Well...I bought the Beretta 96FS - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

Brickboy240 · 09-25-2006, 02:15 PM

Yep...I went back on Saturday morning and laid 350 bucks on the counter and said "this is all I got" and the guy bit.

Its basically a blued(Bruniton?) finished 96FS "Police Special" with the factory installed Trijicon night sights. One 12 round Mec Gar mag came with it, but I managed to find two Beretta factory mags at a local gunstore used for 10 bucks apiece. I also called DeSantis to order another of their excellent "Speed Scabbards" for this piece - a great holster for a not so dear price (I have these for my 1911s and P225 Sig).

I stripped this 96F pistol down and gave it a good scrubing - it was dirty and dry inside, but nothing stood out as worn or in bad shape. Bore scrubbed out really nice. No dings or scratches but just a slight silver worn on the sharp edges of the slide. All in all...a pretty tight piece and a good addition ot the collection, since I have nothing Beretta at all. These seem to be very well made pieces, really.

Does anyone know if the Beretta 92/96's trigger can be worked on to smooth it up? Maybe I am just spoiled by 1911s and Hi-Power, but I think the trigger can be smoothed out and lightened a little.

Also, do any of you Beretta owners know if grip panels and holsters for the 92 FS 9mm will fit the 96 40s? They look to be the same size in 40 as their 9mm counterparts, overall. I ordered the DeSantis holster, hoping there was no difference in size - they only listed holsters for the 92Fs.

I'll report back, after a good range session next weekend...I'll find out if its a good shooter, but if my past expereinces with borrowed 92FS's is any indication, it ought to be a great shooter and handle the 40SW recoil real well.

I really was not in the market for one of these, but a Beretta auto in very good shape with night sights for 350 bucks was hard to pass up!

- Brickboy240

farmer · 09-25-2006, 06:09 PM

Great purchase! The 92 and the 96 are Identical in size, don't forget the range report. Also, I had a trigger job done on mine by the local smith and he took it down to 4#s and it was very smooth

chupacabrachus · 09-25-2006, 07:11 PM

A very easy cheap way to lighten the DA trigger pull is to switch out the hammer spring with a "D model" spring. It'll take you 2 minutes to switch, and the part can be found here for 4 smackers: http://www.olhasso.com/beretta/parts.htm

It'll be the best 4 bucks you spend in a long time. And for an extra 20, you may as well get an Elite II skeletonized hammer.

IndianaJones · 09-25-2006, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chupacabrachus

A very easy cheap way to lighten the DA trigger pull is to switch out the hammer spring with a "D model" spring. It'll take you 2 minutes to switch, and the part can be found here for 4 smackers: http://www.olhasso.com/beretta/parts.htm

It'll be the best 4 bucks you spend in a long time. And for an extra 20, you may as well get an Elite II skeletonized hammer.

wow, been awhile since i heard someone use the word SMACKERS for dollars...lol

XDman1000 · 09-25-2006, 09:16 PM

Cool great gun and a real nice deal too, I'm glad it worked out well for you.

Brickboy240 · 09-26-2006, 08:24 AM

I am betting that replacing the spring with the "D" spring does for the 92/96 Beretta what removing the mag safety does for the Browning Hi-Power?

Thanks for the suggestions...I'll order a "D" spring real soon and try it before handing it to my smith (who says he can clean up the 92/96 trigger pull quite a bit).

Yeah, I figured that under 400 bucks for a nice Beretta with night sights was too hard to pass up. This is a big pistol, but its size/weight ought to absorb the 40SW's recoil well and the shooting I did in the past with its 9mm cousin was always a positive experience.

- Brickboy240

chupacabrachus · 09-26-2006, 08:27 AM

I'm not certain what removing a mag saftey on a Hi-Power does, but I know this lightens the DA up quite a bit. You can also get a "competition spring" which will lighten it up further, but depending on the model and hammer you have installed it can also lead to light strikes. Some people actually use 1911 springs and clip them to their desired weight. 400 bucks for a 96 with night sights is a deal that shouldn't have been passed up. Good work

chupacabrachus · 09-26-2006, 02:11 PM

I know it's just a plain ol' Beretta (the sexiest gun in production, IMO) but are you going to post any pics?

**KingAirDriver** · 09-27-2006, 12:47 PM

Brickboy,

Congrats on the sweet deal! I've been pleased with my 96FS. It was the first gun I'd ever bought and haven't had any issues with it. It's a smoooooooth shooter too! Here's a link I came across on the Beretta forum. It's got a lot of helpful clips on disassembly of the 92/96.

http://www.beretta92fs.com/

**hobocircus** · 10-02-2006, 12:46 AM

Pictures?

(

)

09-25-2006, 02:15 PM	#1
Brickboy240 XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 9,264	Well...I bought the Beretta 96FS Yep...I went back on Saturday morning and laid 350 bucks on the counter and said "this is all I got" and the guy bit. Its basically a blued(Bruniton?) finished 96FS "Police Special" with the factory installed Trijicon night sights. One 12 round Mec Gar mag came with it, but I managed to find two Beretta factory mags at a local gunstore used for 10 bucks apiece. I also called DeSantis to order another of their excellent "Speed Scabbards" for this piece - a great holster for a not so dear price (I have these for my 1911s and P225 Sig). I stripped this 96F pistol down and gave it a good scrubing - it was dirty and dry inside, but nothing stood out as worn or in bad shape. Bore scrubbed out really nice. No dings or scratches but just a slight silver worn on the sharp edges of the slide. All in all...a pretty tight piece and a good addition ot the collection, since I have nothing Beretta at all. These seem to be very well made pieces, really. Does anyone know if the Beretta 92/96's trigger can be worked on to smooth it up? Maybe I am just spoiled by 1911s and Hi-Power, but I think the trigger can be smoothed out and lightened a little. Also, do any of you Beretta owners know if grip panels and holsters for the 92 FS 9mm will fit the 96 40s? They look to be the same size in 40 as their 9mm counterparts, overall. I ordered the DeSantis holster, hoping there was no difference in size - they only listed holsters for the 92Fs. I'll report back, after a good range session next weekend...I'll find out if its a good shooter, but if my past expereinces with borrowed 92FS's is any indication, it ought to be a great shooter and handle the 40SW recoil real well. I really was not in the market for one of these, but a Beretta auto in very good shape with night sights for 350 bucks was hard to pass up! - Brickboy240 __________________ The top 25% of wage earners in America pay 86% of all federal income taxes collected. (according to 2007 IRS website data) Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado Volvo...the Swedish Brick!

09-25-2006, 06:09 PM	#2
farmer XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 290	Great purchase! The 92 and the 96 are Identical in size, don't forget the range report. Also, I had a trigger job done on mine by the local smith and he took it down to 4#s and it was very smooth Last edited by farmer; 09-25-2006 at 06:11 PM.

09-25-2006, 09:16 PM	#5
XDman1000 XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Eastern USA Posts: 405	Cool great gun and a real nice deal too, I'm glad it worked out well for you. __________________ Mike XD-40 4\" Stainless and a few others

09-26-2006, 08:24 AM	#6
Brickboy240 XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 9,264	I am betting that replacing the spring with the "D" spring does for the 92/96 Beretta what removing the mag safety does for the Browning Hi-Power? Thanks for the suggestions...I'll order a "D" spring real soon and try it before handing it to my smith (who says he can clean up the 92/96 trigger pull quite a bit). Yeah, I figured that under 400 bucks for a nice Beretta with night sights was too hard to pass up. This is a big pistol, but its size/weight ought to absorb the 40SW's recoil well and the shooting I did in the past with its 9mm cousin was always a positive experience. - Brickboy240 __________________ The top 25% of wage earners in America pay 86% of all federal income taxes collected. (according to 2007 IRS website data) Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado Volvo...the Swedish Brick!

09-27-2006, 12:47 PM	#9
KingAirDriver XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: FL230 and KS Posts: 1,380	Brickboy, Congrats on the sweet deal! I've been pleased with my 96FS. It was the first gun I'd ever bought and haven't had any issues with it. It's a smoooooooth shooter too! Here's a link I came across on the Beretta forum. It's got a lot of helpful clips on disassembly of the 92/96. http://www.beretta92fs.com/ __________________ "When life's on the line, we're in the air." Freight Dogs - Order of the Sleepless Knights.

09-25-2006, 07:11 PM	#3
chupacabrachus XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,390	A very easy cheap way to lighten the DA trigger pull is to switch out the hammer spring with a "D model" spring. It'll take you 2 minutes to switch, and the part can be found here for 4 smackers: http://www.olhasso.com/beretta/parts.htm It'll be the best 4 bucks you spend in a long time. And for an extra 20, you may as well get an Elite II skeletonized hammer.

09-26-2006, 08:27 AM	#7
chupacabrachus XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,390	I'm not certain what removing a mag saftey on a Hi-Power does, but I know this lightens the DA up quite a bit. You can also get a "competition spring" which will lighten it up further, but depending on the model and hammer you have installed it can also lead to light strikes. Some people actually use 1911 springs and clip them to their desired weight. 400 bucks for a 96 with night sights is a deal that shouldn't have been passed up. Good work

09-26-2006, 02:11 PM	#8
chupacabrachus XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,390	I know it's just a plain ol' Beretta (the sexiest gun in production, IMO) but are you going to post any pics?

10-02-2006, 12:46 AM	#10
hobocircus XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: The Nevada Desert on a Dry Lakebed. Living in a trailer with thunderstorms looming in the distance. Posts: 3,343	Pictures? () __________________ Ported V-10 XD9 Service SOLD Tactical XD9 in Basic Black I like to shoot Wolf ammo out of my Hi-Point pistol and rifle.

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