Photo Friday: Beretta M9

Love it or hate it, the Beretta M9 9mm pistol has served the United States military as its standard sidearm since 1985. The more videos I produce on the pistol, the more discussion it seems to generate on whether it was a good choice, or whether or not America’s military needs would be better served by a different pistol (for example, the SIG P226 used by the Navy SEALs, or the Colt M45 issued to the USMC). The M9 featured in today’s photo is my “beater 9.” I have more rounds through this pistol than through any other gun I own (which only amounts to ~12,000 rounds, but compared with some of my pistols that only have 500-800 rounds, I notice a difference). Because it shoots anything for me (I don’t have problems shooting it, so long as it gets oiled every thousand rounds or so), I end up shooting it pretty frequently. What that means to me is that I shoot it better than most anything else, which just makes me like shooting it more. I don’t think any pistol is “perfect,” but the M9 works well for my purposes as a hobbyist target shooter. I prefer full metal guns to polymer-framed pistols, and although this baby has a wide back end (I’ve heard many complain the grip is too wide), the VZ grips I have currently installed on it help to slim its profile a bit, and improve the grip’s overall tactile response. Despite the fact that I enjoy shooting this pistol, and that I shoot it relatively well, there is one thing I cannot stand about this gun: its slide mounted safety/decocker. If it were just a decocker, I’d have less complaint (although, I’m still not wild about its placement), but having a safety that is so unwieldy to disengage just screams impractical to me. I have to change my grip on the gun to flick the safety off when in the firing position. It’s awkward and cumbersome, which unnecessarily increases the movement needed to disengage, ergo increasing the time it takes between drawing and firing. In competition, that can detract from a shooter’s score, but in a self defense situation, fumbling with the awkward safety could mean the difference between saving your life, and …not. What do you think about the Beretta M9/92FS pistols?