Beretta 92.

pistols do not win wars but they save the lives of the men who do a handgun cannot match the accuracy or range of a rifle but can prove a valuable substitute in the absence of one the beretta 92 also known as the m9 is a definitive 9-millimeter pistol both in service and on the silver screen so how did an Italian pistol end up replacing an American classic why is it a staple weapon in action films and which is better 9-millimeter the 45 ACP founded in 1526 Italian Co beretta is the oldest active firearms manufacturer in the world gunsmith maestro Bartolomeo beretta made his name producing arquebus barrels for the arsenal of venice and the company still exists today in a similar line of business they were tasked with supplying the Italian army with weapons during both world wars but perhaps their best-known product today is a semi-automatic pistol design first devised in 1975 the beretta 92 was a development of earlier beretta pistols such as the M 1922 and n 1951 with the latter lending much to the 92 s exterior styling and the German Walther p38 providing the locking system for the barrel in the middle of the 20th century most American police forces were aligned on classic revolvers chambered in 38 special or the more powerful 357 Magnum while familiar and reliable in action their major limiting factor was capacity with most revolvers carrying just six rounds with a relatively slow reload to boot in the wake of arms development during World War two many European forces were switching to nine-millimeter semi-automatic weapons with their double stack magazines giving them a large capacity advantage over older designs earlier pistols such as the Browning high power and Walther p38 proved their worth and will pave the way for a new wave of modern high-capacity semi-automatic pistols such as the cz 75 six-hour p226 Glock 17 and of course the Parata 92 these new service weapons were dubbed wonder nines with a hint of sarcasm from those who preferred the more proven revolvers but eventually the advantages of these new pistols started to erode any resistance the original Parata 92 design intended for the Italian army and police so relatively limited production it was later variants that would prove more popular the 92 s added a slight mounted safety in accordance with some law-enforcement s-- requirements and the 92 F and the later 92fs added further improvements which would eventually lead to its adoption by the US Army the US Armed Forces had long been aware of the advantages of a semi-automatic sidearm after all the venerable m1911 pistol had been in service since 1911 although the classic browning design was much loved by 1980 the design was starting to show its age and the u.s. sought a replacement one of the driving forces behind the change was the NATO standardization agreement in order to simplify supply logistics NATO forces would use these same calibers and since 1962 9 by 19 millimeter Luger rounds had been elected as the pistol caliber of choice a controversial point even today the 9-millimeter versus 45 caliber debate is a particularly divisive one 45 ACP alphas greater punch but 9-millimeter rounds are smaller offering greater capacity and have both lower recoil and higher velocity while some lament Lee lost in stopping power modern nine-millimeter loads proved more than adequate for most needs and in 1985 the beretta 92f edged out the more expensive sig p226 to be adopted as the u.s. army service pistol under the m9 designation reliable with its all steel construction able to weather battle conditions and with generous magazine capacity the beretta is a thoroughbred workhorse its selection by the US Army has led to its inevitable inclusion in a whole host of modern military games often the default side on it is a ubiquitous ally to the american m4 it's the go-to choice for those looking to play soldier although in reality pistols are only issued to select roles rear echelon troops drivers officers etc in games pistols feel a curious niche they are often intentionally weaker than most other weapons with limited range and semi-automatic fire in counter-strike pistols are the cheapest option and such weapons determine the outcome of the first round but once the money rolls in there quickly ditched for automatic weapons the one place they do excel is in reactivity fair switching and quick on target true to reality the true strength of a pistol is as a backup to your primary weapon they are ignored by most in favor of their rifle or even replaced with an enemy weapon but for those with the reflexes to use it a trusty sidearm is valuable in almost every Call of Duty the tutorial slips in the old adage switch into your pistol is always faster than reloading the beretta is a large weapon as far as handguns go and as a result it has quite a formidable on-screen presence much of the weapons popularity can be attributed to Hong Kong film director John Woo he was a fan of the pistols stouts a near bottomless magazine and gave it prime placement in many films often wielded as a pair it's the protagonists weapon of choice in a better tomorrow and the same goes for inspector tequila in hard-boiled these seminal action flicks suffered considerable influence and this heroic bloodshed has seeped into games inspired by cinema it's certainly no coincidence that the Baretta's come in pairs in Counter Strike but it's the Max Payne series that is perhaps the most explicit of examples with max imitating classic whoo gun fighting action with dual Berettas in all three installments of course the most direct link is in John Woo his own game stranglehold where tequila reprises his role from hard-boiled will a pair of the iconic pistols a far cry from its military service it seems the Beretta has a darker side to guns infinite ammo and paired with a thirst for vengeance so the Beretta is a weapon with a distinct yet subdued charm it makes a bold statement but is never brash its legacy might never live up to the m1911 but while it's cut for a different caliber it shares many of the values of the classic browning design just a regular hand gun no showing off just showing up and getting the job done the Beretta 92 classic wonder nine reliable and always on your side thank you very much for watching and until next time farewell

Channel: Ahoy

Views: 2,668,171

Keywords: xboxahoy, Beretta 92, Beretta (Business Operation), m9, m9a1, iconic arms

Id: qolpKRLc5P8

Length: 8min 5sec (485 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 17 2014