Beretta 92 Models Explained: 92FS, M9, 92X and Every Variant Compared (2026)

Last updated October 12, 2026 · By Nick Hall

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Ask for a Beretta 92 at a gun counter and you’ll get a question back. The 92FS? The M9? A 92X, a 92XI, a 92GTS? They’re all the same open-slide 9mm underneath, and Beretta’s US catalog lists 47 of them today across 115 SKUs once you count finishes, magazine limits and camo patterns.

I’ve shot the 92 for years and three of them have had full reviews here: the 92FS, the M9A4 and the 92XI. This guide sorts the whole family into 14 lines, says what each one is, and prints the numbers for one named SKU per line so you know which gun a spec belongs to. Every spec and list price is from Beretta’s own product data, pulled in October 2026.

Short on time? The 92X RDO Full Size is the one I’d tell most people to buy. It has the optic cut, the rail and 18-round magazines, and it carries the lowest list price of any 9mm in the family. If you want the pistol from the movies and the Army, buy the 92FS. The exceptions are below, with a section on which red dots fit which slide.

Table of Contents

Beretta 92 Family at a Glance

The first table is the quick pick. The second has the numbers for the representative SKU of each line. MSRP is Beretta’s list price, and the live price cards under each model show what dealers charge today.

Three things separate one 92 from another: where the lever is and what it does, whether the slide is cut for a dot, and what the frame is made of. Everything else is finish and magazines.

1. Beretta 92FS

• Representative SKU: J92F300M
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.9 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.4 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 33.3 oz
• Capacity: 15+1
• Lever: Slide-mounted ambidextrous safety-decocker (Type F)
• Sights: 3-dot
• Optic cut: No
• MSRP: $809

This is the pistol everybody pictures. Aluminum frame, open-top steel slide, a safety-decocker on the slide and a double-action first shot. Beretta lists the 15-round gun, J92F300M, at $809, and the 10-round version carries a JS92F300 number at the same price.

We’ve covered this one in depth, so here’s the short version. I’ve put a little over 1,000 mixed rounds through mine without a stoppage. Off a bag at 15 yards it printed 2 to 2.5 inch groups with Federal 124 grain and about 1.75 inches with Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P. The recoil is soft and the single-action break is clean. The grip is wide, and that long first pull is hard work for small hands. The full log is in our Beretta 92FS review.

The line has more versions than you’d guess. The 92FS Inox is stainless through the slide, barrel and internal parts and lists at $949. Burnt Bronze and Sniper Gray Cerakote guns list at $819. The 92FS OD Green at $849 adds a flared magazine well, and its 18-round SKU has a 5.1 in threaded barrel that the reduced-capacity SKUs don’t get. The 92FS Brigadier at $1,049 has a heavier slide, Hogue rubber grips and dovetailed sights front and rear. At the far end sits the PB Selection 92FS Fusion OCP at $13,950, and that one is a collector’s piece.

What the 92FS doesn’t have is a rail or an optic cut. If you want either, keep reading. We put the classic gun head to head with its obvious rival in Beretta 92FS vs Glock 17.

Best For: Home defense, range days and anyone who wants the original. Skip it if a light or a dot is on your list.

2. Beretta M9

• Representative SKU: J92M9A0M
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.9 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.4 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 33.3 oz
• Capacity: 15+1
• Lever: Slide-mounted ambidextrous safety-decocker (Type F)
• Optic cut: No
• MSRP: $819

The M9 is the name the US military gave the 92 when it won the service pistol contract in 1985. The commercial M9 that Beretta sells today has the same published numbers as the 92FS, down to the tenth of an ounce: 4.9 in barrel, 8.5 in long, 33.3 oz. What you’re paying the extra $10 of list price for is the Bruniton finish with military-style markings.

So it shoots like my 92FS, because mechanically it is one. Same safety-decocker on the slide, same 15-round magazine, same soft recoil. There’s no rail and no optic cut. If you carried one in the service and want that gun in your safe, this is the right SKU. If you just want a 92, the name on the slide shouldn’t cost you anything, so buy whichever of the two is cheaper the day you shop.

One trap. Beretta’s M9 page also lists two .22 LR rimfire SKUs at $479, and they share the page with the 9mm. Read the caliber before you click buy. The rimfires are covered in section 14.

Best For: Veterans, collectors and anyone building a service pistol collection.

3. Beretta M9A1

• Representative SKU: JS92M9A1M
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.9 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.5 in
• Width: 1.49 in
• Weight: 33.9 oz
• Capacity: 15+1
• Sights: 3-dot
• Optic cut: No
• MSRP: $869

The M9A1 is the first step toward a modern 92. Beretta adds a MIL-STD-1913 rail under the dust cover, checkering on the front strap and backstrap, a beveled magazine well and a short-reset trigger bar. The sights are 3-dot and the lever is still the ambidextrous slide-mounted safety and decocker. It weighs 33.9 oz, six tenths of an ounce more than a 92FS.

That rail is the whole case for it. A weapon light on a bedside pistol matters more than almost any other upgrade, and the plain 92FS can’t take one. The M9A1 lists at $869, which is $60 over the 92FS and $70 over a 92X RDO that has a rail and an optic cut. Do that math before you buy. The M9A1 makes sense when you want the classic rounded backstrap with a light. The 92X is the better deal if you’ll take the straight Vertec grip. Our Beretta M9A1 review has the full 700-round test.

Like the M9, this page carries .22 LR SKUs alongside the 9mm guns, listed at $469.

Best For: A nightstand gun with a light and the traditional 92 grip shape.

4. Beretta 92X RDO Full Size: The One I Recommend Most

• Representative SKU: J92FR92170
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.7 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.4 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 33.3 oz
• Capacity: 18+1
• Lever: Slide-mounted lever, converts between F and G
• Sights: Dovetailed combat sights
• Optic cut: Yes, plate sold separately
• MSRP: $799

If I were buying one 92 today with my own money, it’d be this. The 92X RDO Full Size is built in the USA on the Vertec frame, which swaps the curved backstrap for a straight one and thin grips. It has a 3-slot Picatinny rail, front slide serrations, a short reset trigger, dovetailed sights and a slide cut for a red dot. It ships with two 18-round magazines. Beretta lists it at $799, which is less than the 92FS.

The lever deserves a mention. The 92X uses what Beretta calls a universal slide, with a control lever you can convert from safety-decocker (F) to decocker-only (G) and back. So you aren’t locked into the manual of arms the gun ships with.

The straight backstrap changes the gun more than the spec sheet suggests. The reach to the trigger is shorter, the gun points like a 1911, and smaller hands can finally get a proper double-action press. The 92X RDO Inox at $1,049 is the same pistol with a stainless slide and barrel, and it comes as a Type G decocker only.

The cut doesn’t come with a plate. Budget for one, and see the red dot section below before you order.

Best For: Most buyers. One pistol for home defense, the range and a first red dot.

5. Beretta 92X RDO Compact and 92X Centurion

• Representative SKU: J92CR92170
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.25 in
• Overall length: 7.75 in
• Height: 5.25 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 27.2 oz
• Capacity: 15+1
• Lever: Slide-mounted safety-decocker (Type F), converts to G
• Optic cut: Yes, plate sold separately
• MSRP: $799

The Compact shortens the 92X at both ends. The barrel drops to 4.25 in, overall length to 7.75 in and height to 5.25 in, and the weight falls to 27.2 oz. That’s 6.1 oz lighter than the full-size gun. Capacity is 15+1 in a shorter grip. It keeps the rail, the thin grips, the convertible lever and the optic-ready slide, at the same $799.

It’s still a wide, tall pistol by carry standards. But it’s the 92 I’d choose for a belt holster under a jacket, and the weight saving is real over a long day.

The 92X Centurion is the in-between size: the short slide and barrel on the full-length grip, so it takes full-size magazines and holds 18. It also lists at $799. Beretta’s own spec sheet for the Centurion leaves the dimensions blank, so I haven’t printed any, but Beretta’s plate kits and magazine listings name it alongside the Compact.

Best For: Carrying a metal DA/SA pistol, or shooters who find the full-size gun nose heavy.

6. Beretta M9A4, M9A4 Centurion and Overlanding

• Representative SKU: JS92M9A4GM
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 5.1 in
• Overall length: 8.7 in
• Height: 5.4 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 33.4 oz
• Capacity: 18+1
• Lever: Slide-mounted decocker only (Type G)
• Sights: Dovetailed tritium night sights
• Optic cut: Yes, plate sold separately
• MSRP: $1,249

Beretta calls the M9A4 the pinnacle of the M9 series, and it’s the most complete 92 in the catalog. Vertec frame in Flat Dark Earth, optic cut, dovetailed tritium night sights, the Xtreme short-reset trigger, a rail, a beveled magwell and 18-round magazines. The slide is a decock-only Type G, so there’s no manual safety position. It lists at $1,249.

We shot 600 rounds through a full-size M9A4. One stoppage, at round 412, on steel-cased Tulammo. Everything brass ran, including 147 grain subsonic. With a dot on a Trijicon-pattern plate, my best five-shot group at 25 yards was 1.6 inches with Federal American Eagle 147 grain and the average was 2.0 inches. Double action broke at 10 pounds 4 ounces, which is lighter and smoother than a stock 92FS. The details are in our Beretta M9A4 review.

The M9A4 Centurion costs the same and shortens the front end: 4.8 in barrel, 8.3 in overall, 32 oz, on the full-size grip. The M9A4 Overlanding guns at $1,269 are the M9A4 in Lunar, Clay or Nomad Bronze, with a 5.1 in barrel threaded 1/2x28, and they come with a small kit of a flashlight, a compass and a 10mm socket. If you’re planning to run a can, read how to buy a suppressor first.

Best For: Shooters who want the dot, the night sights and the threaded barrel without a gunsmith.

7. Beretta 92XI SAO, Camo Editions and SAO Tactical

• Representative SKU: J92FSR921
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: Single action only
• Barrel: 4.7 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.4 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 33.3 oz
• Capacity: 18+1
• Lever: Ambidextrous frame-mounted safety
• Sights: Fiber optic front, serrated black rear
• Optic cut: Yes, plate sold separately
• MSRP: $969

The 92XI is the 92 for people who never liked the slide-mounted lever. Beretta moved the safety to the frame, where your thumb already is, and made the trigger single action only. You carry it cocked and locked like a 1911. It keeps the Vertec frame, adds a fiber optic front sight and a flat-faced Xtreme-S trigger, and the slide takes an optic plate. List price is $969 with 10, 15 or 18-round magazines.

I shot 800 rounds through a 15-round 92XI over five sessions with no stoppages. The trigger broke at 3 lb 14 oz. From a rest at 25 yards, five-shot groups averaged 1.7 inches with Federal Gold Medal 147 grain, 2.0 with American Eagle 124 grain and 2.6 with Blazer 115 grain. For the last 200 rounds I fitted Beretta’s Trijicon-footprint plate and a dot, and it held zero. It’s the most accurate 92 I’ve shot, and the full test is in our Beretta 92XI review.

The camo editions are the same pistol hand painted by Howe Arms in ten patterns, from Multicam and Flecktarn to Vietnam Tiger Stripe, at the same $969. The 92XI SAO Tactical at $1,069 adds a 5.1 in threaded barrel and suppressor-height sights and runs 8.7 in long.

Best For: 1911 shooters, new shooters who want one trigger pull to learn, and range accuracy work.

8. Beretta 92XI Squalo, Sabbia, Gara and Corsa

• Representative SKU: J92XFMSA21LCO
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: Single action only
• Barrel: 4.7 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.4 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 33.3 oz
• Capacity: 22+1
• Optic cut: Yes, plate sold separately
• MSRP: $999

Squalo means shark in Italian, and this is Beretta’s race-ready 92XI. It takes the single-action 92XI and adds a Toni System flared magwell, Hogue grips, an extended takedown lever, an adjustable magazine release and three Mec-Gar magazines with +4 base pads, for 22 rounds each. Beretta says it fits within USPSA rules. The list price is $999, only $30 over the plain 92XI.

I ran about 400 rounds through one with a Trijicon RMR Type 2 on Beretta’s plate and had no malfunctions. From a sandbag at 25 yards, Federal Syntech Action Pistol 150 grain averaged 1.13 inches over four five-shot groups, and Fiocchi Range Dynamics 147 grain averaged 1.27. One thing to know before a match: the dot sits tall on the factory plate, too tall to co-witness with the iron sights.

Three more race guns sit above it. The 92XI SAO Sabbia at $1,329 has an FDE frame, LOK G10 grips and a black threaded barrel, and mine printed a best group of 1.29 inches at 25 yards over 600 rounds without a failure. The Gara at $1,499.98 and the Corsa at $1,599.98 add a single-port Toni System compensator on a 5.1 in barrel and weigh 36.2 oz. Both are Davidson’s exclusives. They rank against the field in our competition red dots and carry optics pistols guides.

Best For: A first USPSA gun that doesn’t need a single part changed.

9. Beretta 92GTS and 92GTS Centurion

• Representative SKU: J92XFMSDA21
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.7 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.4 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 33.3 oz
• Capacity: 18+1
• Lever: Ambidextrous frame-mounted decocker (Type G)
• Optic cut: Yes, plate sold separately
• MSRP: $899

The 92GTS answers a different complaint about the classic gun. It stays double action and single action, but the lever moves to the frame and it’s a decocker only. Beretta built a twin sear system for it, so pushing the lever drops the hammer safely to a half-cocked position every time. You get the DA/SA first shot without a slide-mounted lever to bump when you rack the gun.

The rest is 92XI hardware: Vertec frame, Xtreme-S trigger with DLC-coated parts, a skeletonized hammer, a fiber optic front sight, a serrated rear and an optic-ready slide. The Full Size lists at $899 with 10, 15 or 18-round magazines, and a Launch Edition lists at $1,199.

I shot the 92GTS Centurion, which puts a 4.25 in barrel on the full-size frame at 7.75 in long and 27.2 oz, for the same $899. With a Trijicon dot on Beretta’s Trijicon-footprint plate and the gun rested at 25 yards, the best five-shot group with Federal Syntech Training Match 124 grain went just under an inch. Black Hills 115 grain JHP did 1.18 inches and the best groups from every load I tried averaged 1.21. Nothing failed to feed.

Best For: Anyone who wants a traditional DA/SA 92 with modern controls. It’s the one I’d carry.

10. Beretta 92G Elite LTT II and Elite Combat LTT

• Representative SKU: J92ELITE2G18
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.7 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.8 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 34.9 oz
• Capacity: 18+1
• Lever: Slide-mounted decocker only (Type G)
• Optic cut: Yes, RMR-pattern plate included
• MSRP: $1,249

Ernest Langdon has been tuning 92s for decades, and this is the factory version of his gun. The 92G Elite LTT II has a stainless Inox slide with new serrations, an Elite Inox barrel with a combat target crown, a Vertec grip with wraparound checkering and extra beveling on the frame. It’s a G model, so the lever only decocks. It weighs 34.9 oz and lists at $1,249 with three Mec-Gar 18-round magazines. None of the dealers we track lists the Elite LTT II new today, so this section has no price card.

The part that matters most is on top. The slide has a factory cut of Langdon Tactical’s Low Mount RDO system, which Beretta says gives a lower, more natural sight picture, and an RMR-pattern plate with hardware ships in the box. It’s one of only two 92 lines that need nothing but the optic.

Mine wore a Trijicon SRO on that plate. From the bench at 25 yards I shot nine five-shot groups with three loads. The best three all measured 1.68 inches, two with Remington Golden Saber Bonded 147 grain and one with Hornady Critical Defense 115 grain, and all nine averaged 1.85.

The 92G Elite Combat LTT at $1,299 is a different animal: a Toni System single-port compensator and magwell, a black threaded barrel, a fiber optic front sight and three 22-round magazines, at 36.2 oz. Beretta’s page for it lists no optic cut.

Best For: A red-dot 92 for defense or duty where the dot height matters.

11. Beretta 92X Performance Carry Optic

• Representative SKU: J92XPCO21
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.9 in
• Overall length: 8.7 in
• Height: 5.8 in
• Width: 1.6 in
• Weight: 47.6 oz
• Capacity: 15+1
• Lever: Frame-mounted safety, non-decocking
• Optic cut: Yes, two Toni System plates included
• MSRP: $1,399

The 92X Performance guns are a separate branch of the family. The frame is steel, the slide is the heavy Brigadier pattern, and the Carry Optic weighs 47.6 oz empty. That’s 14.3 oz more than a 92FS, and you feel every ounce of it soaking up recoil. The safety is on the frame and doesn’t decock. The Xtreme-S trigger adjusts for take-up, break and overtravel.

It was built for the USPSA Carry Optics division, and it ships with two Toni System plates covering four mounting patterns. Beretta’s own page warns that hand fitting may be required. List price is $1,399.

I tested one from a rest at 25 yards with a Trijicon RMR Type 2 on the Toni plate. Winchester Active Duty 115 grain averaged 1.44 inches for five shots and Federal American Eagle 115 grain averaged 1.59. The double action measured 6.5 pounds and the single action 4.4. Nothing went wrong with the gun.

The Dark Series models, Midnight Squall, Scorched Earth and Solar Flare, list at $1,699 and weigh 47.7 oz, with a graphite gray Tinitec finish, a match disassembly latch and 18-round magazines. Read the box contents on those: the plates are not included. For a steel-framed rival, see our CZ Shadow 2 review.

Best For: USPSA Carry Optics and steel matches. It’s too heavy for anything else.

12. Beretta 92X Performance Defensive

• Representative SKU: J92XRD21
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 4.9 in
• Overall length: 8.7 in
• Height: 5.8 in
• Width: 1.8 in
• Weight: 42.7 oz
• Capacity: 15+1
• Lever: Frame-mounted safety, non-decocking
• Optic cut: Yes, plate sold separately
• MSRP: $1,299

The Defensive is the 92X Performance put on a diet for IDPA. Beretta cut the Picatinny rail off the steel frame and lightened the Brigadier slide to bring it down to 42.7 oz, and it’s legal in the SSP, ESP and CO divisions. It keeps the frame-mounted safety, the Xtreme-S trigger and a red-dot optic ready slide, and it wears thin textured grips. The list price is $1,299.

The trade is simple. You give up the rail and about five ounces of recoil-eating steel against the Carry Optic, and you get a gun that makes weight at an IDPA match with a dot on it. No plates ship with this one, so add a Beretta plate kit to the bill.

The 92X Performance Defensive Classic at $1,699 is the dressed-up version: a nickel and stainless look, a 4.6 in stainless barrel with a combat crown, thin Hogue walnut grips and an adjustable rear sight, at 42 oz.

The original all-steel 92X Performance, the one without an optic cut, isn’t in Beretta’s US catalog today. You’ll still see it used, and it’s covered in the discontinued section below.

Best For: IDPA competitors, and anyone who wants steel-frame recoil control without 47 ounces on the belt.

13. Beretta 92SB Repro

• Representative SKU: J92SB15
• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: Semi-automatic
• Barrel: 4.9 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.5 in
• Width: 1.5 in
• Weight: 34.1 oz
• Capacity: 15+1
• Optic cut: No
• MSRP: $1,449

This one is for collectors. The 90 Series turned fifty, and Beretta marked it with a limited reproduction of the 92SB, the early 1980s model that bridged the original Model 92 and the military-adopted 92F. It has a polished anodized frame, a polished blued slide and barrel, a rounded trigger guard, a flat dust cover and G10 grips, and the slide is engraved “Celebrating 50 Years of the 90 Series.”

It isn’t only a display piece. Beretta fitted all-metal small parts, a short reset trigger bar and a D hammer spring, which is the spring swap 92 owners have used for years to lighten the double-action pull. It ships with two 15-round magazines with flat baseplates in collector’s packaging, and it lists at $1,449.

At 34.1 oz with a 4.9 in barrel it’s a 92FS in the hand. There’s no rail and no optic cut, and there shouldn’t be. Buy it because you want the history. If you only want a shooter, the 92FS does the same job for $640 less at list.

Best For: Collectors and 92 owners who want the pre-M9 look with a better trigger.

14. Beretta 92FSR and M9 in .22 LR

• Representative SKU: J90A192FSRF59
• Caliber: .22 LR
• Action: DA/SA
• Barrel: 5.3 in
• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Height: 5.5 in
• Width: 1.3 in
• Weight: 26.08 oz
• Capacity: 15+1
• Optic cut: No
• MSRP: $469

Beretta sells the 92 as a rimfire too. The 92FSR is a 92FS in .22 LR with an accessory rail added, and the gray-framed Sniper Gray version lists at $469 with a 5.3 in barrel and 10 or 15-round magazines. It weighs 26.08 oz, about seven ounces less than the 9mm. A third SKU with a 4.9 in barrel lists at $549.

The M9 and M9A1 rimfires live on the 9mm product pages, at $479 and $469. They carry the same markings and controls as the centerfire guns.

The point of all of them is practice. The lever, the double-action first pull and the grip are the same as on the 9mm, and .22 LR costs a fraction of what 9mm does. That makes a 92FSR a sensible second gun for a 92 owner and a kind first gun for a new shooter who’ll move up later. More rimfire picks are in our best .22 LR pistols guide.

Best For: Low-cost practice on 92 controls, and teaching a new shooter.

Discontinued 92s You’ll Meet Used

Fifty years of production means the used case is full of 92s that Beretta no longer catalogs. These are the ones you’ll run into most. None of them is on Beretta’s US site as a current pistol today, so there’s no list price to print. Beretta does still sell parts and magazines for all of them.

M9A3 (Discontinued)

The M9A3 came before the M9A4 and is still easy to find used. It’s a Vertec-frame gun, and Beretta still sells its thin Vertec-style grips and suppressor-height sights. The M9A4 is the same idea with an optic cut. If you don’t want a dot, a clean used M9A3 saves real money over a new M9A4. Beretta’s G conversion kit, $69, fits the M9A3 if you’d like it decock only.

92A1 (Discontinued)

The 92A1 was the railed 92 with a captive recoil spring assembly it shares with the 90-Two. That matters for parts: Beretta’s metal guide rod for the 92A1 doesn’t fit standard 92FS-style pistols. Its .40 caliber sibling, the 96A1, is still in the catalog at $899 with three 12-round magazines, a rail and a recoil buffer.

92X Performance, No Optic Cut (Discontinued)

The first steel-frame 92X Performance had no optic cut. If you shoot iron sights only, a used one is a lot of pistol for the money. Beretta’s plate kits name the 92X Performance, but check that the slide in front of you is cut before you buy a plate.

92G Elite LTT (Discontinued)

The first Langdon collaboration came in Full Size, Centurion and Compact. Beretta dropped all three product pages when the Elite LTT II arrived. They’re excellent used buys. The factory Low Mount optic cut arrived with the LTT II.

92 Compact, 92 Centurion, Vertec and older F models

Beretta’s magazine listings still name the 92 Compact, 92 Centurion, M9A1 Compact, 90-Two, Vertec, Billennium and Elite, which tells you how deep the back catalog runs. Our Beretta 92 parts guide covers how to tell which frame and slide you have before you order anything.

Beretta 92 Magazine Compatibility

This is the good news about the family. One magazine well runs through almost all of it, and Beretta’s own listings spell out what fits what.

The rule is easy to remember. Full-size magazines fit every full-size and Centurion frame, because a Centurion is a short slide on the full-length grip. They also fit the Compact, where they hang below the grip. Compact magazines only fit Compact frames.

That means a 1990s 92FS magazine runs in a new 92XI, and the 18-round magazine from a 92X drops into an old M9. The sand-resistant 15-round magazine Beretta built for the Marine Corps M9A1 fits them all too. The .22 LR guns and the .40 caliber 96A1 use their own magazines. Feed any of the 9mm guns from our best 9mm ammo list and they’ll run.

F, G and SAO: The Lever Is the Real Difference

What makes the 92 platform special is the thing that confuses buyers most. The open slide and the locking block are the same on all of them. The lever is not, and it changes how you handle the gun.

If you learned the pistol in the service, you learned Type F. A Type G gun has no safe position at all, and that surprises people who skim the listing. Neither is wrong. They’re different habits, and you should pick one and train on it.

You can change your mind later on some of them. The 92X RDO lever converts between F and G, and Beretta sells a G conversion kit for $69 that fits 92F and 92FS pistols, the M9, M9A1 and M9A3, and 92X guns with the slide-mounted safety. Beretta recommends gunsmith installation.

Two more words on the spec sheets. Vertec is the straight-backstrap frame with thin grips, which Beretta describes as a 1911-style grip angle. Brigadier is the heavier slide, used on the 92FS Brigadier and the 92X Performance guns. And the one wear part every 92 shares is the locking block. Mine showed even wear at 1,000 rounds. Blocks can crack at high round counts, so look at the wings every time you clean the gun, and Beretta’s replacement kit with a recoil spring lists at $49.

Which Beretta 92 Should You Buy?

Fourteen lines is a lot, so here’s how I’d cut it down.

One 92 to do everything? The 92X RDO Full Size. Rail, optic cut, 18 rounds and the straight grip, at the lowest 9mm list price in the family.

The classic, as issued? The 92FS, or the M9 if the markings matter to you. They’re the same gun on paper.

A light, no dot, traditional grip? The M9A1.

Hate the slide-mounted lever? The 92XI if you want a safety and a single-action trigger. The 92GTS if you want DA/SA and a decocker.

Carrying it? The 92X RDO Compact or a 92GTS Centurion. Both are 27.2 oz.

Running a suppressor? The M9A4, or the 92XI SAO Tactical if you’d rather have the frame safety.

Shooting matches? The Squalo for USPSA on a budget, the 92X Performance Carry Optic if you want steel, the Defensive for IDPA.

Best factory red-dot setup? The 92G Elite LTT II. The plate is in the box and the dot sits low.

Before you commit, look at the two pistols every 92 buyer cross-shops. The SIG P226 is the other great DA/SA service pistol, with its decocker on the frame. The CZ 75 SP-01 is all steel, has a rail and points beautifully.

The wider field is in our best Beretta pistols roundup, and if you’d rather have Beretta’s rotating-barrel polymer gun, read the PX4 Storm review.

Red Dots for the Beretta 92: What Fits and What to Buy

No 92 takes a dot straight on the slide. Every optics-ready model uses a plate between the slide and the sight, and the question is whether the plate is in the box. On most of them it isn’t.

Beretta sells five 90 Series Red Dot Optic Plate Kits, one per footprint, and each includes two plate-to-slide screws.

Beretta also lists a Toni System interface kit, E04101, at $162.57 for the M9A4, 92X RDO Full Size and 92X Performance. It carries two bases. Base B covers the Trijicon RMR and SRO and the Holosun HS407C and HS507C. Base A covers the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro along with the Burris FastFire and Vortex Venom and Viper.

Pick the dot first, then buy the plate that matches its footprint. These are the four I’d put on a 92. There are more in our best pistol red dots guide.

1. Trijicon RMR Type 2 RM06

• Model: Trijicon RMR Type 2 RM06
• Dot: 3.25 MOA
• Weight: 1.2 oz
• Battery: CR2032
• Footprint: RMR
• MSRP: $779
• Mounts on: Beretta 90 Series plate kit, Trijicon footprint (EUS03052)

This is the dot I’ve had on a 92 the longest, and it’s the one I’d put on an M9A4 or a 92X RDO that might get knocked around. It’s small and light at 1.2 oz, the 3.25 MOA dot is easy to find, and Trijicon rates one CR2032 at over four years of continuous use. It mounts on Beretta’s Trijicon-footprint plate kit, which is the plate I used on the 92XI and the M9A4. The forged housing is shaped to take a knock without passing it to the lens, and that’s the reason to pay for it. The different versions are sorted out in our Trijicon RMR buyer’s guide.

2. Holosun HS507C X2

• Model: Holosun HS507C X2
• Reticle: 2 MOA dot, 32 MOA circle
• Weight: 1.5 oz
• Battery: CR1632
• Footprint: RMR
• MSRP: $364.69
• Mounts on: Beretta 90 Series plate kit, Trijicon footprint (EUS03052)

The value pick, and it uses the same plate. Holosun builds the HS507C X2 on the RMR footprint, so it goes on the Trijicon-footprint Beretta plate, and Beretta’s own Toni System kit lists the HS507C on the same base as the RMR. You get a 2 MOA dot, a 32 MOA circle or both, a solar backup, and a side tray that lets you swap the CR1632 without pulling the sight. At less than half the list price of the RMR, it’s what I’d put on a 92X RDO bought on a budget.

3. Trijicon SRO 2.5 MOA

• Model: Trijicon SRO 2.5 MOA
• Dot: 2.5 MOA
• Weight: 1.6 oz
• Battery: CR2032, top loading
• Footprint: RMR
• MSRP: $822
• Mounts on: Beretta 90 Series plate kit, Trijicon footprint (EUS03052), or the plate in the 92G Elite LTT II box

For the competition guns, I’d take the bigger window. The SRO uses the same base as the RMR, so it fits the Trijicon-footprint Beretta plate and the RMR-pattern plate that ships with the 92G Elite LTT II, which is how I ran mine. The large field of view makes the 2.5 MOA dot much easier to track in recoil, and the battery loads from the top. It weighs 1.6 oz. I keep mine on range and match guns. On a Squalo or a Carry Optic, this is the pick.

4. Leupold DeltaPoint Pro 2.5 MOA

• Model: Leupold DeltaPoint Pro 2.5 MOA
• Dot: 2.5 MOA
• Weight: 2 oz
• Battery: CR2032
• Part number: 119688
• MSRP: $449.99
• Mounts on: Beretta 90 Series plate kit, Leupold footprint (EUS03051)

The DeltaPoint Pro needs a different plate: Beretta’s Leupold-footprint kit, EUS03051. Don’t order the Trijicon plate for it. What you get for the trouble is a wide, clear window, a 2.5 MOA dot, a motion sensor that shuts the sight off after five minutes and wakes it when the gun moves, and an easy-access battery compartment, so a new CR2032 doesn’t cost you your zero. It’s 2 oz, the heaviest of the four. On a 33 oz pistol you won’t notice.

A few fitting notes from doing this more than once. Use the screws that come with the plate, add a drop of medium thread locker, and torque them to the optic maker’s figure. On Beretta’s standard plates the dot sits high enough that you’ll want suppressor-height sights to co-witness, and Beretta lists a set at $149 for the 92X, 92XI, 92GTS and M9A4. And if your 92 is a 92FS, M9 or M9A1, the cleaner route to a dot is a 92X RDO, which lists for less than a new 92FS.

Who Should NOT Buy a Beretta 92

• The everyday concealed carrier: even the Compact is 27.2 oz and 1.5 in wide. A Glock 19 Gen 6 hides far easier.
• The buyer who wants one trigger pull and no levers: most 92s are DA/SA with a lever to learn. A Glock 17 Gen 6 is simpler to run.
• The tight budget: the cheapest 9mm 92 lists at $799. A Taurus 92 or a Girsan Regard MC gets you the same layout for less.
• The shooter who wants a dot with no plates to buy: only two 92 lines ship with a plate. A Glock 17 Gen 6 with its Optic Ready System is the simpler route.

FAQ: Beretta 92 Models