Taking into account its production as a military weapon (the M9), this pistol is one of the largest selling sidearms in history. The 92FS and the other guns are traditional double actions. The first shot is double action; subsequent shots are single action. The hammer can be lowered safely using the decocking lever found on both the right and left side of the slide. This lever will then stay down and, acting as a safety, disconnect the trigger. Raising the lever returns the gun to double action.
I bought a used Beretta 92FS because I found one at a price no one could resist. This gun was the first gun I remember seeing in real life as it was the gun used to rob my family when I was 3 years old. The pistol has always intrigued me with its handsome lines, but I wasn't a fan of how large it was in my hands.
The particular pistol to be scrutinized in this review is the Model 92FS Compact L, a reduced sized version of their flagship 92FS. This pistol’s heritage begins with Beretta’s first foray into the P38-type falling locking block method of operation, the M1951. In 1975 this locking mechanism, along with aspects of the then new Model 84, was used as the basis for a larger high-capacity service pistol design that became the Model 92.