58 The Beretta M9A3 - a surprising 9mm pistol by Dick Eussen When I unpacked the new model Beretta M9A3 pistol and held it in my hands, the first thing that came into my mind was, Now this is a nice pistol. Indeed it is. Beretta has upgraded its Model 9 platform into the 21st century with a threaded chrome-lined barrel, tritium sights, a Vertec-style slim grip and a Picatinny rail for accessories. Yes, it s definitely an improvement over the Beretta Model 9 and 92FS that have served the US Military since 1985. The new M9A3 was intended to replace the ageing M92FS, but the US Army rejected the pistol due to political interference, not because it failed stringent testing procedure - which it didn t. The pistol The M9 platform was designed in the 1970s and the M9A3 model is a natural evolution into modern times with new material and design upgrades. In a nutshell, the Beretta M9A3 is a self-loading falling locking-block pistol. When fired, the inertia of the explosion forces the slide back, ejects the fired shell, cocks the hammer and compresses the recoil spring before automatically moving forward and picking up and chambering a fresh cartridge from the magazine and returning to battery, ready for firing. When the last round has been fired, the slide remains open. When a newly charged magazine is inserted, the slide stop lever is pushed down, the bolt slams forward, picks up a shell and the whole process is repeated. Black is no longer the chosen color. These days, we have what is called Flat Dark Earth (FDE) coloring, which gives the pistol a pure military look. I really like it. The pistol has a combination of Cerakote, Bruniton, anodising, black oxide and PVD (physical vapour deposition) finishing that assists lubrication and protects it against corrosion and wear use. For me, the slim grip was love at first sight. I have owned a couple of Beretta M9 and 92FS pistols in the past and expected something similar, but no, this is a revamped pistol that has not that much in common with its parent. The Vertec grip makes targets come up very quickly when the gun is raised to battery. The grip is particularly suited to shooters with medium to small hands, or female shooters. It takes no effort to engage the trigger. Large-handed shooters can still use it; in fact the slim grip makes it easy for the two-handed wrap-around Weaver grip. You have to try it to believe it, just how comfortable the grip is and just how good it makes the pistol s pointability. However, the best part is that the Beretta M9A3 comes with an additional backstrap slipon grip for larger hands. It s a simple matter to
59 Dick Eussen busy at work in the office testing the new Beretta 9mm. unscrew the two screws that hold the slim grip and replace it with the bulkier backstrap grip. Both straps have front and rear chequering for secure gripping. A lanyard fitting is on the end of the butt. On the range Reports from overseas gun writers all speak of the same thing when it comes to shooting the new pistol. It s the most comfortable pistol I have ever shot, or it s the most accurate, apart from match-prepared pistols - or words to that effect. After shooting the pistol extensively on the range over several weeks with various brands of ammunition, including handloads with lead bullets, I can only agree. Over a rest, I found it easy to keep most of my rounds inside consistent 30mm groups at 15m, the only downside being my ageing eyes and coordination. I am sure many readers know what I am on about. The trigger is smooth and reliable, whether in single- or double-action mode. In single mode, it has two stages, the first taking up the slack before encountering the resistance of the cocked trigger. I have a similar trigger in my target pistol and the Beretta snaps in a comparable fashion, making target acquisition simple. My Lyman trigger gauge tells me that it snaps at an average of 7.3lb of pressure. It is also the best double-action trigger I have ever used, being light enough to keep the sights on target in rapid fire mode. The recoil of the 9mm round is moderate and easy to handle, especially when the pistol is shot in the freestanding Weaver stand, which when done properly enables most shooters to make respectable scores. I had had no problems keeping 90 per cent of my shots in the black of a standard SSAA 25m target using the Weaver stand at that distance. The pistol has a lot going for it and has many safety features. For instance, when the trigger is not pulled completely back, the firing pin block secures the firing pin and stops it from moving forward, even if dropped on the ground. You have a choice of double- or single-action firing. Double-action gives an advantage of a longer and deliberate first-shot trigger pull. The first doubleaction pull is followed up by a shorter and lighter single-action trigger pull for the remaining rounds in the magazine. The M9A3 comes in FS version safety, which includes a slide-mounted ambidextrous safetydecocking lever with off position marked by a vivid red warning dot. The FS model allows the hammer to be safely lowered over a chambered round. When the safety lever is pushed down, the hammer drops, but it is blocked from striking the firing pin because the employment of the safety lever rotates the firing pin out of position, meaning that when the safety is on, the linkage >
60 between trigger and sear is disconnected. The G model features a manual decocking lever only, instead of the decocking lever of the FS model. This means that after decocking - by activating the safety lever - the gun automatically returns to firing mode. There is no manual safety in the G model. The slide takes some effort to pull back when loading the chamber, but the deep serrated non-slip grip on the slide makes it easy work. Anyone wanting a G model safety can purchase the parts and have a qualified gunsmith fit the new lever. This also applies to target sights and softer springs to accurise the gun for purpose target shooting. The distributor Beretta Australia has gunsmiths on site for the job. The M9A3 is fitted with an oversize magazine catch, which enables you to drop the magazine out of the well and insert another one in its place. There is no movement in the magazine, unlike the sloppy magazine wells of some pistols that I have owned. The secure magazine catch can be reversed for left-handed shooters. The double-stack magazine takes 10 rounds. There is a 17-round double stack-magazine available for military use only, while the pistol is also compatible with Model 92 magazines and some 32-round SMG mags. The oversize beveled magazine well makes inserting a magazine simple and positive. The barrel has a ½x28" thread for a suppressor, flash eliminator or recoil compensator. It is fitted with a protector cap. Both front and rear sights are removable, but non-adjustable. I love the combat sights on this pistol. They provide instant lock-on target when the gun is brought up to the shooting position and are as good as you find on any combat pistol. However, they are not adjustable, which is a shame really as handloaders This is what comes in the box: a Beretta M9A3 9mm selfloading pistol, three magazines and a trigger lock. who will reload for the 9mm may have to do some range work to ensure the bullets are in the black or better still, fit a set of adjustable target sights - as we do. Both sides of the rear-sight and the frontsight have dots that are illuminated at night. These night sights are easy to use in dim light conditions. Providing you have the right tool for the job, the rear-sight is straightforward to remove and replace with either target or an electronic sighting device (ESD) red dot sight. An accessory rail and threaded barrel makes fitting a speed LED light easy. Optics The Beretta M9A3 was supplied with an optional Burris FastFire III Red Dot Reflex Sight. It is a new concept, being smaller and lighter than others I have seen and used. It made for ideal low-profile mounting. The frame is made from stainless steel, bronze and anodied aluminum. Because of its compact size, it can be mounted on mostly any rifle, shotgun or pistol and with its high recoil >
62 resistance, even on a tank! Its low magnification provides an extremely large view and depth of field and it is virtually parallax-free from 10 to 150m. A special reflective coating is sandwiched between two highly polished glasses, which protects the narrow band reflective surface from dust and debris. The lenses are fully coated for maximum light transmission and totally sealed against water, even when submerged. Put all these assets together and you have a match made in heaven when fitted on the Beretta M9A3 pistol. Removing the pistol s rear-sight and installing the Burris 8 MOA red dot was simple. Sometimes you are lucky and the dot was right on target, but at about two clicks high at 25m, it was very easy to make adjustments. Adjustments are undemanding on the sight, with elevation and windage having separate screws. Inserting the magazine is quick and easy. The sight is powered by one 3V CR1632 lithium battery. The sight has four settings to suit personal brightness of the red dot and these are set each time the power button is pushed. A light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness of the aiming dot to surrounding light conditions. In use, the sight rises quickly to battery and is easy to use. I love red dot sights and other ESDs as my old eyes just don t focus on the front-sight anymore unless I wear an optical sighting device, but the red dot forgives any shortsightedness and makes shooting targets easy. It brought groups together and 50mm five-shot groups at 25m became the order of the day. A speed or magazine loader is handy for pushing 10 rounds in a new magazine. Ammunition The M9A3 was supplied with 100 rounds of Sellier & Bellot (S&B) 9mm ammunition loaded with 124-grain soft-point projectiles. Like the new pistol, modern 9mm ammo has come of age. The 9mm has never enjoyed a reputation for good accuracy, but that is no longer the case. The S&B ammo is outstanding in accuracy and performance. The high-tech 124-grain expanding bullets were totally reliable and on target. No details on velocity are given but velocities from various makers who have 124-grain bullets range from 1090 to 1210fps. My chronograph was on loan out in the bush so I was unable to
63 test the S&B ammo velocities but I figure it is around midway, or average to the velocity range and in line with most makers. I also fired 115-grain Federal and Highland ammunition that I had on hand, and many handloads consisting of 124-grain Speer bullets and 120-grain lead bullets. The Beretta performed flawlessly with all these loads and not one misfire or failure to eject was encountered in the 400-odd rounds fired. Also, no cleaning was performed during the tests. That alone speaks for the quality coupled to performance that the M9A3 is capable of. Groups like this were common when using the Burris FastFire III Red Dot Reflex Sight. Pistol maintenance The M9A3 was designed for combat and Beretta had put a lot of thought into it to make it a lowmaintenance platform. A secure disassembly lever is located on top of the triggerguard. It makes field-stripping comfortable and also safeguards against accidental disassembly. The action removes the barrel, locking block slide, spring and spring guide. Summary I have been pistol shooting since the 1950s and recognise an outstanding 9mm pistol when I shoot it. The Beretta M9A3 ticks all boxes and has handling characteristics that are only found in serious centrefire target pistols. It is the best shooting Service pistol that I have fired and by The Burris FastFire III is an excellent choice for any pistol sight. far the most accurate as it closely matches some special-purpose match-grade guns that I have owned and used. But as the man says, wait there is more The US-made Beretta M9A3 comes in a heavy-duty plastic ammo box. Besides the pistol fitted with a magazine, the box contains two extra magazines, a wrap-around backstrap grip, trigger cable lock and a comprehensive instruction booklet - a must-read before doing anything else. The outfit is not cheap, being around the $1900 mark, maybe less if you shop around. However, when you consider the extras that are included and the quality of the pistol, the price is excellent value.. Specifications Manufacturer: Beretta Model: M9A3 Calibre: 9mm Barrel Length: 130mm Overall Length: 225mm Weight: 955g Grips: Polymer Sights: Tritium three-dot H3 15 Action: Double or single Capacity: 10 rounds, double stack magazine Accessories: Three-slot Picatinny rail, two spare magazines, cable trigger lock, wrap-around backstrap grip Distributor: Beretta Australia RRP: $1900