military sidearm up to the second decade of the 21st century. Otherwise, the M9 had a successful carrier as the standard U.S. military for several decades, from the Cold War into the War on Terror.Ĭomplaints did arise from the M9’s military use, but these were largely based off of experiences with worn pistols or those being used with aftermarket magazines. After its adoption, the M9 was used by the U.S. after being pressured to have a common pistol chambering with the rest of its NATO allies. This was thanks in part to the use of double stack magazines, and the M9’s chambering for 9 mm over. It also has double the magazine capacity of the M1911A1, with 15 rounds standard. The M9 is similar in size to the M1911A1 which it replaced, but slightly lighter thanks to its use of an aluminum frame. soldier armed with a Beretta M9 service pistol. It was this design that was ultimately adopted by the U.S. This was corrected with an enlarged hammer pin, resulting in the Beretta 92FS. An issue was discovered during these later trials where the slides of 92F handguns were falling off. Parts were redesigned for complete interchangeability, along with some other minor changes, resulting in the 92F. By 1984, Beretta updated the 92 design yet again for the trials seeking to replace the M1911A1. However, the results were challenged by the U.S. In 1980, the Beretta 92S was chosen over other models presented by such companies as Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson and FN. Air Force trials, the 92SB, which added a firing pin block, ambidextrous safety levers and moved the location of the magazine release from the bottom of the grip to the side of the frame just below the trigger guard. Another variation was developed again for U.S. The first change was the addition of a slide-mounted safety lever, which also functions as a de-coking lever, to meet the requirement of the Italian military and law enforcement as the 92S. Not long after the development of the first version of the 92, Beretta began to alter the design with even more features, seeking various contracts with military and law enforcement agencies.