Welcome to the Patriot Tactical Exchange PX! Here you’ll find blog posts on cleaning, military pistols, collectibles, shooting tips, and other topics of interest to firearms enthusiasts! Consequently, you’ll see lots of pictures and videos over time that you can share with your buddies. Add comments on topics you would like to learn more about.
In summary, we are an Arizona-based FFL and firearms, magazines, suppressors, and related products to customers across the United States. We have a strong interest in World War 2 pistols and German arms makers like Heckler & Koch and Walther. Subsequently, in our business, customers surprise us a lot! They have questions on cleaning products, how to clean guns, and the history of classic firearms like the 1911A1. We’ve gathered a lot of information on guns that we would like to share.
Subsequently, customers always have a ton of questions about firearms laws and rules. Thus, we spend a time talking to FFLs across the country and have learned information we are glad to share. WOW! We’re happy that we don’t live in states like New Jersey, which work hard to eliminate the 2nd Amendment. Our owner used to live in California. Thus, he is very familiar with the ridiculous regulations law-abiding citizens put up with there. We are always glad to share information and refer customers to our network of companies with whom we have worked with. Consequently, one of them is the excellent law firm of Michel and Associates in California.
We have worked with FFLs across the United States. To find an FFL to handle a transfer, take a look at our network of preferred FFLs. If you need to find an FFL somewhere in the United States not included in our network, email us and we’ll be glad to send you names.
If you are interested in classic firearms like the 1911A1 pistol, Garand rifle, and Springfield 1903 and 1903A3 rifles, we strongly recommend that you buy guns, and attend programs at the Civilian Marksman Program (CMP). This is an outstanding program that traces its lineage back to 1903 and President Theodore Roosevelt! If you need repairs or work done on US Military rifles, we cannot thin k of a better place to go than the CMP Custom Shop. We’ll be posting blogs about the CMP Custom Shop, as well as the great companies we have worked with to repair older rifles like the M1917 and older pistols like the P08, P38, 1911A1, and Browning Hi-Power.
Beretta the Italian arms maker, has been making 92FS/ M9 pistols for longer than a lot of you guys have been alive. You’re probably thinking: why would I ever want to own this gun, when polymer 9mm pistols are everywhere? Well, we bet that there are some things about this pistol that just might change your mind and make you want to buy a Beretta 92FS / M9.
These guys know what they are doing.
Did you know that Beretta is the oldest active manufacturer of guns and gun parts, and they have been doing do since the 16th century? That’s almost as long as Joe Biden has been in politics!
Model 92 – is a classic (by borrowing a lot from the Walther P38!)
The Beretta 92 was born in 1976. It combined the grip angle and basic look of the Beretta M1951, the DA/SA design and slide-based safety/decocker of the Walther P38, and the open slide and locking blocks from both pistols. By the way, Walther developed the iconic P38 in 1938 as a sidearm for the German armed forces to replace the P08 Luger, and remained in service through the end of World War 2. Production stopped and resumed from 1957 -1963, followed by its adoption by the modern German army (Bundeswehr) as the P1. This amazing pistol served with the Bundeswehr until well into the 1990’s! We’ll be blogging about P38s and P1s in the future.
Post-War Walther P38 (P1) with reinforced alloy frame and slide
The Baretta 92 series of pistols remain extremely popular and versatile. Increased weight is one of its useful features in lowering muzzle flip and dampening recoil. Furthermore, the fixed barrel design and high beaver tail permit a very aggressive grip and make this a very accurate firearm that is surprisingly easy to shoot. High reliability and accuracy make the Beretta 92 pistol (notably the 92FS) one of the most appealing sidearms on the market and a classic 9mm handgun of the twentieth century.
Beretta Joins the US Military!
The government announced a competition to design a sidearm for its overall forces, and Beretta then adjusted the 92 into the M9 specifically for military use. After a controversial competition, in 1985 the US military replaced the .45 ACP M1911A1 pistol in 1985 with the Beretta 92FS, designated as the M9. Baretta supplied over 600,000 M9 handguns to our armed forces. The 92FS consistently bests the US military requirement of a 10-shot group of 3” or less at 50 meters (just short of 55 yards).
Beretta M9
After the US Military adopted the M9, there was much internet hate on the M9 that continues to this day. The major issues focus on slide cracks and problems with feeding rounds from mags. The slide crack issue seems to be traced to 3 separate incidents in which slides cracked and injuries resulted. Whatever the cause – ‘hot ammo’, manufacturer defect, etc – it appears that this issue was resolved in the late 1980’s. P38’s suffered slide cracks attributable to a design flaw and also use of ‘hot ammo’ in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Walther slightly increased the thickness of the slide after 1967 this solved the problem.
Initially, the Italian company Mec-Gar made the Beretta M9 mags, and they appeared to perform without issue. The US Military, with different specs and in search of lower costs, turned to Check-Mate to make M9 mags. Sand caused mags to malfunction in environments where troops using the M9 were deployed. The US Military switched back to Mec-Gar M9 mags, and apparently this solved the problem. When you now buy Beretta 92FS and M9 pistols and mags sold under the Beretta label, Mec-Gar makes the mags.
A third issue concerns cracked locking blocks, but this seems to have occurred in pistols that chambered thousands of rounds.
While we can’t say for sure what the causes were for these problems, it seems like they have been solved. Reports of crazy reliability, durability, and accuracy now far outnumber reports of problems with these guns.
Beretta Gets Discharged!
In 2015, the US Army and Air Force announced the XM17 Modular Handgun System competition for a new service pistol. The SIG Sauer P320 were chosen in 2017 and given the designation of M17 as the M9 replacement. Despite no longer being the standard US military sidearm, the Baretta M9 remains an extremely popular and versatile pistol. After over 25 years in service around the world, the M9 can truly be considered the ultimate tactical pistol.
Why Buy a Beretta 92FS / M9 now?
We didn’t have any big interest in this pistol, but we came into possession of a brand new M9. After putting over 600rds down range, we gotta tell you: THIS GUN IS AWESOME and absolutely one of our favorites. The grip is great, especially for large hands. Functioning has been flawless without a single misfire) and the accuracy is super. Disassembly for cleaning is very fast ands easy! In our experience, the M9 is our FAVORITE to clean because the cleaning process goes so fast. Read our cleaning blog and we’ll convince you why cleaning is so important).
Shooting 50rds with the Beretta M9. We’ve got a way to go with our aiming point and groups, but wow it was fun!!
The 92FS and M9s have all steel frames and the recoil is incredibly soft. One of the great things we love about this gun is the the safety/decocker combo. There is a LOT of internet hate about it. People complain about the counterintuitive movement of up for fire and down for safe. They also complain about its location on the slide. But this safety/decocker is SO cool. The hammer hits the exposed firing pin plunger when the safety is off (left pic below). The plunger in turn hits the firing pin. The plunger cleverly moves out of the way when the safety is on (right pic below); thus, the hammer hits the frame!
Safety not engaged and plunger exposed (left). Safety engaged and plunger rotated (right).
When this works correctly, there is NO WAY you are getting an accidental discharge. By the way, this works so much better than the P38. In these pistols, a dropping hammer strikes a blocked firing pin and transfers energy to the safety catch/decocking lever. This eventually will can cause the more flimsy wartime P38 safety catch/decocking lever to crack, with disastrous results! Walther solved this problem in the P1 by redesigning the firing pin and safety catch.
Beretta has upped the game by making in Italy the 92FS, which has an eye-catching satin stainless steel finish. Beretta also modified and improved the M9. The latest version is the M9A4. This pistol includes a red-dot optic compatible slide, short reset trigger, thin grips, threaded barrel, and chrome-lined barrel. At Patriot Tactical Exchange, you can buy Beretta 92FS / M9 pistols. Right now we are selling the 92FS and the M9 A4. We also sell Beretta 92 / M9 9mm 10rd Magazines (JM92F).
Beretta 92FS, made in the USABeretta M9A4
Bottom Line
Did we convince you to buy a Beretta 92FS / M9? For super reliable, durable, accurate all-steel pistols with soft recoil and very smart design features, look no further! If you want a foolproof safety on a modern hammer-fired shooter, we really can’t think of a better pistol than the Beretta 92FS / M9.
Buy Beretta Pistols from Patriot Tactical Exchange!
“I fired my pistol over 5,000 rounds and never cleaned it. Why do I need to clean guns?”
“I’ve had my guns for 20 years and never cleaned them!”
You read this all the time on the internet, and in YouTube videos, people drop guns in snow, mud, water – and keep shooting! So the question is why clean guns. Do you REALLY need to clean your gun? The answer?
YES!
Would you drive your car for 20,000 miles without an oil change? How about 50,000 miles? 100,00 miles? Would you buy a car driven 100,000 miles without an oil change? Consequently, he same logic applies to guns! What about those guys who would rather vote for Joe Biden than clean a gun? You gotta ask – how long will these guns last, and would you want to own them after they have gone round after round and year after year without cleaning?
Let’s look at the benefits of routine cleaning:
1) The barrel life is extended and accuracy maintained. When you fire a gun, all kinds of junk accumulates in the barrel – lead residue, carbon, copper. There is absolutely no way to avoid this. The cleaner you keep the barrel after firing, the longer it will last. The more you wear down the barrel interior, the faster your accuracy degrades.
2) Your gun stays in tip-top condition. When you shoot, you aren’t making popcorn. You are using a deadly weapon to send at very high speed a chunk of metal down a tube to distances out to potentially a hundred yards. You want EVERYTHING to be in the best possible condition – magazines, springs, barrels. Have you ever seen a firing pin and spring covered in old oil, carbon, and other detritus? Maybe it will work just fine – but maybe it won’t. Do you want a take a chance on a misfire or some other mishap because of slide rails or revolver cylinders that haven’t been cleaned since the Bush presidency?
3) Value is maintained. You may not be thinking about this now, but at some point you may want to sell your gun or pass it along to your kids. The worse condition you keep your gun, the faster it will degrade and the more it loses its worth. Want to turn a SIG P226 into a fancy paperweight? Don’t clean it for decades! As someone who collects older weapons, I can guarantee that I can take your breath away by showing you a P08 military pistol made in 1916 that has been lovingly cared for, with a bore that looks brand-new because its previous owners showed Teutonic obsession in maintaining it! This is literally the difference in this gun being worth $2,500 vs. $800.
OK, so why clean guns? I hope I’ve convinced you of how important it is! The biggest deterrent is that people don’t know how to efficiently clean or what products to use. We highly recommend using Ramrodz swabs and Bore Tech proof-positive nylon brushes, which we sell here on our website. Look at our blogs on gun cleaning to see how to do this quickly and efficiently in a way that is the LEAST PAINFUL. Maybe it could even be fun?? Well, I don’t know about that, but read our techniques and let us know what you think!
In the crowded world of semi-auto pistols, tons of ink and electrons are given to the latest and greatest from Glock, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Heckler & Koch, and Springfield Armory. Consequently, finding articles, posts, and videos about Walther products requires a deep dive scouring the internet. We can asked all the time: Why buy a Walther PDP pistol?
Why not?
These guys have been around for a while.
Walther’s storied history spans more than a century. Initially founded by Carl Walther in 1886, the company has made firearms in Germany for over 100 years.
Walther pistols have been influential and iconic.
Walther made the first usable German semi-automatic pistol in 1908 and the first double-action/single-action trigger system (Model PP, or Polizeipistole) in 1929. The most common one was later released as the PPK (Polizeipistole Kriminal, literally “police pistol criminal”), a more concealable version of the PP. Later, these cool guns were followed in 1938 by the P38 pistol, a more cost-effective alternative that replaced the venerable P08 Luger. Subsequently, the standard sidearm of the Wehrmacht in World War 2, the P38 got an aluminum frame and morphed into the P1 after the war to become the standard sidearm of the new German army (the Bundeswehr) that was in military service through the 1990’s.
Walther pistols are innovative.
The PP, PPK, and P38 pistols were all double action, at a time that other pistols like the 1911 and Browning Hi-Power were single action. These pistols also pioneered the use of decockers, which later became the latest and greatest in pistol design 60 years later. Beretta’s M9, the sidearm of the U.S. military from 1986 through 2016, copied the P38’s innovative locked breech design and slide-mounted decocker. Walther’s P99 was unique because it essentially combined the DA/SA trigger mode with the striker fired pistol. To this end, the P99 was one of the most innovative pistols of all time. Subsequently, many European militaries and police forces adopted the P99 as their standard sidearm.
Walther keeps up with the times.
In 2011, Walther evolved the P99 with better ergonomics and with a Glock-style trigger into the PPQ. The striker-fired PPQ lacked an external safety and had a simple takedown; thus, it was a true Glock competitor. The PPQ was a great pistol and was at the top of the Walther lineup, giving way to the Personal Defense Pistol (PDP) that came in early 2021 as the new flagship.
So then why doesn’t Walther get more attention? It’s like the Rodney Dangerfield of pistols – it doesn’t get any respect! If that’s the case, then the PDP will be like the movie Caddyshack, which boasted Rodney’s career and turned him into a hot commodity.
Give the Walther PDP a shot (no pun intended)! I guarantee that you’ll never look at the Walther banner the same way. It may become your go-to gun. Awesome features include an extended and ambidextrous slide release lever, Picatinny rail, and a great curvy ergonomic grip. Also, the pistol has interchangeable backstraps and a Tenifer finish on the slide that is resistant to rust and corrosion. If this isn’t enough, polygonal rifling and a light and crisp Performance Duty Trigger improve accuracy. The high undercut at the back of the trigger guard raises your hand position on the frame. This allows you to shoot this gun all day long.
So why buy a Walther PDP? As if these reasons weren’t enough, the slide has deep forward- and rear-raking serrations and is milled for a micro-optic. Think great accuracy, thanks to the polygonal barrel and super ergonomics that allow you to clamp down like a boa constrictor. And did I mention the Performance Duty Trigger, maybe the best trigger for a stock striker-fired handgun? All this allows you to shoot like American Sniper Chris Kyle! See below – even I could do some damage at 50 ft with Fiocchi 124 grain FMJ 9mm ammo.
