Beretta’s 92 series of handguns became iconic through the 1980s and 1990s. The 92F model was prominently featured as the hero gun in Lethal Weapon and Die Hard (both of which are Christmas movies) and its Italian styling quickly cemented the 92’s appearance in the public eye. The state of Illinois even uses the outline of pistol in its official Concealed Carry Prohibited Area Sign. Of course, the Beretta 92 also made a name for itself as the official sidearm of the U.S. military in the form of the M9 pistol. Entering service in 1985, it replaced the M1911 and brought the military into compliance with NATO’s standard of 9x19mm handguns. However, Beretta and the U.S. government experienced some friction after the weapon’s adoption.
The Beretta 92F overcame multiple challenges to win the coveted sidearm contract. It faced destructive testing by the U.S. Army and stiff competition from the SIG Sauer P226. Both handguns proved to be exceptionally reliable under extreme conditions and exceeded the requirements of the contract. Additionally, American manufacturers made legal challenges against the foreign-made Beretta and SIG. Claims that the Army unfairly conducted the first evaluation, which disqualified the American entries, led to a second evaluation; the companies that made the challenge did not re-enter their pistols, and the Beretta and SIG excelled again.
With the Beretta 92F and SIG Sauer P226 coming out about equal from the destructive testing, the contract came down to competitive bidding. SIG actually offered the P226 at a lower price ($176.33 per pistol compared to Beretta’s $178.50 for the 92F). However, Beretta’s price for magazines and spare parts brought their total bid to $74.7M compared to SIG’s $77.8M. SIG made a legal challenge over the cost of Beretta’s spare parts, but the case was dismissed.
With the contract awarded, the Beretta 92F was adopted as the M9 and was put into the hands of America’s warfighters. However, the pistol soon started experiencing problems. Three reports came from the Navy of operational M9 slides cracking, or even breaking in half and hitting the shooter in the face as it reciprocated. As a result, Naval Special Warfare ditched the M9 and adopted the SIG Sauer P226 as the Mk25. The Army responded to the incidents by issuing safety notices on the M9, calling for slides to be changed out more regularly and for Beretta to redesign the pistol.
Beretta acted quickly and retrofitted the 92F with an enlarged hammer pin. Designated the 92FS (S for “slide” or “safe” in Italian), this new version of the pistol would retain the slide if it split in half and prevent it from flying back at the shooter. However, Beretta also investigated the M9s involved in the incidents and found no defects in the design, metallurgy, or manufacture of the pistols. Upon examining the ammunition used, Beretta found that the 9mm cartridges being used by the U.S. military were not to NATO specifications. Rather, the government ammunition was overloaded and created a chamber pressure well in excess of the 9x19mm NATO standard. The out-of-spec ammo also cracked the slides of the SIG pistols.
With these findings, Beretta sued the U.S. government for defamation and won. Beretta was awarded a settlement, and the U.S. government was held responsible for upgrading 92F pistols to 92FS under the M9 program. Although the 92FS replaced the 92F both in military service and on the civilian market, there was no real issue with the 92F. Combined with its appearance in the hands of Mel Gibson as Sergeant Martin Riggs and Bruce Willis as Detective John McClane, the 92F holds a unique place in both military history and pop culture.