The Beretta Type M

[Petrol & Powder]

Have you ever really wanted something and then when you got it, you couldn’t quite recall what the attraction was? That was my experience with the Beretta Type M.

If you are not a total Beretta geek it is completely understandable if you don’t know what the Type M pistol was. The regular 92 Compact has a slightly shorter slide and slightly shorter grip than a standard model 92. A 92 Compact holds 13 rounds of 9mm Luger in a double stack mag. A Beretta Type M was a 92 compact slide on a single stack frame. Originally the model was known as the 92SB Compact, Type M.

Later, Beretta made other Type M variants, but they were all some form of a compact upper installed on a single stack frame that held an 8-round magazine. To my knowledge they were all chambered in 9mm Luger.

The Type M wasn’t super rare but compared to the overall 92 series, the Type M was a much less commonly encountered variant. And for whatever reason, I coveted one.

Then one day at a gun show I happened to find not only a nice Type M, with the factory box, but an Inox (Stainless steel) example. (92FS-C, Type M, Inox). Which means the slide and barrel were stainless steel and the frame was a anodized aluminum to more or less match the upper. I HAD to have it.

I came home with my new toy and immediately started shooting it whenever I could. It was accurate, it functioned perfectly, I thought it was beautiful, it was fun to shoot, and it was the most impractical 9mm pistol I owned!

The slide is the same width as any other 92 series pistol, which is to say a bit on the fat side. There’s a lot of steel in the top half of the gun, so it’s not lightweight. The “thin” grip that held that 8-round, single stack magazine was nearly the same circumference as the compact model that held 13 rounds. So, it was sort of a big, sort of heavy pistol, chambered in 9mm that only held 8 rounds.

Despite my desire to own it and all the positive traits, I eventually parted with it. It was like that cute girl you really wanted to date and after you finally got to spend some time with her; you weren’t sure why you wanted to in the first place.

 

[CZ93X62]

I have a warm spot for the Beretta 92/96 series pistols. I don't recall seeing or handling any of these 8-round variants.

The Italians build beautiful things, and to my eye the 92/96 pistols are ELEGANT--a thing that most of the Wonder-Nines can't say with a straight face.

Jon--no worries. Those feelings you have for the 'M-series' are much like mine for my S&W Model 642--useful in a way, but I sometimes scratch my head as I clean or handle it.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Image stolen from the internet, but here's a Type M

 

[david s]

My first or second centerfire pistol was a full-size Beretta 92S. It is a great looking handgun, but huge for a 9mm. It would be large for the 45ACP round. As Petrol & Powder noted the eight-round "M" version of the Beretta 92 isn't really all that much smaller than the full-size pistol. Being I already had a reliable eight round double action 9mm in a S&W 639 the model "M" Beretta didn't impress me all that much. I also wanted to like the Vertec gripped model 92 but no dice here. I do still have a 92S and a stainless model 92 SF but don't shoot them enough. Nowadays you get the original Beretta 92 15-round capacity in a much smaller package with the Glock 48 and Sheild 15 round magazines. In full a size 9mm service pistol I'll stick with a CZ 75 instead of the Beretta.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I never could figure out the reasoning behind producing the Type M. The guns in the West German police pistol trials all had 8-round magazines to comply with the specifications but those trials were over by the time the Type M was introduced. And an Italian design was never going to be in those trials to start with. Perhaps Beretta had their eyes on some other contract or market that required a single stack magazine.

The only theory I’ve been able to come up with (and it is pure speculation on my part) is some weight restriction for a loaded pistol.

The 92 Compact series have 13-round double stack magazines. The form of those pistols makes some sense. They are sort of the “Commander” style versions of the full size 92.

Maybe Beretta just made the single stack Type M because they could? The Type M was not produced in large numbers, but they did stay in production long enough to go from the SB base models to the FS based models. So, Beretta must have seen some promise in the model.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Never been a fan of the 92 model. Shot it very well when I was in the Army, but almost hated it. Grip just wasn't in my wheelhouse. Felt like weilding a brick to me.

I have recently been shooting and carrying a model 82 (sort of a mini 92) in 380 (bought it in 32 ACP and barrel converted to 380 - EASY) and so far I really like it. It is not a light wonder 9, but I like it. Single stack grip. And came with 4 mags, so that is a big plus too. 16+1 with extra mag.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I have large hands and I meshed well with the Beretta 92. As double stack grips go, I would say that the full size Beretta may not be the equal of grips like the Hi-Power or CZ-75, but it’s in the same ballpark.

The 92 Compact is almost identical to the full size 92 but just slightly shorter (13 rounds vs. 15).
The single stack Type M grip was nearly as fat as the double stack grip of the compact, didn’t make much sense to me, but it took personal experience to learn that.