The ‘F’ indicates US Military testing and the ‘S’ is for the enlarge hammer pin to kept the slide from flying off if it cracks.

by David W. Manney

The Beretta 92 has gone through several different design changes since it was first rolled out in 1975. The gun was designed by Carlo Beretta, Giuseppe Mazzetti and Vittorio Valle. The 92 became the 92S, then the 92SB and the 92F when it was submitted for trails by the US Government in the 1980’s.

The following changes were made: All the parts were to be 100% interchangeable to simplify maintenance for large organizations. The front trigger guard was modified so that the finger could be use for aiming. The barrel bore was hard chromed the help protect it from corrosion and reduce wear. The forward base of the grip was curved forward too, also aid with aiming. A new surface coating on the slide called Bruniton was used, which is suppose to provide better corrosion resistance than a blue finish. After testing, the hammer pin was enlarge so that the slide would not come off the back if the slide cracked. This was due to reported defective slides during testing.

Read more in our September 2013 issue. Back issues are available.

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