# which beretta is the civilian equivalent....



## hideit (Oct 3, 2007)

which beretta is the civilian equivalent of the military sidearm
92fs or m9a1?

and what is a 90-two?

and what capacity is the military sidearm - 17?

my son is a Lt. in the army and is presently in RANGER SCHOOL.
He has thought about getting his own personnal sidearm but which one should I get for him?

I am not a beretta knowledgable guy...


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

The military issue Beretta M9 is essentially the civilian Beretta 92FS. The M9A1 is an M9 modified with an accessory rail.

The 90two is a new model, with the same basic functional design. It has an accessory rail. The ergonomics of the 90two are somewhat different than the 92FS / M9. 

I believe the capacity of the M9 and 92FS are the same: 15+1. Of course, if you live in California the gun is only available with a 10 round magazine.

If you are looking for the civilian equivalent of the military firearm for your son, get the 92FS. All the controls/buttons/levers are the same as on the military issue sidearm. Also, while the 90two may indeed be a great firearm, it is still pretty new so it does not have the track record of the 92FS. The reliability and accuracy of the 92FS is well documented.

Hope this helps.


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## Anarius (Mar 8, 2008)

Hey Heidit!

Sure hope your son earns that scroll! As I have learned there are MANY ex-(and current) military members who will tell you the same thing I will:

As CURRENT regulations stand, your son my not own a personal sidearm. A Handgun for his own use, YES! But make sure you remind him to check with in processing at EVERY base he takes it to...personally owned weapons must be registered. What I am planning on doing, do to the general crap M9's that the Army issues is to buy my OWN m9 (and high-quality mags) and if I am ever issued another crap-ass M9 that TA/ACOM is too bloody lazy to fix or deadline I will take whatever parts I need off my personal beretta to make my issue one function reliably. The only 'army' part that needs to be the same is the slide where the serial is stamped as long as the rest is visibly the same/similar. Keep in mind that modifying ANY military firearm is against regulations, but as all service members know: Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies!


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## jmg (Aug 16, 2007)

I wish my dad gets me a handgun too!:smt022:smt022
Does your son want the gun for duty purpose or does he want to carry a gun he is used to when off duty?
Here in Portugal some cops are getting glock 19 as personal weapon because they are receiving this model as duty handgun. 
So there is no transition between duty and off duty handgun.


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## submoa (Dec 16, 2007)

hideit said:


> which beretta is the civilian equivalent of the military sidearm
> 92fs or m9a1?
> 
> and what is a 90-two?
> ...


Sounds like you are being a great dad.

Keep in mind privately owned firearms are contraband to military personnel while on deployment.

All Beretta 92 variants are full sized handguns. Your son might have different requirements for a stateside SD CCW. Why not ask him which gun he likes and take it from there?


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## hideit (Oct 3, 2007)

thanks for the replies
i may have miss spoke/typed
i didn't mean to carry while on duty and deployment but for personnal use and practice


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## Anarius (Mar 8, 2008)

Hmm.. for personal use a m92 is a great weapon, and the army-civilian translation helps, but why not go for some varierty? I really like the 1911s and the S&W M&P series pistols. Plus they are large, sturdy handguns!


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## godsdaddy (Apr 19, 2008)

Anarius said:


> Hey Heidit!
> 
> Sure hope your son earns that scroll! As I have learned there are MANY ex-(and current) military members who will tell you the same thing I will:
> 
> As CURRENT regulations stand, your son my not own a personal sidearm. A Handgun for his own use, YES! But make sure you remind him to check with in processing at EVERY base he takes it to...personally owned weapons must be registered. What I am planning on doing, do to the general crap M9's that the Army issues is to buy my OWN m9 (and high-quality mags) and if I am ever issued another crap-ass M9 that TA/ACOM is too bloody lazy to fix or deadline I will take whatever parts I need off my personal beretta to make my issue one function reliably. The only 'army' part that needs to be the same is the slide where the serial is stamped as long as the rest is visibly the same/similar. Keep in mind that modifying ANY military firearm is against regulations, but as all service members know: Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies!


Good information up until the part where you decide to recommend (or at least announce your plans) to break numerous military regulations by adding personally-purchased parts to a gov't owned weapon.(and you even recoginze the fact that what you intent to do is wrong) If you are issued a broke-ass M9 (which I'm sorry to say is more likely to happen than not), and your unit armorer or support unit can't fix it, then it should be coded out and replaced with a new one. Also, if you are in a unit that issues weapons in such poor condition that an individual (such as yourself) thinks they need to purchase their own parts to make their issued weapons reliable, then I'd suggest you request transfer to a new unit.

The statement that (sic)"all service members do it" is a little far-off from the truth. There is a significant difference between adding your own sling, tac light, bipod, or optic and what you describe doing. Unit commanders can authorize non-permanent modifications to gov't weapons, but only using approved means to purchase the parts needed. (i.e. through the supply system) Let's get facts straight before we start making inaccurate claims... as an NCO you should know better.

Also, the S/N on all military M9 pistols is on the left side of the FRAME... not the slide.


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