Beretta 92FS Inox or 92SB?
 

Alright I've decided to try and trade in my S&W 5906 for a new pistol, mainly a Beretta 92 series. A pawn shop down the street that my friend got his gun from has had a Beretta 92FS Inox. However, last week I saw a very rare Beretta 92SB pistol in very good condition at a gun show. Here's the info on both guns:

Beretta 92FS Inox (Stainless version):
American made
Tritium Night Sight (rear only)
Hogue panel grips (no finger grooves)
1 Mec-Gar aftermarket magazine
Old style blue Beretta factory case
90% Condition or better, $550


Beretta 92SB:
Italian made
All original parts including grips
Not sure on magazines or case, didn't have it out at the gun show
90% Condition or better, $530

Bear in mind I have a S&W 5906 with 3 mags and case for trade in value, and won't be paying for the gun in whole. I'm also not gonna take this gun into combat where "the stainless finish will glare" or "the slide will break and fly back in my face". I'd just like some advice on each ones value as a gun and as a collectible, and yeah I guess overall reliability (one was made a few years ago and the other in the 80s when the slide cracking thing was an issue, but I don't know if that will affect the gun as I'm not testing it as a military testing group would). Any intelligible input is greatly appreciated.

Id get the inox since its going to be easier to maintain. Personally, Id keep the smith, as a beretta doesn't fit my hand confortably, but i always prefer stainless guns when it comes to cleaning.

The 92's handle seems a little too short to me, but if I had to choose between an Inox and a 92SB, I'd pick the 92SB because it looks nicer and you don't see so many of them nowadays

I have a 92FS Inox and a 92F. I think it really depends on whether you like the stainless or black/blued. I think the 92SB were still blued then the later 92F had the black Brution (sp?) finish. The 92SB like my 92F won't have the slide notch to prevent it from coming back if it breaks. There has never been any cases with police officers and civilians having that happen. I think it was really hot ammo. Here is a pic showing the differences in the slide I found on the net.

I dont really like the 92 series since grip is real thick and has a very unconfortable pressure point on my thumb while shooting. The stpid safety position doesn't bother me though as i wouldnt use it on a da/sa.

Personally, I don't like either of these. You say that the 92FS Inox is a newer model? Those are crap; I've seen them up close. If the one you're looking at has black controls, it's a newer one. The best ones were the ones that Beretta made back in the 1990s, which had a better (polished) finish and better build quality.

As for the 92SB, I don't think you'll have issues with the gun breaking, but I think the rounded trigger guards look kinda lame. If you're going to buy a Beretta, the squared trigger guard is the "classic" shape that everyone associates with the 92 series (even if you don't actually use it).

But really, I'd save your money and wait until you can find an earlier-model Inox. That's what I want.

The 92 grip isn't really THAT thick, IMO. I can reach the mag release pretty easily while still keeping my finger near the trigger in SA mode. But, everyone's hands are different.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have sold my Taurus PT92, because that gun fit my hand better than just about any other pistol I've shot. My SIG is the second best, but unfortunately, putting the Hogue grips on it increases the grip circumference and now I can't get my thumb around to the release nearly as easily.

Do you want to go with the stainless steel look or the not so shiny look?

I don't think he said it was a newer model, it comes with the older style case. But that could just be the case itself. The The biggest thing I hate about newer 92's is the slanted dust cover. Ugly as shit. They put warnings all over the gun too, ruins them. That's why I bought a used '92 or '93 Italian INOX, my 92F is Italian also. I have seen some early USA made INOX's that had the straight dust cover, no warnings and silver controls.

Personally I'm leaning towards the SB as it has a very nice blued finish and they are pretty rare guns. The Inox is an American made model, but it is full stainless including the small parts (and no excessive warnings like predator20 has mentioned). The problem is I'd have to dump more money into the Inox over time (replacing the grips and rear sight if it's burnt out or I do not like it) which I don't have at the moment, and they could both be swept up at any time. I happen to like the rounded trigger guard too, it makes it look more classic.

As for ergonomics, I can shoot a Beretta just fine, at least as well or better than my Smith, which has a grip that's fatter, and a worse trigger. The only reason I've decided on one of these Berettas is that I have plenty of experience on them, and I want to trde my double action for a double action that's better (still working on that Hi-Power as my primary sidearm, so this gun is really a secondary/collector gun).

Needless to say you've all been a great help and I appreciate your input.

The grip I can still reach the release, its just awkward feeling in hand. My hands arent small, I just like slim guns. The best feeling pistol I fired was a BAER TRS with slimgrips. I shoot with my thumbs off to the side and there is a bad pressure point on one of them. Im sure I could get used to it, but the gun doesn't feel natural, and theres more options for me.

92SB. Just would be a nice thing to own.
I like the look of the the grips too.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. And yes, it is ugly; totally ruins the shape of the weapon.

And I agree that 92Fs made in Italy are preferable to American-made guns. The American ones also have that indentation in the grips that I don't like (or at least, the ones made after a certain time period do).

I'd rather have American made over anything, with the exception of Belgian guns

The Italian ones are usually of better quality. Anyhow, I decided on the SB as they are rarer and the Inox wasn't configured how I wanted it. Here's a picture, I'll have some better ones tomorrow when I get some natural light in here.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...g?t=1263955931

Upon a second inspection I noticed a few more dings than I did before, but it's still in good condition considering it's age. All I need to do now is test fire it.......

OOOH! Shiny!

Gun looks good.

Alright I got 2 more:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...g?t=1264027786

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...g?t=1264027813

It's a nice-looking gun, YNH. Congrats. But I still like 92FS Inoxes better. :D

You should suspend your jingoism long enough to at least discern quality differences. The problem is that American manufacturers tend to value sales over quality, which means that the production methods are going to cut corners more than their European counterparts. Between a Beretta made in the U.S. or Italy, I'd want Italian. And between a SIG made in Germany and the U.S., I want Germany (and indeed, the P226 I own is of German manufacture).

And I like the Cougar, but it's not your gun, isn't it?. Also, I prefer American and Belgian guns because I have only found a few guns made elsewhere that I like. I do not care what you like and there is very little you can say to change what I like. Between the two companies you listed as examples, there are only 3 guns that I would even consider buying (Beretta 8045, SIG P239 and that Hammerli pistol that SIG sold for a little while)

Coincidentally, I just held one of the newer-model P239s, and I can say that compared to the old ones, the slide is much more cheaply constructed.

Anyway, do you like American guns better because you're a jingoist, or because the quality is actually better?

It's just personal preference. Also, I have had a few bad experiences with foreign guns

For example, I got a (Japanese) Browning Micro A-Bolt 3 years ago and the little clip that attaches to the mag so you can open the floorplate w/o the mag falling out is already worn out. When I want to place the magazine inside the gun, I have to slam that little plate shut in a hurry and afterwards, the magazine shakes around when I move the gun. I've had a handgun made in the Philippines bruise my hand after running only 2 mags through it. I have a Walther that jams 4 times every mag, no matter what I do. Once, I had a little Soviet training .22 fail to extract spent rounds 20 times in a row

A gun's fault has nothing to do with it's country of origin. A stamp on the slide has nothing to do with build quality. It all depends on the materials that go into it. Since acquiring this Beretta I've done some research, and I've found that most, if not all, of the failed 92Fs that broke during military testing were American (or in some cases French) made guns. Like MT2008 said, America would rather sell a lot of okay guns than make a lot of good ones (especially in the military's case, lowest bidder and whatnot). The Italian guns, old or not, are generally of better build quality and will last for tens of thousands of rounds, whereas the early American guns were more likely to fail or require replacement parts, the reason they modified from the SB to the F, and then again to the FS. Lucky for me mine is Italian made, and while that doesn't certify that it will work flawlessly (or blow up in my face because it is Italian and I am American), it makes me feel better about the gun knowing it was made with quality parts.

Furthermore it's one thing to like or hate something because it's a good or bad product, and another to like or hate it because of where it comes from. I've seen a S&W revolver jam, yes a REVOLVER jam up, rendering it a blunt object, but that doesn't mean I don't trust S&W revolvers, or my 19-5. Something just went wrong in a freak accident. Nothing is perfect, some guns are just great, some alright, some just plain shit, but the country they come from doesn't affect that at all. Quit being a nationalist already.

You do realize that my next 3 guns are going to be from Belgian, Czech and Russian, right? My preference for American guns isn't because I hate anything non-American, it's just what I personally like

Well don't sound so ignorant when you state your preference, you make us all look bad. I like "Made in the U.S.A." on my equipment as much as any other American but I don't make it out like it's fully superior to any counterpart or clone available, and I think others around here would agree that is how you sound when you post on here, like an ignorant arrogant narcissistic American. The whole, "future guns will be this" argument doesn't help either. You sound like someone who spouts white power bullshit all the time and excuses theirself by saying "I have a friend who's black". It sets a bad example for people like Matt and me who like to seek the merit (and fault in some cases) in everything. Watch what you say and how you say it.

@ Matt: Yeah I'd like to have an Inox too but the one available to me was an early American and just not configured how I wanted it. I just started seeing full stainless Italian Inox's NIB too (don't know if they were out of production or just on backorder) so they're around, if not immediately. I really just wanted to trade my S&W and among the local guns, the SB was what I wanted. Oh, my buddy says he wants one too, and he'd punch me in the arm if I got his gun before he did hehehehe.

So my personal preference makes me ignorant? It's not like I'm saying you shouldn't buy gun A because it's from country B or that all foreign things are bad. And for the "white power" bullshit, I am not a racist. In reality, I don't give a damn about a person's race, religion or anything like that. I extremely loathe prejudiced in all shape or form

You clearly missed the point of that analogy.....

It's blatantly ignorant and dismissive stuff like that I'm referring to. Regardless, arguing with you is ultimately futile. You're just another kid set in their ways very early, who refuses to accept outside influence, so you can't change or grow. Whatever response, I'm done. I'd rather the thread I put on here to showcase my new gun not turn into a flame war.

Whatever you say

So pretty! Congratulations!