(IWA 2019) Beretta 92X Performance 9mm Competition Pistol
Dickson 03.18.19
Fans of the Beretta 92 series will be happy to know that after 10+ years, they have released a 92 pistol featuring a frame safety like a 1911. The last 92 pistol featuring a frame safety, called 92 Steel I, was a limited production pistol produced around 2004.
This “new” pistol, 92X Performance, is designed specifically for competition such as 3-Gun, USPSA & IPSC similar to the popular CZ Shadow 2 & Walther Q5 Steel Frame pistols. It features a steel frame with Vertec grip. After all these years, Beretta finally admits that the regular 92 series grip is simply too big.
Slide is the Brigadier-style, heavy slide with aggressive serrations. Checkering on the grip is also improved. Sights have been upgraded with fiber-optic front and blacked out adjustable rear sight.
In addition, it has an adjustable trigger that weights just over 3 pounds in single action. This pistol remains as double-action/single-action, not single-action only.
One known issue that we already noticed at IWA is that due to the wide safety, it’s very difficult to engage the slide release with your thumb unless you reposition and rotate the pistol slightly. This is not an issue for striker fired pistols like Glock 17/34 and Walther PPQ/Q5.
The rear sight, due to its increased length, also causes difficulty for the operator to cock the hammer. Unfortunately, the skeletonized hammer is an existing, off-the-shelf part and is not made specifically for the 92X.
It would also be nice if Beretta is able to offer different sizes slide release and safety levers. They are going to the right direction with this pistol, but there are still more work ahead.
The 92X is due to be available across Europe in June 2019 with US release slated for later time.
UPDATE: Official press release is attached below:
92 X PERFORMANCE
BORN TO WIN
The 92X Performance was created to satisfy two requirements: Speed and accuracy. Beretta’s new competition pistol is uncompromising and aims for top performance, offering the world of competitive dynamic shooting one of the most reliable and world-renowned closure systems, together with a steel frame, a heavier Brigadier slide and the new Extreme-S trigger mechanism.
Technical choices, such as the Vertec steel frame and the Brigadier slide, take the weight of the 92X Performance to 1350 g, a key weight which increases the pistol’s stability and reduces muzzle rise when shooting. The oversized magazine and the rear chequering, which can also be found on the front of the frame, improve the pistol’s handling as well as its grip. The raised frame profile near the magazine release enables the shooter’s hand to sit as high as possible on the hilt, which itself is also oversized to enable a deeper hold. The magazine release is oversized and reversible and an adjustable version is available on the aftermarket. Safety on the frame is ambidextrous and is available in three different size profiles, making it adaptable to various hand types and different IPSC divisions.
To enable even faster cycle time, the 92X has a skeletonized hammer with a competition standard hammer spring. The new Extreme-S trigger mechanism decreases trigger reset by up to 40% yet keeps the firing pin block, ensuring the safety of the pistol in case it falls. With the Extreme-S the 92X Performance has an “out of the box” weight of 1.5 kg in single action and 3 kg in double action.
The saw-toothed handling grooves on the front and rear of the Brigadier slide ensure maximum grip during slide movement, in all conditions. The steel spring recoil rod ensures maximum operational accuracy. The area where the finger rests on the trigger is chequered and was redesigned to achieve a vertical front profile in single action. The “Match” take down lever ensures a precise reference point for the second hand. The “hold open” lever profile is lowered and is of the “stealth lever” type, so as not to interfere with the finger resting on the safety lever during the out of ammunition warning.
The front bead is equipped with a red fibre optic insert to enable quick and accurate aim realignment, it also has a rear sight, without coloured references, which can be adjusted laterally and vertically to the micrometre. The 92X Performance also offers the possibility to regulate the pre-travel and extra travel via two screws located inside the frame, next to the upper section of the magazine well.
The 92X has an appealing and refined dual tone look, obtained using a Nistan finish to treat the frame surface and slide with the contrast provided by the black burnished barrel.
The pistol comes with two 15-cartridge magazines with an oversized rubber pad to give the dominant hand extra grip and to protect the magazine during quick change operations.
