Beretta Model 92S 9mm

Here's a Beretta that raises eyebrows and questions. It's an early Model 92S, the slide-mounted safety variant that came after the original frame-mounted 92, and the right side of the dust cover carries the Berben Corporation N.Y. import mark. Berben was Beretta's first U.S. importer before Garcia took over, which already puts this pistol in interesting company. The frame reads P.B. MOD. 92S, Made in Italy, Patented, exactly as you'd expect from a Gardone gun of this era.

Then there's the part that makes you pause. The dust cover is laser-etched UNITED STATES PROPERTY, and the left side of the slide, just under the Beretta address, reads U.S. ARMY TEST WEAPON. Both are crisp, both are clearly laser work. And that matters, because genuine Army test pistols of this period were roll-stamped, not laser-engraved. There's no documentation tying this gun to any official trial. Treat the markings as character rather than provenance. They make for a great conversation piece, but they don't carry a paper trail.

The mechanical details are pure early 92S. You get the stubby button-top safety and decocker lever mounted on the slide, not the later extended paddle. The magazine release sits at the heel, true to the original European layout, and there's a lanyard loop at the base of the backstrap. The 4.9 inch barrel rides under the open-top slide that's been a Beretta signature ever since.

The dress is where it gets unexpected. The factory plastic panels have given way to smooth walnut grips set with gold-colored U.S. Army medallions. The bluing runs deep and even across slide and frame, with just a whisper of high-edge wear and a couple of small handling marks on the wood.

For the collector who likes a gun with a story to untangle, this one delivers. Two 15-round magazines come along, one with a flat steel baseplate and one with cast alloy.