Question: I'm thinking of buying a new gun some time soon. My two choices are the Glock 17 and Beretta 92FS. I shot both at ranges in Pa. and I like the feel of both. Does anyone prefer one over the other? If so, any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I have both and I like the Beretta much better. Mostly because it's more comfortable to shoot and the trigger has a better feel for me. Neither one ever failed to feed properly. I also shot a couple boxes of Hydra-Shoks and they fed okay, too.
Pros/Cons, as I see them:
1. Weight: Glock significantly lighter
2. Trigger: Beretta, no trigger nipple, crisper feel
3. Ease of cleaning: Glock
4. Accuracy: Beretta (could be the trigger allowing me to shoot better)
With that said, if I'm going to just go plinking, I grab my 17, it's indestructible and I don't care if it gets banged up, still shoots as well as when I got it, and if I don't feel like cleaning it I don't worry about it. (I clean the Beretta every time, seems to have more nooks and cranny's to hold gunk) I tend to be more careful with my Beretta because it's my newest and still looks NIB.
So, get both.
I have owned the Glock17 and currently own a Beretta92FS. I bought the Beretta because I was looking for better accuracy, and I found it.
The best the Glock would do was 6 inch groups at 25 yards from a sandbag rest. I tried about 4 different factory loads and dozens of different hand loads in the Glock. That was the best I could get from it. I had a certified Glock armorer look at it and he said it was a good pistol so that's the best a Glock will do, I guess?
I shot the Beretta with the best hand loads for the Glock and the group sizes were 3 inches at 25 yards. Yes, instantly half the group size! I'm hoping to get it even better with more experimenting.
One thing I will not take away from the Glock is it's reliability. I feed it some real junk reloads once, and it went bang each and every time. I also like the simplicity of the Glock design as compared to the Beretta.
I'm not sure about the Beretta's reliability just yet, I've only shot it about 400 times, so reliability has yet to be proven, but it hasn't failed yet. I'm an accuracy nut, so I kept the Beretta.
I shot the Beretta in the army and went through the Ft. Benning combat pistol course. I carry the Glock 17 on SWAT duty and have attended various hostage rescue type schools with it, as well as regular SWAT practice. I think that the Beretta is one of the most accurate 9mm pistols out there. I just HATE a double/single action trigger pull. The Glock will always have the same, consistent trigger pull. Both are very reliable, but the Glock's reliability is just ridiculous. It will NEVER stop firing unless there are freak accidents involved. I have shot my SWAT Glock for over a year, and it is a ten-year-old gun, having been carried by three other officers. It has only been down once.
That was a broken spring, and it was fixed in about five minutes. The Beretta is a complicated mechanism compared to the Glock, but is a heavier built gun. The Glock is lighter, and as far as preban mags go, the Glock holds more ammo. Anyone who has been in a real gunfight, and I have, will tell you that more ammo is preferable to less ammo. Further, the Glock is a tough little gun. No external levers to muck around with, its safeties are all internal and are deactivated by the trigger pull. However, if you want an external safety, the Beretta has a good one with a hammer block and available decocker. The Beretta will edge it out in pure accuracy, but the Glock is a smoother shooting gun in my opinion.
The Beretta is only slightly more pricey, but the Glock's preban mags are WAY more expensive(around 100 bucks as compared to the Beretta's 50). There are a variety of holsters available for both in just about any position you can think of and made of just about every kind of material. Both will feed any type of ammo you put through them.
The Beretta can be fired with a lighter grip without "stovepiping", I have noticed, but that is just a matter of knowing your gun. You really can't go wrong with either, I just like Glocks.
Someday I will buy my own Beretta, just not anytime soon.
I have both, so I'll give a comparison, my own opinions:
1. Accuracy: Beretta, but only slightly, the Glock can hold it's own.
2. Fit and feel: Glock, I have the new style, the Beretta a little bigger frame for my hand, the Glock fits in the hand better.
3. Trigger: Beretta, the Glock has a funny break to it. I changed connectors and it helped.
4. Cleaning: Glock, much easier to clean.
5. Looks & Appearance: Beretta is a better good-looking gun.
6. Smoothness of action: Beretta is smoother, hands down.
7. Reliability: Tie, not one problem with either one so far.
8. Safety: Beretta, only because I like the positive feel of disconnecting the safety myself.
9. Price: Glock, about $50-75 cheaper - locally.
Personal Analysis: I like the Beretta better, but I"m happy with the Glock also. You can't go wrong either way.