| From 1975 to 1981 | From 1982 to 1987 | From 1988 to 1991 |
1988 During
this period, work was proceeding
to develop the 92F in stainless
steel, and new target versions
were being unveiled. The 98F Target,
cal. .9mm X21 IMI, for large caliber
shooters, and the competition
conversion kit for the 92K In
the United States, Beretta U.S.A.
in Accokeek, Maryland, began production
of the M9 pistol. Smith &
Wesson succeeded in delaying a
second contract award for a continuation
of the initial M9 contract by
convincing the U.S. Congress to
order yet another new competition,
called the XM10, to take place
in the spring of 1988. The Sturm
Ruger P85 and the Tanfoglio C75
participated in this competition,
but were soon disqualified. Beretta
and SIG Sauer, finalists in the
XM9 competition, were not requested
to submit samples to the new test
Surprisingly, Smith & Wesson
did not participate, claiming
that if the Beretta M9 should
not be retested, neither should
Smith & Wesson. Smith &
Wesson's protests of Beretta and
SIG Sauer exemption from the XM10
competition resulted in a second
XMIO competition which started
in September, 1988.
1989 Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson participated in the second XM10 Competition. Determined to remove any doubt about the Beretta pistols, the U.S. Army selected 30 M9 pistols at random from a recent shipment received from Beretta U.S.A. and submitted them for testing. Again, as in the preceding competitions, the Beretta 92F was the winner and a new contract was awarded bat the U.S. Army on May 22, 1989, for approximately 57,000 M9 pistols with a value of approximately $ 9.9 million U.S. dollars. The award of this contract may lead to other successive contracts to complete the comprehensive requirements of the DOD (approximately 500,000 pistols for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard). Beretta decided to make production of the 92F uniform by adding to all 92F pistols the modifications ordered by the U.S. Army. The new version was called the 92FS. 1990 In order to satisfy increasing demand from American police forces that had decided to replace the revolver with high capacity automatic pistols, Beretta U.S.A. introduced new special versions of the 92 for law enforcement. These included the 92C (the CI of the French National Gendarmerie), the 921), double action only without manual safety, and the 92DS, double action only with manual safety. 1991 Under
development and test in Gardone
V.T. is a new version of the 92
pistol (Model 96), chambered for
the new .40 S&W cal. Beretta
U.S.A. has received numerous letters
of appreciation from American
Military personnel who took part
in Operation Desert Shield and
Operation Desert Storm regarding
their official sidearm, the Beretta
M9. The following excerpts are
typical of the letters we have
received: «...
I just want to commend you on
the fabulous model 92F. I have
had mine for about a year now
adjust love it. It feels like
that pistol was made especially
for me. The design Is so smooth
and comfortable, it seems like
an integral part of my body. I
just can’t shot it enough. Uncle
Sam made an excellent choice in
the Beretta M‑9. Well, I just though that I would drop you a line to let
you know what a great weapon you
have given us. Keep up the great
work!»
Sgt.
Donald Reagan - USA |
Mod. 98F cal. 9x21 IMI
|
Mod. 92FS Type M |
|
Mod. 92FS with Laser Grips |
