Beretta 9000S type F

[Guest Boomhower]

Has anyone had any dealings with this gun? I'm looking to buy my first carry gun, but can't put a lot into it up front. These are priced +/- $350 from what I can find on the web. Sorry I have a picture but don't know how to post it.

[Guest Boomhower]

Beretta advertisises this for $550, I guess that's the MSRP. That's a $200 difference. I would consider this a pretty good deal. Would you all?

Here is some reading material for any that might be interested.

http://www.galleryofguns.com/ShootingTimes/Articles/DisplayArticlesPopup.asp?ID=3178&ItemID=J909F10

[Guest Voodoo_1]

Since no one has posted with actual experience with this handgun, I will let you know what I know from research and actual owners testamony.

First let me say, be careful with your choices when purchasing a new handgun in the $350.00 range. There are many choices in this price range and some are, to be blunt, junk!

You stated you intend for this hangun to be your carry gun, so you need a handgun that is 100% reliable and no less.

The Beretta 9000S type F was Beretta's first attempt at entering the polymer handgun market. From every range report that I've read, this pistol has performed flawlessly, no FTF's(failure to feed), no FTE's(failure to eject/extract),no jams. This is what I mean by 100% reliable.

On the down side, some owners have complained about the grip fit to their hand. If you have above average or large hands, this should not be a problem. Small to medium size hands, could be a problem. The only other negatives I have read about this handgun are, the safety works backwards from the 90-two, 92fs. and M-9. Since this would be your first Beretta, it shouldn't be a problem for you. The other negative is that the safety and slide are really tight when new. Most all owners reported after a 500 - 1000 round break-in period, everything loosens up and performs as normal. You would also want the mags with the pinky extension so you can get a full (3) figure grip on the pistol. The handgun probable comes with these, but if not can be bought from Beretta USA.

Getting a new Beretta for $350.00 is a bargin just because as you stated the MSRP for this pistol is $550.00.

This is a very reliable handgun and would be a good carry gun as long as it fits your hand properly and feels controllable while shooting.

Hope this helps.

[molonlabetn]

I have only heard (via the internet) of a few reliability issues with these pistols... Overall though, most of the limited feedback which I have seen was positive. These gun are not common, I have personally only ever held one once, at a gun-show. My impression was that it handles very similar to a compact polymer Baby-Eagle... It wouldn't be my first choice for sub-compact carry, but I wouldn't write it off all-together.

They bear a mild resemblance to the S&W M&P compact, as well... aside from the extra controls.

[saintsfanbrian]

Beretta makes a quality product. They have been in business a long time and don't usually bring anything to market that won't work right the first and every time. That being said, I still recommend going out and handling as many as you possibly can to get the gun that fits right. The first gun I bought was a Beretta 92FS because I had used one in the military. I knew how it fit and how to work it. Then I bought a Glock, again, it fit right. Then the 1911. It fit well too. But I handled about 100 guns in the mean time and I knew what I didn't like.

[Marswolf]

I can't make a personal recommendation on this because I've never shot one. My recollection is that the gun seemed a bit rounded for my aesthetics, but that's typical Italian design. I'll buy ugly guns if they are functional.

But Beretta makes quality products. I've had a 92 since the 80s and it is still my most accurate handgun.

The thing I really like about this gun is that it has a hammer that allows it to be de-cocked and re-cocked. I think that's damned important in a carry gun. Others disagree, of course. If it feels good to your hand, I'd say it should make a fine carry gun.

[Guest Boomhower]

Thanks for your comments guys. It makes me feel a whole lot better about this gun. Especially being as in-experienced as I am with gun knowledge. I know Beretta's been around for a long time and I've heard of them all of my life, but I have never owned or shoot one.

I've also been looking at the Stoeger Cougar 8000 series. I've heard this gun is priced in the $350 range at Gandar Mtn. From what I've read and heard, it's made with Beretta components, just has a different name. I think it's also made in Italy. I just haven't decided which style of gun I want. Tactical style or (what I refer to as) 1911 style. Any comments on this piece as well?

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/cougar8000.tpl

I do want to hold a lot of guns, just to try out all the different types and styles, but I don't have a lot of times to get into the shops to look around. Unless they have hours like Gandar Mtn. does. And most of the smaller gun shops around this area don't stay open past 5 or 6. I just need to get in there and cop a feel.

[Guest Voodoo_1]

Stoeger Industries is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Beretta Handguns Group. Beretta received a license,from the Turkish goverment, to manufacture the Stoeger (then Beretta) Cougar in 2005. Beretta moved all machinery, tooling and Q.C. equipment and specifications to Turkey and began production. All Cougers are currently being made in Turkey. Benelli USA, another wholly owned subsidiary of Beretta, handles warranty repair for US customers. I am a Beretta fan, but I personally do not like the rotating barrel design of the Cougar or the Px4.

Good luck with your search!

[Guest Greentimber]

For $350 get a Ruger P95DC. You'll have a dependable new gun that is still in production from a reputable manufacturer. They aren't the most sleek, but they are well made.

[Guest Boomhower]

Stoeger Industries is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Beretta Handguns Group. Beretta received a license,from the Turkish goverment, to manufacture the Stoeger (then Beretta) Cougar in 2005. Beretta moved all machinery, tooling and Q.C. equipment and specifications to Turkey and began production. All Cougers are currently being made in Turkey. Benelli USA, another wholly owned subsidiary of Beretta, handles warranty repair for US customers. I am a Beretta fan, but I personally do not like the rotating barrel design of the Cougar or the Px4.

Good luck with your search!

Thank you for the correction.....One other thing though, when you say rotating barrel, what do you mean? Are you refering to the floating barrel that aids in loading the ammo, or is this totally different?

[Guest Boomhower]

For $350 get a Ruger P95DC. You'll have a dependable new gun that is still in production from a reputable manufacturer. They aren't the most sleek, but they are well made.

I love the feel of Ruger's. My father has a P89DC and I love everything about it, but do they make them in a compact or a subcompact? I'm really more interested in those sizes for the first one that I buy.

[Guest Voodoo_1]

One other thing though, when you say rotating barrel, what do you mean? Are you refering to the floating barrel that aids in loading the ammo, or is this totally different?

Since this post would be rather lengthy to explain the rotating barrel system, go to the link below. This article has a very good explaination of the Cougar's rotating barrel.

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ga_handguns/steoger8k_121106/

[molonlabetn]

Beretta uses very interesting methods for delaying blow-back... locking blocks and rotating barrels. Even the 9000 uses direct locking to the slide (similar to a fixed locking-block)... Come to think of it, I've never seen any Beretta pistol with a Browning-style barrel lockup... I wonder why?

[Guest Boomhower]

Alright guys,

I went to Gandar Mtn. tonight and they had both of these guns side by side in the case. Beretta 9000 F – 9mm , and Stoegur Cougar 8000 – 40 cal. I thought I would share some of my thoughts since I couldn't really find anything on this forum about these guns. ***Warning, the comments below are by no means a professionally opinion .

Beretta 9000s F - Priced at $429

1. The grip is fat, and I'm not talking about width, I talking about depth like holding it in your hand with your palm open. My hand is about 5" from the bend of my thumb to the tip of my trigger finger. I didn't find it that uncomfortable, but I wish it was a little less fat. Looks like there's about a 1/2" behind the double stacked mag that could have been taken out of the handle, and that would have been perfect.

2. The slide was hard to get a grip on and tight fitted. Of course, being a compact firearm the slide wasn't as tall as a full size, but it made it hard to rack it back.

3. Slide retraction was one handed. A little stiff, but one handed none the less.

4. For those of you that are familiar with the Beretta 90 two's, this safety was backwards. You had to push up to de-cock, and pull down to fire. Plus it was stiff. Pushing up with your thumb has limited mobility and you can't apply as much force as you can pulling down. I had to use my left thumb to aid in de-cocking. You could only push up so far with your shooting thumb, and it seemed like there was a point that you just couldn't take you thumb any farther, thus resulting in using both hands. As an added bonus, the safety was plastic and gave a little as you pushed.

5. Trigger pull felt consistent, and when compared side by side with the Stoeger Cougar, it was a fuzz longer.

Stoeger Cougar 8000 series - Priced at $349

1. The handle felt like the 90 two's. Personal preference, I liked the fit better. Single stack, 10 round mag made it about an inch longer than the 9000, so you were able to get your whole hand on the grip.

2. The slide was a bit taller and easier to grip when racking it back. Felt like you had ahold of a full size firearm.

3. Slide retraction was one handed with absolute ease.

4. Safety switch was identical to the 90 two's. Down to de-cock, and it sprang up into firing position. One handed, no assistance needed.

5. Trigger pull was consistent, but shorter when compared side by side to the 9000 F.

My thoughts

I liked the feel, safety, and functionability of the Steoger Cougar 8000 better. It seemed to fit my hand easier and was a more natural feeling. However, the Beretta 9000 F is more compact and would be easier to conceal, which is my purpose for looking at these guns. It also comes with the option of a 10 or 12 round double stacked mags. And you can use the 92 or 90 two mags with a mag extender if you have one of those guns. I'm still torn because of the price that I can get the 9000 for, $345. That's over $80 difference from Gandar Mtn. and to me would be easier to recoupe your losses if you decided against the gun and want to sell it later. As of now, I’m leaning the most towards the Cougar just because to me it’s a smaller version of the 90 two series, and I like those guns a lot. Plus I don’t know whether to get a 9mm or 40 cal. for my carry, so I still have some decisions to make.

[Marswolf]

My experience with a carry gun is that the flatter the gun the better, if it is carried IWB. In open carry flatness doesn't matter as much.

I like and carry both 40 S&W and 9mm in urban settings. Open carry is a .40 and IWB is 9mm. For most manufacturers, their 9mm and 40 S&W are pretty much the same size. They design the gun for one caliber and then make a few changes to accommodate the other. H&K, for example designed the USP as a 40 S&W and modified to 9mm, while Glock designed as a 9mm and then used the frame for 40 S&W.

My thinking is that if you have the same frame size, you might as well use the more powerful round even if you lose a little in number of rounds in the magazine. Note that this does not apply to non-urban settings where you need more range. I find 9mm to be more accurate at distance. But if you ever need to use the gun for protection, it will probably be at less than 5 yards.

If at all possible actually shoot a handgun like the ones you are considering. Sometimes what feel either good or clunky in a shop feels the opposite on the range.

[Guest pelican]

Boomhower, new to the board, posting a lot today.

I have owned one of these guns. I liked how it fit my hand, was small enough to hide pretty easily. I really liked it when I first got it, BUT, it was NOT 100% reliable. I tried several kinds of ammo and just when I thought I had it figured out, it jammed. FTF,FTE, mag would not release. It was just not me either. Others at my range had problems with it too. Maybe it was just my pistol, but I got rid of it and was glad to see it go.

I later got a Beretta Cougar .45 and was very pleased with it. NO problems at all. Only drawback was 8 round mags. Got it to go with my .45 Beretta Storm, I had 5 mags between them and still only had a 40 round capacity!

Went back to 9mm with 15 & 20 round mags.

For my money the Cougar is the better gun, by far, between the two.

Robert:)

[Guest Boomhower]

Thanks for your input. I thought someone out there would own one of these.

[Guest Boomhower]

Got a few other questions. What finish should I look for in a CCW. I've read on other forums that the Cougar finish will scratch fairly easily. This will be holistered, so should I look for something in the polymer plastic? Do all blue'd metal finishes scratch? What about stainless or nickel?

[Guest db99wj]

All carry guns are going to show holster marks and gather other scratches and blemishes etc regardless of the factory finish. Not sure which ones hold up better than others. All carry guns I have seen will have blemishes.

[Guest Voodoo_1]

Do all blue'd metal finishes scratch? What about stainless or nickel?

Factory blue slides will show holster wear over time especially on corners and edges. Nickel will resist holster wear longer than a blue slide, but nickel plating will show wear in time. Stainless slides will show almost no wear due to the slide being solid stainless steel without any type of coating. You might get some rounding of corners or edges on stainless slides but it won't be a different color wear pattern.

[Marswolf]

Every finish wears but if it's for a carry gun, who cares. It's not a piece to put in a trophy case and admire. It's a working gun. Some holster wear might help your reputation as a dude to not mess with.

My personal preference is for a black gun. Anything that aids it's being spotted by the bad guy is undesirable IMHO, although I can see other views as perhaps valid too. Having said that, at normal self protection distances (within 15 feet), it probably doesn't matter. I'd still go black.

[Guest Boomhower]

The black makes sense, and I thought the same about the marks. Certainly the more you use something, the more it will get worn.....thanks

[molonlabetn]

The black finish on the frame of my P239 is worn entirely off in the places where it contacts my holster... I think it gives the gun character.

[Guest cellar dwellar]

I have had a Beretta 9000 in .40 cal for about a month. Eventually I hope to make it my CCW. It has been 100% reliable in the short time I have had it. I find it easy to shoot (not as easy as my 92FS) and the controls and slide have become easier to manipulate as it wears in.

The gun is DA/SA and can be carried cocked and locked or hammer down for a DA pull.

The grip is very wide front to back of the gun. I have heard it described as a 2x4. It will not fit small hands easily. The grip is also rather short, but this works well with the grip extension on the magazine. Once these wear in a little, they extend automatically when the gun is gripped.

The only potential draw back for me is the overall thickness of the gun. For a small, short, sub-compact it is pretty thick. This may make concealability more difficult.

[Marswolf]

Nice review cellar dwellar.