BERETTA M9A3
Beretta’s best even better
Battle-proven Upgrade
IN 2017, Beretta lost against Sig Sauer when the US military chose the Sig P320 as their new standard issue sidearm. Beretta’s entry was the M9A3, an upgrade of the M9 which has been the standard issue sidearm of the US forces for 30 years.
After losing out, Beretta Defence Technologies claimed its M9 pistol is about 10 times more reliable than the US Army’s new Modular Handgun System. Beretta maintains that the new M9 pistols tested at the company’s manufacturing facility in Gallatin, Tennessee, have continued to prove their worldrecord reliability. Beretta USA completed fourteen consecutive M9 Lot Acceptance
Tests (LAT) with an average of only one malfunction in every 19 090 rounds. During this test, 42 M9 pistols fired 210 000 rounds, with resultant reliability “almost 10 times better than the rate of reliability required by the US Army in its current Modular Handgun System program”. Beretta said half of the LAT reliability tests resulted in ‘perfect’ reliability scores with zero malfunctions in 15 000 rounds.
The M9A3 is a modernized version of the battle-proven Beretta M9 and because it was not accepted by the US Army for their contract, the upgraded pistol was made available to the general public.
Our test pistol came in a cardboard box that contained a classy rectangular plastic box with a carry handle. This box, in the shape of an ammo crate, houses the pistol, three magazines, an extra set of grips, a cable and lock, and manuals.
Most notable on the test pistol (in two-tone Flat Dark Earth cerakote) is the threaded barrel with thread protector which is firmly held in place with a red rubber O-ring at the base of the thread. Three additional O-rings are supplied in the box. The O-ring keeps the attachments firmly in place during shooting.
Another obvious change is the addition of a rail with three slots in front of the trigger-guard, permitting the attachment of lights and laser sights.
Closer inspection revealed that the new standard grip is thinner (two side plates) than that of the original M9, facilitating a firmer grip by smaller hands.
The grip panels are chequered and stippled and the front and back of the grip frame have machined cut-outs for better purchase. An additional textured rubber Hogue wrap-around grip (same size as on the original M9) is also supplied for those with bigger hands. I found the thinner grip a perfect fit for my hands and the improved texturing on the backstrap ensured that follow-up shots could be made faster than with my own CZ75 pistol.
The magazine well’s mouth has been generously bevelled to ensure fast reloads and definitely ensured faster mag changes on the range. The fit between the magazine and mag-well provides a good grip should the need arise to tug a mag free. A sturdy lanyard ring is positioned at the bottom of the back-strap.
The magazine release is slightly extended and has a rough texture. It works well and, with the thinner grip, was within thumb-reach for shooters with small hands. The M9A3 can be ordered with a safety and hammer-drop combination, but the test pistol (type G) has an ambidextrous hammer-drop (de-cocker) lever only, which is mounted on the slide. I’ve heard complaints that slide-mounted safety catches can be inad
vertently engaged when racking the slide. With the de-cocker lever only, this is not a problem and operating the lever is easily achieved with the thumb of the shooting hand. On a double-action/single-action (DA/ SA) pistol I prefer a de-cocker to a safety. Disengaging a safety takes time and, more seriously, under stress you can forget to operate the safety. The M9A3 permits easy conversion of the lever to a de-cocker only, or vice versa. These aftermarket parts can be ordered from the local importer.
The typical Model 92 slide release lever falls directly under the thumb without need to change grip. The trigger face is polished smooth and the double-action pull is one of the best I’ve encountered for some time. Unfortunately, my trigger-pull scale only measures up to 8lbs, but I would guess the DA pull to be about 10lbs, though it feels lighter. In single-action mode the trigger broke cleanly at 4½lbs. On the range I found the transition from a first double-action shot
to single-action natural. I have been working tirelessly to get my first doubleaction shot from my CZ75 placed more accurately on target. The M9A3 makes this an easy task, with the transition from DA to SA much less noticeable. Yes, initially it took a while longer to get that first shot off when compared to a striker-fired pistol, but some range time fixed that. In the end, the deciding factor for the speed at which I could get lead on target was reduced to sight acquisition.
Here the M9A3 excelled, with its three-dot tritium night sights, which come standard. The front sight blade is 3.2mm wide and the rear sight’s square notch 3.82mm, allowing enough space on either side of the front sight for my aging eyes to quickly align the sights. The 160mm sight radius helped with long-range shots. It also appears that Beretta increased the sight height slightly, possibly to clear a suppressor.
he front and rear sights are dovetailed and removable. The rear sight is a square block which can be used very effectively for racking the slide on a belt, and even on my upper leg. At night the three dots displayed very brightly and are slightly smaller than the set I use on my own carry gun, a factor that afforded more precise lowlight shooting.
Magazine capacity has been increased to 17 rounds (previously 15). The mags also have a PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating designed to be more dust- and sand-resistant. Apparhaving ently, US troops complained of trouble inserting magazines after extended use in the harsh, dusty Middle Eastern environment. Witness holes are positioned at rounds 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 17 and are large enough for quick reference.
Disassembly of the A3 is exactly the same as for the M9: unload the pistol, push the slide to the rear, turn the takeforward down lever and move the slide off the frame. Then take the barrel and spring out. Barrel lock-up is via a dropping locking block, so the barrel stays in the same position during firing.
Fired over a chronograph, the 5-inch barrel delivered an average muzzle-velocity of 1 044fps (10 shots) with STV 124gr FMJ ammo. Extreme spread was 27fps. MAXXTECH 124gr FMJS averaged 1 113fps with an ES of 33fps. For comparison, a Beretta PX4 compact (3.2-inch barrel) used with MAXXTECH ammo averaged 1 030fps and an ES of only 13fps.
On the range, the pistol was impressive. At 7m, off-hand shooting as rapidly as I could work the trigger landed five shots in 35.6mm. At 5m my time was slightly better, and the group stayed at 35mm centre-to-centre. I then shot a falling plate drill at 10m and managed a full score, but in quicker time than with my own familiar side-arm. The same proved true for the rest of the drills. Of course, the longer sight radius plays a role, but overall, the excellent trigger and light recoil (the pistol weighs 944g without a magazine inserted), good grip and ergonomics all worked together to make hitting the targets easier. I also tried seven different types of ammunition, including three handloads, and experienced no malfunctions.
The M9A3 is a full-sized combat pistol, with an enviable reputation for reliability. At 38mm wide, 220mm long and 137mm high it is, in today’s terms, a large handgun, but the way it shoots more than makes up for this. The quality of workmanship is above reproach, racking the slide was silky smooth and every lever is in exactly the right position (at least for me). It’s without doubt one of the better off-theshelf DA/SA pistols I’ve tried.
The enhancements featured in the M9A3 are the result of experience gained on the battlefield and this is clear in this extremely well-made, reliable and easy to shoot defence arm. At the time of writing Dave Sheer had M9A3S for sale at R15 999. Our thanks to Ewan Ashby for trusting us with his pistol.