[vuwildcat81]

I need some help concerning a Beretta 92F I just acquired. Its an AU stamp indicating 1989 manufacture, but I need to find out if this pistol could possibly be subject to the Model 9 slide failure problem I've just read about on the main page, here. Caveat emptor, and all that, but I've always wanted one and it looked to have never been fired, so it followed me home.
Could any of the experts give me further info? Its a Made in Italy model, s/n D73xxxZ ;
Thanks,
Jack

 

[vuwildcat81]

Reply to Post

Charlie,
Thanks for the reply. Dean instructed me to join the forum and consult the experts on it, so here I am! Talk about a quick response.
I visited both ends of the "new gun emotional spectrum" buying it and then seeing that report about slides disfiguring our brave soldier's.
Is there anyone out there with 5-7 thousand or more rounds through their 92F who can weigh in?
regards,
Jack

 

[vuwildcat81]

Gentlemen, Let me start by saying thank you one and all and that I am not a professional writer nor a metallurgist. I read the article at http://www.thegunzone.com/m9-a.html , and said so in my original post via the runon sentence: "I need to find out if this pistol could possibly be subject to the Model 9 slide failure problem I've just read about on the main page, here". That article said that up to 160,000 ("possibly defective") pistols were made which might have had the problem. Since my s/n was in the 73000 range and since I'm ignorant of the prefix and postfix interpretations bracketing that serial number, I was rather justly concerned my aged yet still pretty enough visage might be in danger. This concern possibly hindered good reading. But I'll cite the other information from the article, I was further concerned that as late as Feb '88 the famous 6,000 round good - 6,0007 round slide separated event occurred. The article also stated that two Picatinny Arsenal (NJ) documents from 1989 stated there were metalurgical problems with slides. So who in his right mind would be confident in a 1989 manufactured Beretta ? I sure wasn't. Te was mentioned but the very word French was not found by my critical eyes or my web browser "Find on this page" application.
I am virtually sure now, thanks to all, that my 92F is safe and hopefully will provide years of enjoyable shooting.
Jack

 

[vuwildcat81]

Eureka! I found the following in a 1995 rec.guns post by Dean:
The French, which originally specified the Telurium inclusion in the slide

metalurgy, were savvy enough to realize that it did NOT in fact promote
fracture toughness. They change specifications before adopting the
pistols.
The "surplus" slides made it to this country, and every (EVERY!) one of my

original documentations occurred with one of the "Zero Waste Management"
slides containing >Te<, and which there is now a clear correlation between

As inspector Clouseau would say" "The mystery is solve Ed"!

Thanks Again Dean, CP, TrWnTN!
Jack