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Beretta M9A1

beretta m9a1 pistol

The Beretta M9 is an iconic firearm of militaries worldwide. The M9A1 was its first upgrade, issued to the Marine Corps in 2006, when it had already been used by the military for two decades.

This pistol was released to fill the need to mount a weapon light to the firearm, and provided a host of improvements to help it perform better in desert environments. While the addition of sights was common in military rifles at the time, this development represented a breakthrough for military pistols.

The M9A1 is a more versatile firearm, with grip and magazine engineered for easy access and high performance. It is considered a tactical pistol, thanks to its accuracy, speed of loading commercial ammunition, and reliability.

Still, the Beretta M9A1 offers an accessible firearm, with low recoil and an easy maintenance plan. Let’s look at some of its standard features.

Beretta M9A1 Standard Features:

  • Double Action/Single Action
  • Single slot Picatinny Rail
  • Aggressive front and back strap checkering
  • Bruniton finish
  • Ambidextrous thumb safety/decocker
  • Magazine-well bevel
  • 3-dot sighting system

For the most part, the M9A1 is almost identical to the M9 in terms of its features. It is still a semi automatic chambered in 9 mm with an external hammer. It also is a Double Action/ Single Action design.

The major differences lie in the accessory rail and some design features from the US Military’s experiences in the Middle East.

Looking at the primary difference, the frame now sports a single slot Picatinny rail. This meant lights and lasers could now be mounted on the pistol. This allowed for the gun to be useful in more lighting conditions in addition to better recoil management from the extra weight.

There were also some performance enhancing changes to the grip and magazines issued with the gun. The grip now features better checkering on the front and back. This allows for a better grip and better control of the gun in a variety of environments and situations.

The magazine well also was upgraded to include a bevel for faster, more consistent reloads. Combined with the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coating on the magazines and you get a smooth reload.

This PVD coating was added in order to make the magazine more sand resistant. It created a smoother finish that was less impacted by gritty debris that might wedge the magazine in the gun.

Variants

  • M9A3
  • M9A4
  • M9A1 22

Price:$450-$750

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M9A1

The M9A1 provides great accuracy, good recoil management, and a variety of capacities. But it is a heavy pistol. Slightly heavier than the M9, it still weighs more unloaded than its primary competitor, the G17, when it is loaded.

This impacts how often you might carry the pistol since heavier guns tend to be less comfortable to carry all day. However, it is highly reliable and performs very well.

M9A1 Specs:

Attribute Spec
Action: Semi automatic, Double Action/Single Action
Caliber: 9x19 mm/9mm Luger
Capacity: 15, 10, 17, 20, 30, 32
Barrel length: 4.9 inches
Weight Unloaded: 33.9 ounces
Overall Length: 8.5 inches
Overall Width: 1.5 inches
Sight radius: 6.1 inches
Sights: 3-dot standard, fixed front and rear

Popular variations:

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M9A3

The M9A3 was an attempt to modernize the M9A1. This included better capacity, sights, and ergonomics.

This upgrade brought the M9A1 up to the minimum that other pistol brands had achieved.

M9A3 Specs:

Attribute Spec
Action: Semi automatic, Double Action/Single Action
Caliber: 9x19 mm/9mm Luger
Capacity: 15, 10, 17, 20, 30, 32
Barrel length: 5.1 inches
Weight Unloaded: 33.4 ounces
Overall Length: 8.7 inches
Overall Width: 1.5 inches
Sight radius: 6.3 inches
Sights: 3-dot, removable sights (suppressor height, tritium, etc. compatible)

M9A4

As red dot sights for pistols became more accessible, Beretta recognized the need to adapt to the market.

This improvement over the M9A3 adds in red dot compatibility from the factory while improving the other standard features of the pistol design.

To see what those features are click here (link).

M9A4 Specs:

Attribute Spec
Action: Semi automatic, Double Action/Single Action
Caliber: 9x19 mm/9mm Luger
Capacity: 10, 15, 18
Barrel length: 5.1 inches
Weight Unloaded: 33.4 ounces
Overall Length: 8.7 inches
Overall Width: 1.5 inches
Sight radius: 6.3 inches
Sights: Dovetailed Tritium Night sights, Red dot compatible

M9A1 22LR

Similar to the M9 22, the M9A1 22 is the .22 Long Rifle version of the M9A1. It is not a caliber conversion kit, but a pistol designed to use .22 LR.

This allows the pistol to be used for more affordable training while trying to master the features of the M9A1. The relatively lower cost and the light recoil of the .22 LR make the M9A1 22 a good investment if you want to train on the M9A1 platform.

The only major difference between the M9A1 22 and its parent pistol is the caliber it is chambered in and a weight reduction.

M9A1 22LR Specs:

Attribute Spec
Action: Semi automatic, Double Action/Single Action
Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
Capacity: 10, 15
Barrel length: 4.9 inches
Weight Unloaded: 26.08 ounces
Overall Length: 8.5 inches
Overall Width: 1.3 inches
Sight radius: 6.1 inches
Sights: 3-dot standard, fixed front and rear