Why aren't Berettas more popular in production?

[DyNo!]

There's plenty of Beretta hate for various reasons.

I made "B" with my Elite II and Ben Stoeger shoots his against other GMs.

I see no reason to dislike them.

I can even flick off a slide mounted safety if I had to without losing speed.

[jsneff]

There are two reasons that people buy/shoot a particular pistol.

1. THE top shooter or A top shooter of a particular segment of the the sport, shoots a specific pistol. So everybody either wants to emulate that shooter or figures as a practical matter that the top shooter shoots that model of pistol so it must actually work the best!

2. The pistol actually does work the best in the eyes of many and the company that builds it actually supports one or many top shooters as well as the sport.

Beretta didn't adequately support Langdon or Olhasso, thereby losing two great ambassadors of their product as well as the sport. To top that, they quit making the competition oriented Elite, Elite II and Elite Ia as well as the Vertec all together. They came out with the Elite III several years ago at the SHOT show and it had less features than the previous Elite models. (Going backwards is not my idea of evolution.) So Beretta is to blame for the 92/96 series lack of popularity. I like the pistols and have several. If you asked me to name the top 3 most reliable service autos that I have owned. It would be Beretta, SIG, and Glock. This is not a flame, just a fact.

[DonT]

There are two reasons that people buy/shoot a particular pistol.

1. THE top shooter or A top shooter of a particular segment of the the sport, shoots a specific pistol. So everybody either wants to emulate that shooter or figures as a practical matter that the top shooter shoots that model of pistol so it must actually work the best!

2. The pistol actually does work the best in the eyes of many and the company that builds it actually supports one or many top shooters as well as the sport.

Beretta didn't adequately support Langdon or Olhasso, thereby losing two great ambassadors of their product as well as the sport. To top that, they quit making the competition oriented Elite, Elite II and Elite Ia as well as the Vertec all together. They came out with the Elite III several years ago at the SHOT show and it had less features than the previous Elite models. (Going backwards is not my idea of evolution.) So Beretta is to blame for the 92/96 series lack of popularity. I like the pistols and have several. If you asked me to name the top 3 most reliable service autos that I have owned. It would be Beretta, SIG, and Glock. This is not a flame, just a fact.

Very, very, well said. And you kept it polite, ....and I'll stop there because I can't speak my thoughts as eloquently as you have.

I like my Beretta

[COMATZD]

I've had my 92FS for nearly 20 yrs and likely over 20k rounds. I have been shooting it in Production because it feels right (and after 20 years I can practically shoot it blindfolded ). I just stepped up to Open, so it will now be placed on standby with the other toys.

[rvb]

they quit making the competition oriented ... Elite models. ... So Beretta is to blame for the 92/96 series lack of popularity.

Agreed. When I'm ready to replace my EII, I'll either have to scrounge for a used one or switch platforms. Scrounging seems to just put off the inevitable switching...

-rvb

[cyclone336]

There are two reasons that people buy/shoot a particular pistol.

1. THE top shooter or A top shooter of a particular segment of the the sport, shoots a specific pistol. So everybody either wants to emulate that shooter or figures as a practical matter that the top shooter shoots that model of pistol so it must actually work the best!

+1

I shoot a S&W M&P9 in Production, which is a good combination. BUT, I cannot count the number of times I thought about getting a Beretta after watching videos from Ben Stoeger's website.

[el pres]

There are two reasons that people buy/shoot a particular pistol.

1. THE top shooter or A top shooter of a particular segment of the the sport, shoots a specific pistol. So everybody either wants to emulate that shooter or figures as a practical matter that the top shooter shoots that model of pistol so it must actually work the best!

+1

I shoot a S&W M&P9 in Production, which is a good combination. BUT, I cannot count the number of times I thought about getting a Beretta after watching videos from Ben Stoeger's website.

Yup, but I still cant understand why Beretta wont get involved in the sport and sponser the guy ?? I guess they dont like higher sales numbers or just feel they have enough with the contracts ??

[Chills1994]

Maybe...just maybe.... being "sponsored" ain't all that and a bag'o chips.

Maybe getting sponsored sucks all the fun out of it. It turns from a fun hobby into a job. Uggg...

[Beretta Lover]

as far as the sponsorship thing goes

Colt every M4 in the universe the US Military uses

HK all of the bajillion MP5s out there

Beretta the US military keeps buying thousands and thousands of M9s

SIG they did some army and navy business

FN every 249,240,SCAR, and M16 being produced for the military (I remember the colt days)

All these companies have had a shooter or shooting team in the past, other than Max I don't know any more sponsored SIG shooters that exist today.

Maybe a guy or two has some kind of deal with FN lately. but I havent seen them at any matches.

Military contracts kind of remove the "we need to advertise" part of the argument for why a company might sponsor a pistol shooter.

I wish they all had shooting teams but they are all filling contracts as quickly as they can make guns so maybe they dont see the need

[TNK]

From a marketing or advertising perspective, there seems to be little return on a manufacturer sponsoring professional shooters. I make this inference from the dearth of such shooters now seen in the shooting sports. After all, the shooting sports are hardly media events of any kind despite good (and wasted) efforts to make them so. It is simply a business decision that makes sense when one considers the expenses and returns involved. Why bother? To make a few loyal buyers happy? That's not how the corporate world works. Sorry.

As for the Beretta 92's waning popularity in the pistol games, well, it has become all about the 1911 or Glock. Now, the 1911 is traditional favorite, but the Glock appears to be rivaling it in aftermarket support and gamey alterations. I never thought I would see an Open Glock until I actually saw an Open Glock, and, gee, it runs with the 1911s too.

I like my Beretta 92 very much. It is my personal challenge to shoot it in Production Division as is out of the box and see how far I can go with it. Yes, the Glock shooters will mock me. The 1911 shooters will ask if my slide has broken yet. But I am resolved to make a go of it because I think it is the best looking pistol on the block, and it has a smooth action that cannot rivaled by the jerky Browning-type tilt action.

Shoot safe. Shoot often.

[Pezco]

The reason I wouldn't shoot the Beretta is the grip width and the mag release button is hard to reach.

[Beretta Lover]

From a marketing or advertising perspective, there seems to be little return on a manufacturer sponsoring professional shooters. I make this inference from the dearth of such shooters now seen in the shooting sports. After all, the shooting sports are hardly media events of any kind despite good (and wasted) efforts to make them so. It is simply a business decision that makes sense when one considers the expenses and returns involved. Why bother? To make a few loyal buyers happy? That's not how the corporate world works. Sorry.

As for the Beretta 92's waning popularity in the pistol games, well, it has become all about the 1911 or Glock. Now, the 1911 is traditional favorite, but the Glock appears to be rivaling it in aftermarket support and gamey alterations. I never thought I would see an Open Glock until I actually saw an Open Glock, and, gee, it runs with the 1911s too.

I like my Beretta 92 very much. It is my personal challenge to shoot it in Production Division as is out of the box and see how far I can go with it. Yes, the Glock shooters will mock me. The 1911 shooters will ask if my slide has broken yet. But I am resolved to make a go of it because I think it is the best looking pistol on the block, and it has a smooth action that cannot rivaled by the jerky Browning-type tilt action.

Shoot safe. Shoot often.

dude

when you beat a bunch of people with your 92 they wont say much

Ben Stoeger runs prety well with a 92 and I think the thing he has invested in mostly has been practice

[midmoboy]

new to this forum....old post here but thought I would add to the previous posts.

I shot Beretta in IDPA for a long time and found it to be the most accurate pistol in my hand. I attribute it to the fact it was my first duty pistol therfore I trained with it and shot it a bunch. Over time it was second nature when operating it. I have several Beretta's, from .22 to 9mm. My favorite is the 92G and I have an Elite 1A that is special too. Finding the right holster for the Elite was an issue, settled on a Blade Tech.

I then moved to HK shooting the USP 9 V3. Like it to and shot it well. Really though, the Beretta is still my go to pistol. Again, I came up with it, shot it a bunch, trust it, like it. But I guess there are a bunch of guys can say the same thing. Glock guys will swear by that pistol....especially if it is the gun they started this business with.

Took that ole broke down Beretta to a school in TN. Spanked them all...and most carried Glocks and said it is the best pistol. Really comes down to the guy on the trigger and how many rounds he put down range practicing the skills the right way.

[Chills1994]

Pezco wrote:

The reason I wouldn't shoot the Beretta is the grip width and the mag release button is hard to reach.

Well, I have heard the first complaint lots of times so I had to do a little investigating on my own. Here are the pictoral results:

Yeah, the Beretta is the fattest of the four pictured above.

As far as the mag release button goes, I am right handed and moved my MRB to the right side of the Beretta and I can hit it with my right middle finger rather effectively. In fact, I like it so much, I would like to outfit my Single Stacks with the Mitchell MRB. The other advantage I think it gives is that I don't have to draw the gun in, flip it in my hand so my thumb can reach it, and then wait for the mag to slide out of the frame. With the MRB on the right side the gun is more vertical and gravity has, I think, a greater ability to pull the mag out of the gun and it gives me a little more time to reach down with my left hand to grab a fresh mag.

Which pistola are shooting now?

[Chills1994]

Whoops...silly me... I have posted those pics twice now.

Old thread...oh well...

[slavex]

RVB, when your Elite II finally cracks a frame, just grab a 90Two frame and throw the Elite II top end on it.

[DyNo!]

RVB, when your Elite II finally cracks a frame, just grab a 90Two frame and throw the Elite II top end on it.

I have two and I sometimes wonder how long they will last since they haven't been made for four years.

Everything on the gun can be replaced except for the slides.

I don't know why Beretta stopped making brigadier slides.

Those were the best guns they ever produced.

The mock-ups for the Elite III are just a sorry attempt at what the pistol could be...

[Bill T]

I used to dislike this weapon. Then a few weeks back my wife got me this one from Cabela's. They had a sale going on them. These were all Italian made guns. I know many are made here at the Accokeek, Maryland plant. The day before, I went there to look at a Glock 17-L long slide "target" model, but they wanted $720.00 for it. I love Glocks, and have several of them, but $720.00 is just too much so I came home disappointed. She went there to pick me up a couple of Allen Assault Rifle Cases for my 2 Yugo Underfolders, saw this Beretta, and grabbed it. After extensively handling it I'm starting to like it. I've always thought they were too big for a 15 shot 9 MM, but we both have large hands so in that regard it is a lot like my Glock 21's. The trigger takes some getting used to, but overall it's not a bad piece. Bill T.

[WarMachine]

The trigger improves greatly by grabbing a D spring and dropping it in.

[djeffers]

I'm switching to a Beretta 92 Elite II that I already own from a kimber .45 to save some money on ammunition and to try my hand in production. As I'm doing this, I notice that I don't see to many berettas at matches. Why is this? How many of you use Berettas and what model? Thanks for your response.

Steve

I shot an elite 1A 9mm for about two years and I did ok (made expert in SSP) with it. The fastest bill drill I did with it was 2.29 clean and I routinely shot around 2.5 2.8 with it.

My draw speed was routinely around 1.57 for a first shot 0 or A. I went to an XD because it was easier to trick out and better for my splits, and shooting small steel DA from the holster. Also my wife had an XD she competes with, and I dug it.

I have three XDs now. One of them has had some issues.

I could run 999 dirty reloads (lead) through the Beretta without a jam. As a game gun it can be adequate, but frankly a Glock or XD with a trigger job/kit and fiber optic front is superior in many ways. Not to mention the plastic guns don't cost much. I have big hands and reloading the Beretta was a sinch (sp).

As a carry gun, I would feel very good with a Beretta (I own a 92FS and a 96G) they are reliable and accurate.

In order to get around with a Beretta you will need a lighter mainspring (which the elite already has) and you should consider a real trigger job (I did my own with an Arkansas knife sharpening stone and a DVD from the internet and a downloaded instruction sheet).

You can shoot really well with the Beretta, but there are better choices (I still love Berettas).

You may want to consider a .22 kit for the 1911 for practice

It has been a little while since you posted this, but would you still happen to have the information for the Beretta trigger? That is the main reason I quit shooting it (besides just wanting to go to limited).

[Beretta Lover]

http://www.berettaforum.net/vb/showthread.php?t=13088

this is the link to the Beretta do it yourself trigger job

look about 10 posts down for the hand drawn diagrams of the trigger areas to polish

this polishing and a light main spring (16-18 lb)are about all you need

[Jmanchester]

Although nowhere near as good a shooter as Ben, I made GM in about 8 months with Beretta.

The gun is great, as long as it fits your hands, and don't mind being "that guy shooting the Beretta."

FY42385

Holy crap! There are 2 of us!

I love my Beretta! There are soon to be three of us!

Congrats at Area 3. I just saw the results on the IPSC homepage. You dominated production category!

Your friend,

Jman2

[Krag]

I shot an Elite II in Production for a while and was extremely pleased with it. It replaced the Glock 34 I had been using. I think the Beretta's grip is one of the most ergonomic of all handguns. I made a few changes (Heinie rear sight and fiber optic front, Langdon spring kit & grips, internal polishing). As an long time revolver shooter the DA trigger never bothered me unless the first shot was a long one.

I eventally switched to a Para 18.9 LDA simply because I used one in an article and fell in love with it. But I still take the Elite out from time to time just so I don't forget what a great pistol it is.