Umarex Beretta 92FS

The Umarex Beretta 92FS was my first pellet airgun. I picked it up because it seemed a safe choice based on all the online reviews I read about it. In this review, you will see how this turned out.

The manufacturer of the 92FS - Umarex - is currently the leading maker of pellet guns that are firearm replicas. They also make airsoft and BB replicas, but in those areas they have strong competition from Taiwanese, Japanese, and Chinese manufacturers. The 92FS is made in Germany and is a replica of the Beretta 92FS firearm, which has replaced the Colt 1911 A1 as the standard sidearm of US Armed Forces (Umarex also produces a Colt 1911 A1 pellet gun replica).

Operation

This airgun gets its power from a 12g CO2 powerlet.

The Beretta 92FS firearm is a semi automatic pistol that operates on short recoil. When such a gun is fired, its slide moves back, the spent shell is ejected, and then, during the return movement of the slide, a new cartridge is loaded from the magazine. Some airsoft and BB guns simulate this operation using gas from their power source to push the slide back while a new BB ball is loaded from the magazine. But while BB balls can be fed from a magazine, it is much more complicated to do so with pellets; though it is possible: I just read about BACS, which involves compressed air cartridges, and such a system would do the trick, but it would also be very cumbersome to use - not just for loading the cartridges with pellets, but for retrieving them after each shot. So Umarex sacrificed some realism and instead designed a revolver mechanism so tiny that it fits within the slide of their pistol replicas. The immediate impact is that if you are looking for a replica with a moving slide, you will be better served by an airsoft or a BB replica, because pellet replicas are all operating as revolvers. The revolver mechanism on all Umarex pistols is exposed by pressing a lever on the left side of the frame - that lever will release forward the portion of the slide containing the airgun's barrel - you can now drop one of the provided clips inside and then push back the slide to shut it - the clip is effectively a revolver cylinder. This loading operation is one major difference from the operation of the firearm. The tiny size of the clip is also the reason why the Umarex pistol replicas are limited to 8 pellets per clip. On the other hand, these clips are standard and they can be used on all their pistol replicas. When loading a clip, no special alignment needs to be ensured other than the facing of the clip - flat side forward, ratchet side backwards. Loading/unloading a clip is a very easy operation - the only caveat is that you need to keep the gun straight, otherwise it is easy for the tiny clip to roll out of the slide and fall down.

The other major difference compared to the firearm appears in the trigger operation. The 92FS model is a double action/single action (DA/SA) gun, where the first trigger pull is double action (DA), but then the following ones are all single action (SA), until the magazine is spent or the pistol is uncocked. As the SA operation is enabled by the short recoil mechanism, this aspect cannot be reproduced by the replica. Instead, the trigger of the airgun can either work DA or it can work SA if you cock the hammer first - just like a revolver.

The safety works just as the one on the firearm and I always keep it on when loading and unloading a pellet clip. Like the grip, the safety is ambidextrous, with a lever on both sides of the frame. However, I find it easier and smoother to operate the safety by pulling or pushing on both levers at the same time. Speaking of safety, I also never keep a clip inside the gun when loading and unloading a CO2 powerlet.

For installing a CO2 cylinder, the right grip of the pistol needs to be removed by pressing the magazine release button on the left grip. What looks like the bottom of the magazine is actually a plastic lever that needs to be opened before continuing, as it will provide more space for the cylinder to fit in. Next, unscrew the large brass screw at the bottom of the grip, by rotating it clockwise (from front to rear). Now, the cylinder can be inserted and I always put a drop of Crosman Pellgunoil on its tip before doing so, to protect the seal and extend its life. Slide in the powerlet with its tip first and let it rest in the grip. Now you can tighten that brass screw by turning it in the opposite direction - you are just supposed to tighten the cylinder, not to pierce it, so do not exert any force here - just stop once the screw encounters resistance. Check that the cylinder does not move inside the grip and then you can snap the plastic bottom shut - that is what will pierce the cylinder. You can now place the right grip back - you can actually do this before piercing the cylinder, if you like. Now the gun is powered and you can load a clip as described earlier. Do not pull the plastic bottom open until you are done using the powerlet - doing so will release the remaining gas, after which you can remove the grip and unscrew the brass screw to let the powerlet fall out of place. The powerlet cylinder will be very cold, so avoid touching it.

It is very helpful to watch someone else go through these steps. Luckily, you can do that by watching video reviews on YouTube. For example, here's one I watched before ordering the gun.

I have seen some users complaining that loading a CO2 powerlet is hard. It is not. The mechanism that Umarex employs here is very simple and effective and does not require any special effort or dexterity.

Package and build

The Beretta comes in a plastic case padded with foam, with inserts cut for the gun and the two clips that come with it. Additionally, you can remove foam to reveal inserts for a pellet box and a CO2 powerlet. There is also a small key that is needed for adjusting the rear sights. A manual, a warranty card, safety rules, and a brochure showing other Umarex products complete the package. It is a nice package but I wish that the plastic case was of better quality - its locks do not stay close and there is space gawking open under the handle - a Plano case is much better built and I would have replaced this case with one if it wasn't for the nice Beretta logo and the nicely cut inserts.

Umarex offers both black and nickel versions of this gun with either plastic or wood grips. There is no functional difference between them - the price differences only reflect the different materials used.

The gun itself is made of metal with very few exceptions. The only non-metal parts other than the grips are the grip lever used for piercing the CO2 cylinder and the front and rear sights. The metal build gives the Beretta a good weight - it is heavier than it looks.

The grip of the gun feels very wide - I am not sure if that is the case with the original firearm as well, but it feels different from other guns I held.

Given the price of this airgun, a few aspects were disappointing, although none of them affected its operation:

• The interior metal part of the right grip had rust traces to the point that it would leave rust marks on the grip metal to which it would attach. I used 3-IN-ONE oil to clean that piece of metal in two sessions and now it looks clean and shiny - note that I did not use that oil for any other purpose than cleaning this rust.
• The front sight is a bit loose - it does not affect functionality, but it is easy to notice that it is not rigid. I don't think it will ever break, but I wish it was made of metal and was one piece with the slide.
• The right lever of the safety is attached via a screw that was a bit loose on my copy. I tightened it slightly but it loosened again after more use. I now tightened it even better and I hope it stays that way. Again, no functional impact, just not what I expected from a quality assembly.
• There is also a screw at the tip of the gun, just under the muzzle. That screw was also loose on my gun, got tightened a bit, then got loose again, and now I tightened it better - I hope it lasts. This screw under the muzzle is important because it allows removing the slide and cleaning it on the inside. Which leads to another small issue:
• The slide did not have much lubricant on it and I didn't like how it worked after a couple hundred shots, especially as the gun was getting cooler from firing shots in succession, so I decided to take it off and apply some Slip 2000 Gun Lube. When I removed the slide, which also holds the barrel, I noticed that there were two more screws securing the barrel in place. Those were also not tightly screwed for some reason.
• The inner part of the nickel grip frame and that of the nickel slide have some stains on them - I have no idea what caused them and whether they are the result of the manufacturing process or an issue with my copy of the gun.
• The hammer is made of black metal, but after hitting the valve pin or the safety for hundreds of times, it lost some of its black surface and started revealing the original silver color of its alloy. I do not understand why it was not made of the same material as the barrel on the nickel version that I have.

Again, all these issues were minor and none affected functionality, but I did not expect them.

Since I mentioned oiling the gun, here is one more tip: when opening the slide to load a clip, you can notice a seal around the end of the barrel - I also wiped that with a drop of Pellgunoil when I oiled the gun. Just opening the slide allows access to this seal and I plan to apply Pellgunoil on it whenever it starts to look dry.

Adjustable settings

The only thing you can adjust on the 92FS is the rear sight, and that can only be adjusted for windage, not for elevation. To adjust the sight, you need to use the provided key to loosen the sight screw, after which you can shift the sight to the desired position, and then secure it by tightening its screw again. This is not a precision operation, but it actually worked out pretty well and I did not have to fiddle much with it to get it where I wanted.

As a side note, I had to adjust the sights on all the airguns I used so far - even on those supposedly tested at the factory!

Performance

I was surprised by how long the Beretta 92FS could go on a single CO2 powerlet. In one session, I fired around 120 shots (pausing between clip changes to let the gun warm up) and I only stopped because I was concerned about the pressure dropping suddenly and getting a pellet stuck in the barrel. I do not recommend attempting to replicate this feat though - these days I do not shoot more than 60-80 shots on a single powerlet, depending on ambient temperature. The reason for this is that the power of the shots slowly decreases with each subsequent one and after about 40 shots, the decrease in speed means that the pellets no longer cut clean holes in the target. It appears that you can shoot 80 shots safely, if you want to go on using the powerlet, but beyond that, I would be very careful with how the performance changes from shot to shot, to avoid a stuck pellet. For reference, I use Crosman powerlets - I understand that the volume of gas varies a bit across manufacturers.

I mentioned that the power decreases slowly with each shot. This gun will be particularly powerful (and I feel it is less accurate too) on the first clip - it will be louder and will also release some CO2 with each shot, but after the first clip, both these issues will disappear. I have seen similar behavior in other CO2 airguns, so there is nothing special here. As you keep shooting, if you aim consistently, you may be able to notice that groups slide down about an inch for 80 shots, but this will happen gradually.

The trigger operation is very smooth in both DA and SA mode. Cocking the hammer is also very smooth. Everything feels right in this area.

The iron sights work well. I had some trouble using them at the beginning, but that was due both to my lack of experience and to poor illumination of my targets.

The Beretta 92FS is probably a very accurate gun if fired in a vise, but being a firearm replica, it is more difficult to shoot accurately than an airgun designed for target competition and I feel that the variable CO2 power may provide another challenge.

My best group from the Beretta is about 0.25in wider than the tightest groups that I get from other guns, which is ok, but when I look at consistency, I also get much more variation in the size of the 92FS groups. I think there are several factors at play here:

• the CO2 power source introduces too much power variation across 10 shots
• the pistols that give me better results have lighter triggers
• the smaller length of the Beretta compared to a regular target pistol makes its iron sights less accurate
• the shorter barrel may also affect accuracy, although this effect may be minimal for distances under 10m

The Beretta shoots really well, but it was designed as a replica, not as a competition pistol, and that shows in my results. But if I compare it to other CO2 pistols whose design is based on firearms, the 92FS can hold its own against the best of them.

Conclusion

This was a long review and I tried to cover a lot of details, but now is the time to put them all in perspective. Is this a nice airgun or not?

Well, I like it a lot. I like the 92FS style and I like the sturdy build. I nitpicked on some aspects, but this was just because I had very high expectations from German manufacturing; however, none of those aspects prevented me from enjoying this airgun. The only thing that I would change about it is the front sight - I would make that be one piece with the slide. The trigger and the hammer operate very smoothly and the gun is accurate enough to have fun with a target.

I expect that this gun will last a lifetime given its components, with proper care of its seals. It is a nice airgun to collect too. It is not my favorite gun when accuracy matters, but it is an airgun that I enjoy using while the CO2 lasts.

Updates

--- 2013/02/20 ---

I continued testing the Beretta and I once managed to get a very tight group that reinforced my feeling that this pistol can be very accurate. I then remembered reading a comment about a gun being more accurate in double action than in single action, so I decided to try DA again and my groups improved immediately! The DA has a much longer pull and requires considerably more force than the SA, but I guess that makes me hold the gun better because my results were consistently better.

My copy of the 92FS shoots a bit high. I was trying to adjust for that and I ended up with worse results, so now I just aim for the center and I try to get tight groups. It would have been really nice to have an elevation adjustment - I guess this would be another aspect I would change about this pistol.

I earlier mentioned the screws that loosened - well, today I had to tighten the screw at the end of the barrel again. It got loose and I could hear the spring inside vibrating when opening the slide.

And I noticed again that the Beretta is less noisy than other CO2 airguns after the first clip - this is very nice behavior.

--- 2013/04/13 ---

I am starting to get more reliable groups from this Beretta in SA mode. I am also aiming, as the manual suggested, just below the bullseye of my Gamo paper targets - that makes the shots go to the center. Looks like all Umarex pistols have the sights set this way (the Walther PPQ and the Colt 1911 A1 are the same) and since there is no sight elevation adjustment, one needs to get used to it. The trigger might have become smoother as well after all the use it got. One last thing that I noticed is that the gun no longer impresses me as being overpowered and noisier on the first clip - use of CO2 seems more even - this is either due to break in or to the weather warming up. All in all, I continue to be happy with this purchase.