Beretta 92 Locking Block Issue?

[timbo399]

I called Beretta today cause bought a brand new made in Italy 92fs from Turners last year. Work takes me overseas for long periods of time since so hardly any range time. But both times I took it out I realized 2 things- it is my most accurate handgun other than my 1911's , and it is the only semi auto handgun I have ever owned that jams on me. Never have had one issue before w all brands of 9mm and .45 handgund I have and it's a wide array.

Issue w the Beretta was/is- both when slingshotting first round in or mid magazine while shooting, the nose of the bullet slams against the bottom part of feed ramp and gets stuck. Doesn't stove pipe, just stays in perfectly horizontal position w back end of cartridge still half way in the mag but bullet nose jams up against the bottom of feedramp rather than traveling up into chamber.

Real pain to clear cause can't eject magazine and bullet stuck really tight up against feedramp and have to really pry it out. Happens almost every 4 rounds or so.

Finally got around to calling Beretta and explained I must have gotten a lemon or something cause I still support their products (have a nice Beretta O/U skeet shotgun and recently bought a Beretta 92 Inox cause was in Turners doing a PPT for a 1911 and saw it in window and had to have it and know I shoot them well, when they shoot!)- and I read how reliable 92's are from many different owners.

Anyway, guy on phone says need to take it to Beretta certified shop/Bolsa gunsmithing which is hour and a half drive for me and don't have time on weekends to spend half a Saturday dealing w this. He said right away I am not lubricating my guns enough and has seen this exact issue many times in Beretta 92s because locking block wasn't lubed enough. Told him I own x amount of all sorts of semis and have never had one issue so I know how to grease a gun up to get it to work but he wouldn't budge.

It is 100% not a magazine or ammo issue cause does same thing w all sorts of new Meg Car mags have bought for it and also happens w ALL ammo- tried many different brands of HPs and FMJ and same exact issue. Don't I have a right to just send my Beretta in and have them deal w what is an obvious issue?

Anyone else run into locking block issues w their 92's? Tried since w extra lube on locking block at home and even chambering first round half the time same issue comes up. Is Beretta CS any good or did I just get unlucky w a stubborn CS guy? Thanks.

[Ron-Solo]

I have over 30,000 rounds thru one of my 92s and I run them with a minimum amount of lube. I have NEVER had a jam. EVER. My other 92 only has about 7,500 rounds. Zero failures.

You need to have your gun looked at by a trained Beretta gunsmith. Something isn't right.

[mikeyr]

when I first got my 92 it had quite a few feeding issues, unlike the poster above who runs his with minimal oil, I now use plenty of oil and no more feeding issues.

What ammo are you using ? if you are reloading what is your OAL ?

I do think these guns "break" in after some rounds, I worked up a load that worked well in my 92 and I have found that I can now go down 0.2gr's on my powder load and still have reliable feeding, I know for a fact that when the gun was new, that load gave me FTL issues and now works after 4,000 rounds.

[Bill Steele]

My 92 Beretta's were also some of my most accurate semi handguns, great long shooters.

I have not had any feed issues with my Beretta's. I think I would also look at the extractor. When the round feeds up, the rim slides inside the extractor. Maybe the extractor has a burr or is binding up with the case rim? Just another area to look at.

Whatever the cause, it is definitely not right.

Good luck.

[timbo399]

I don't reload, just tried many different brand names of 115 gr and 124 gr FMJ and HP's. I only have shot maybe 100 rds through it so maybe just needs to be well oiled and broken in, I just have never had to "break in" a semi before, every semi I have ever owned runs flawlessly from day 1 except this one.

And I read all these posts about people having zero issues w their 92s after thousands of rounds and think- why didn't I get one of those!? Just at home w snap caps and sometimes live ammo almost half the time I test it , same exact problem, makes me think it's the gun. Would think Beretta guy would have just said send it in.

[ojisan]

Will the slide stop just short of going into battery or hang up at all with no ammo being fed?
Locking blocks sometimes stick in the ramp cuts in the slide....if this is happening, having ammo in the gun or not should not make much difference.
I've worked on a couple Taurus and Beretta 92/ 99s.
The early Taurus did break locking blocks so I have replaced a couple.
Sometimes the ramp slots need a clean-up / smoothing at the same time.

It could be that Beretta prefers to use regional / local approved locations for warranty work.
So maybe they guy was doing what he was supposed to when he said take it to your "local" authorized warranty place.
I think you should be able to send it to Beretta if that is your choice.

[Old4eyes]

Do you have any factory magazines that cause the problem? You note that you are running Mec-Gar magazines and if you believe the chatter on the internet only factory mags are 100% reliable. I've never had a problem with my 92 and I am running factory magazines.

As to not being able to drive that hour and a half, well you can probably ship the gun but you have to use overnight express and the rates are very high.

Best of luck to you on it and you're right, Beretta ought to make it right for you. When you get the problem resolved please post what the fix is.

[saudadeii]

Are you running any alum or steel case though it?

My M9 runs great with the 2 OEM mags and the Mecgars I bought. If your OEM mags say Made in Italy, they are likely Mecgars anyway.

I'm only a few hundred rounds deep, but it's seen only brass and only fmj. However, they've been factory fresh and factory reloads (Freedom Munitions).

Specifically what brand ammo and weights have you shot?

[timbo399]

Thanks for the replies. Yes maybe could be extractor issue.

To Ojisan- it has no hang ups when no ammo involved, the slide racks as if it were on glass, super smooth. And slide does not go close to full battery when the issue happens, stays wide open.

To Old4eyes- Issue happens w all mags- even the factory made in Italy PB mags that I believe Meg Car manufactures. Happens w Beretta factory mags and new Meg Car mags have bought.

To Saudaeii- I have been using only brass, never shoot steel in my handguns. Happens w all sorts that I have on hand- Blazer brass, Remington, S&B, Magtech, etc and for JHPs - Speer Gold Dots and Winchester Ranger Ts. All ammo that works flawlessly in all my other handguns.

Fact half the time I rack the slide on first round it happens tells me something wrong w the gun. Like said, I have been lucky over the years I guess to point where never had any issues w my semi handguns. Normally I would just sell it right away if a handgun gave me issues, but I am so accurate w it and just like the Beretta 92 look and feel, that's why I went and just bought an Inox because I'm sure just got a lemon in some regard on this forst one that can be fixed. Maybe I'll just have to bite the bullet and waste a Saturday to drive out to certified Beretta place. Still would have thought CS guy would have told me just to send it in. Thank you for your replies and I will let you know what the issue was once I have time to resolve it.

[saudadeii]

Thanks for the reply.

I think the 92's (and their variants) are just sexy pistols! I love shooting mine.

As for the CS guy, try to bear in mind he/she may hear stories like yours all day long. They are human too and make mistakes.

I would strip it and lube it. I always do the same to my mags with a little silicon spray and wipe on the follower and inside the mag body.

If it still malfunctions, call them back and explain. I'm sure they'll take care of it.

[DrewTheBrave]

While I don't have any specific advice,I would strongly recommend posting your issue on the Beretta forums: http://berettaforum.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=17

Great source of info for the 92 series and beyond

[choprzrul]

My locking block broke after 20+ years. The new one is tight and jams once in a while. I figured that I just need to break it in.

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