sold my two Italians) it’s the simple sad truth. I have worked on, shot and cleaned hundreds of 92’s here and in Italy. The end results of both weapons are the same: extremely reliable and accurate defensive side-arm. However, the Italian made weapon is ever so slightly better, that’s why they fetch more money; will it matter when it counts? Not in the least. That’s my experience with Military issue weapons for the U.S. and the Italian Carabinieri. YMMV.

Marquezj16 · October 9, 2011, 07:29 AM

My 92 FS Compact is only made in Italy so I voted in their favor.

Leejack · October 9, 2011, 08:02 AM

People that have a gun (ie Beretta or Sig) made overseas will always tell you they are better than the American ones.

There is some psychology involved with this.

I actually know someone who insists that the instant they sopped making hi powers in Belguim, the gun became no good.

Pshyc 101 folks, that's all it is.

The Beretta works fine whether made in Italy or the USA.

Couldn't vote because there is an obvious option 3 missing in this poll.

ShipWreck · October 9, 2011, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Actually, Shipwreck, one of the forum members here (and an active member on the Beretta forum) indicated that as much as he loves the Beretta 92 (and he does love them), it's the only handgun he won't buy sight unseen as he has seen too many examples of NIB 92's with a lot of scratches. Now, he doesn't distinguish this between Italian vs. US made pistols.

This is exactly true... I have only owned ONE Beretta that came with exactly zero scratches. It was one of my 92A1s.. The other 7 of my 92 variants all had some sort of scratches. And, I have passed on many NEW 92s because of scratches.

Doesn't matter if they are USA made or Italian made. Now that they changed to better cases with foam inside, there seems to be a few less scratches. But, I do 'scratch" my head when I see so many new Beretta 92s opened up out of the box and already scratched up. I really wonder what they are doing in the plant...

As for finish differences - there used to be a bit of a difference in the appearance of the black finish between the USA made and Italian models. Some claim that recently, the USA models seem to have a nicer finish over the italian models...

The 90-Two, 92 compact and 92A1 are ONLY made in Italy. The M9A1 is ONLY made in the USA, and the regular 92FS is made in either places.

Someone, a few months back, claimed to have previously worked at the Beretta USA plant. They claimed that the quality control from the USA made ones were better, and the return rate for problems were less than the Italian made ones. He didn't say anything to back that up - other than his comments.

I will say that my two Italian made 92A1s are the most accurate of my 92 variants. However, I previously had an Italian made 92FS that seemed a little less accurate than my USA made models...

I guess you can have an issue from either USA or italian made models...

10mm4ever · October 9, 2011, 08:44 AM

Also remember that some extremely well made variants of the 92 that were limited production and VERY desirable amongst collectors, were manufactured at the Accocreek plant. All of the Elites, Border Marshalls, Cajun, etc were US made, if memory serves. My Elite II is easily the most accurate 9mm I've ever fired and I'd take another one in a heartbeat! They are extremely well made and the quality is VERY consistant. If you're in the market for a 92FS, the 'Police Special' is the best deal going.

Ozzieman · October 9, 2011, 09:04 AM

I would like to thank everyone for the great input. I don’t know much about 92’s since my favorite Beretta is the Cougar I haven’t spent much time reading or handling one.
Again this is for a friend’s wife that is going to the sand box very soon (active call up from reserves) and wants to train with what she will have to carry.
Smart Lady.
Actual leaving for a gun show right now. Hope we can find one for her, and yes she is going.

View Poll Results: Italian Beretta 92 VS US made Beretta 92
US	13	37.14%
Italian	22	62.86%
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll

October 8, 2011, 08:41 AM	#1
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	Italian Beretta 92 VS US made Beretta 92. Which one would you choose and why. Please don’t suggest another gun. This is for a lady in the military reserves, she wants a 92 so she can train at home.

October 8, 2011, 09:02 AM	#4
Cheapshooter Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2007 Location: Missouri Posts: 8,306	__________________ Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #1: NEVER SELL OR TRADE ANYTHING!

October 8, 2011, 09:24 AM	#5
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 7,523	Italian ones sometimes sell for more money, but I'm convinced it's primarily because they're less common, not necessarily because they're better. __________________ "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules... MARK IT ZERO!!" - Walter Sobchak

October 8, 2011, 09:50 AM	#7
drail Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2008 Posts: 3,150	I sure hope she has large hands. With small to normal sized hands the Beretta 92 is an exercise in frustration. The D.O.D. could not have picked a worse weapon to issue to female soldiers. If they can get their hand around around the fat grip most cannot reach the trigger without shifting their grip to the point that they have lost most of their control over the gun and the bore no longer lines up with their forearm. Last edited by drail; October 8, 2011 at 09:55 AM.

October 8, 2011, 08:45 AM	#2
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	P.S. Price is not a issue.

October 8, 2011, 08:54 AM	#3
hardworker Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2010 Posts: 820	Quality wise you never hear of one being better than the other.

October 8, 2011, 09:26 AM	#6
AustinTX Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2010 Posts: 2,145	Why didn't you include an option for "doesn't matter"? Because it really doesn't matter. Both are top-quality, and neither is better than the other.

October 8, 2011, 03:48 PM	#8
Martowski Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2000 Location: Texas (By Way of Illinois) Posts: 1,376	Doesn't matter; the idea that one is better than the other is convenient-sounding urban legend. Certainly there may be individual samples of each that are not up to normal quality, but as a whole they are the same. __________________ Midwestern Ramblings (my amateur firearms blog): http://martowski.wordpress.com/

October 8, 2011, 03:49 PM	#9
chasep255 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 727	Well when I sold mine the buyer was excited when he found out that it was Italian. Not sure why.

October 8, 2011, 06:00 PM	#10
Martowski Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2000 Location: Texas (By Way of Illinois) Posts: 1,376	Because of the cachet that Italian made Berettas carry based on the perceived "quality" of Italian made products and the fact that it has a stamping that says it's from someplace more exotic than Maryland. It's like anything; some elements of a product that people place value upon are based more on intangible vs. actual meaning. __________________ Midwestern Ramblings (my amateur firearms blog): http://martowski.wordpress.com/

October 8, 2011, 06:14 PM	#11
10mm4ever Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2005 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 808	There's just not enough difference to prefer one over the other. The fit and finish of current US made is just as good as their Italian counterparts.

October 8, 2011, 06:16 PM	#12
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	I had that choice and chose Italian. But that was when the U.S. factory was having problems, and I had just held a handful of broken locking blocks from American-made guns. I hope that is behind them and the guns are now equal in quality. I have never had any problem with the Italian gun, though. Jim

October 8, 2011, 07:19 PM	#13
Martowski Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2000 Location: Texas (By Way of Illinois) Posts: 1,376	I will admit that when I was looking for a good, clean Beretta that, given the same gun for the same price, I would have chosen "Made in Italy." But when I found a LNIB 92fs police special w/ all paperwork, night sights, and three factory 15-round mags for $405, all preferences for country of origin went out the window. __________________ Midwestern Ramblings (my amateur firearms blog): http://martowski.wordpress.com/

October 8, 2011, 07:29 PM	#14
9mm Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2011 Location: Land of the Free Posts: 2,834	I heard one of the models have more scratches than the other from factory. Mine had some, I saw a used one and there was a big one on it. I know a few other guns with factory marks. To straight to be a idiot mark.

October 8, 2011, 09:26 PM	#15
ShipWreck Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,744	The Italy plant took up the slack until recently while the US plant kept up with the military orders... For quite some time, ALL ya saw were Italian models... In years past, Italian models we not being imported with regularity, and there was a mystique around having an italian model. Now, it's not big deal... Many models are ONLY made in Italy. But for a standard 92FS, I personally like the USA made ones...

October 9, 2011, 03:57 AM	#17
Martowski Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2000 Location: Texas (By Way of Illinois) Posts: 1,376	Actually, Shipwreck, one of the forum members here (and an active member on the Beretta forum) indicated that as much as he loves the Beretta 92 (and he does love them), it's the only handgun he won't buy sight unseen as he has seen too many examples of NIB 92's with a lot of scratches. Now, he doesn't distinguish this between Italian vs. US made pistols. Another member on Beretta forum indicated his Italian 92fs came NIB soaked in oil and after cleaning he discovered numerous frame scratches and dings in the magwell. Of course, that's just one example and every manufacturer of any product is going to have something slip by here and there. Moral of the story is that if you're really that worried about it, don't buy sight unseen. I bought mine online but had enough good pictures in good lighting of the specific 92fs to be sure of what I was getting... and I wasn't disappointed. __________________ Midwestern Ramblings (my amateur firearms blog): http://martowski.wordpress.com/

October 9, 2011, 07:10 AM	#20
NickW Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2008 Location: East Coast Posts: 242	As a Armorer for the U.S., weapons handler and former owner of both Italian and U.S. made versions I can say that up until a year and half ago the Italian models had better finishes and smother actions. Not biased here as I still own a U.S. version, (sold my two Italians) it’s the simple sad truth. I have worked on, shot and cleaned hundreds of 92’s here and in Italy. The end results of both weapons are the same: extremely reliable and accurate defensive side-arm. However, the Italian made weapon is ever so slightly better, that’s why they fetch more money; will it matter when it counts? Not in the least. That’s my experience with Military issue weapons for the U.S. and the Italian Carabinieri. YMMV. __________________ Any man who packs a big bore Sharps carbine could come in mighty handy, if we're attacked by buffalo... or elephants. - Rooster Cogburn

October 9, 2011, 07:29 AM	#21
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,088	My 92 FS Compact is only made in Italy so I voted in their favor.

October 9, 2011, 08:02 AM	#22
Leejack Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: The Alamo! Posts: 2,056	People that have a gun (ie Beretta or Sig) made overseas will always tell you they are better than the American ones. There is some psychology involved with this. I actually know someone who insists that the instant they sopped making hi powers in Belguim, the gun became no good. Pshyc 101 folks, that's all it is. The Beretta works fine whether made in Italy or the USA. Couldn't vote because there is an obvious option 3 missing in this poll.

October 9, 2011, 08:44 AM	#24
10mm4ever Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2005 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 808	Also remember that some extremely well made variants of the 92 that were limited production and VERY desirable amongst collectors, were manufactured at the Accocreek plant. All of the Elites, Border Marshalls, Cajun, etc were US made, if memory serves. My Elite II is easily the most accurate 9mm I've ever fired and I'd take another one in a heartbeat! They are extremely well made and the quality is VERY consistant. If you're in the market for a 92FS, the 'Police Special' is the best deal going.

October 9, 2011, 09:04 AM	#25
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	I would like to thank everyone for the great input. I don’t know much about 92’s since my favorite Beretta is the Cougar I haven’t spent much time reading or handling one. Again this is for a friend’s wife that is going to the sand box very soon (active call up from reserves) and wants to train with what she will have to carry. Smart Lady. Actual leaving for a gun show right now. Hope we can find one for her, and yes she is going.