Beretta M9 Heavyweight - KSC
I really liked my KSC Beretta Elite, but I was getting bored with the same old guns around the place, so I advertised it for sale and it went within a couple of hours.
Instantly, I regretted selling it (Before it had even been put in the post!), but I resisted the temptation to simply by the same gun again, helped, in no small way, by a deal at UN Company for a KSC Beretta M9 heavyweight for just $100 including postage. When the extra postage for a metal slide kit for my M93R only added $6 to the deal, my Paypal account was emptied.
The M9 is strictly the US Army version of Beretta's 92F, but this means little in terms of differences, but excuses a few Beretta trademarks being absent.
In the Box
The KSC Beretta M9 Heavyweight comes in an attractive box, much like the Elites, with a colourful photograph of the gun inside and lots of fake stencil writing to show it's a "Military" version. The gun is held in white polystyrene, with a neat cut out which firmly secures the gun and another cut out containing the accessories.
These consist of a manual, the loading tool (typical tube-hopper and rod affair), a small bag of 6mm BBs, an allen key (don't know what for - Possibly taken the sight off?) and the Hop-Up adjustment tool. Being a recent gun, my M9 has the new style hop-up adjustment, which is supposed to be less prone to 'unwinding' and losing its setting.
First Impressions
I said before that the first thing that strikes you about KSC Berettas is they are nice and heavy and the M9 is awesome - It's heavier than a WA Infinity.
Overall finish is excellent too, with only the KSC logo on the (otherwise excellent) grips spoiling the effect. These quickly annoyed me on the Elite and I bought some factory grips (for a 92S) for that, which needed a little dremeling to clear the hammer pivot. As I knew I wouldn't live with the KSC grips on an M9, I started scouring eBay and got some Pachmayer Signature rubber grips for it before it even arrived. Some people love the Hogue grips with fingers, but I reckon the Pachmayers are better and they feel great in the hand. Being for 92FS, they fitted with no mods - So if buying real steel grips for a KSC Beretta, get 92/96 FS ones...
Everything operates just like the Elite, working decocker safety is excellent (It really bugs me that you can't decock an Infinity or an M93R) and the kick is good and hard (as befits a 'Hard Kick' model). The lack of a rubber bumper on the bottom of the magazine is a good thing too, making regassing much simpler.
External metal parts include hammer, trigger, safety, forward grip, magazine, magazine release, slide lock, recoil guide rod and disassembly lever.
Closer Look
Locking the slide back shows how well made these KSC Berettas are. The nozzle is metal, even WA can't claim this, and this is indicative of the general level of quality found throughout the M9, Elite and M93R II.
Otherwise, there's little to report, except that the material used for the slide is much nicer than that on the Elite or the M93R. On my model, the safety/decocker is a little stiff, but appears to be loosening with use.
Stripping the M9 is simple and like the M93R II or the Elite, with the disassembly lever in front of the slide lock releasing the slide and barrel assembly and making cleaning/lubricating a very simple task.
There are no Beretta trademarks on the gun (WA have the rights), but there are (rather thin and shallow, as is often the case with KSC, as compared with Marushin, for instance) markings on the slide to break up the expanse of ABS. On the left side is : "U.S. 9mm M9 - US ARMED FORCES - 65490" and PP in a circle looking much like the PB logo. On the right is "ASSY9346487 - 65490 PM". The frame bears a serial number (1198475) on the left and "US 9mm ARMED FORCES - 65490" on the right, on the dustcover over the recoil spring.
As I'd got a metal slide for the M93R, I decided to see just how interchangeable things were. Slides don't swap M9 to M93R, but barrels, as you can see, do, so I increased the personalisation of my gun by using the redundant barrel assembly from the M93R - I guess I've got an M9C now... I like the extended barrel look, personally, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea. The M93R, btw, looks great with the short barrel, too, appearing even more pugnacious.
Shooting Impressions
I carried out my usual 5m test on the M9.
As I was new to the gun, I fired off about a mag's worth (20 rounds or so) to get the feel and it was noticeable that the Hop-Up was set quite aggressively, with .25g BBs flying high, even at 5m.
I then set up a fresh target and loaded 6 rounds. As you can see, I compensated for the Hop, by aiming a little low.
Click on image for bigger version in separate window.
As you can see, the accuracy was pretty good. All rounds are within 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) diameter and all but one were in the centre area, with 4 in a cluster just 1 inch (2.5 cm) across.
This seems very good to me for a gun costing so little. Not quite as good as the Western Arms Infinities, but they typically sell for around $200 WITHOUT shipping...(UK prices are typically in the £150-£200 range for WA Infinities).
Take Down
Remove the magazine and press the disassembly button on the right side of the frame in. At the same time rotate the disassembly lever (on the left of the frame, over the trigger) downwards. The barrel and recoil rod may pop forward at this point. The barrel, slide and recoil rod will all push off the frame at this point.
The recoil rod can be removed by pushing it gently forward and down and then back. The barrel should be slid forward and down, once clear of the nozzle.
There is a wedge shaped metal part at the rear underside of the barrel which ensures correct alignment between barrel, slide and frame. This just slides into place.
Conclusions
Overall, the KSC Beretta M9 is an excellent gun. Perfect for skirmishing or plinking. It's a fair bit heavier than the, already weighty, Beretta Elite and feels more hefty than the M93R, probably due to more compact dimensions (no handle, small magazine). There's no rail or anything, but if that's your thing there's always the Elite IA model.
Experience (mine and others more demanding) suggest these guns are pretty sturdy, but there's still a limited scope for upgrading. Amazingly, only ZEKE make a metal slide (for something like $200!) for the KSC M9, which is tragic.
Accuracy is also at least as good as you'd need for skirmishing. Easily capable of hitting a man sized target 20m.
For $100, delivered, I can't think of any reason NOT to buy this gun. If you're looking for a sturdy, reliable skirmish sidearm or a smart replica Gas gun for plinking, the KSC M9 will serve you admirably.
Weight : 1050g
Realism : ****
Quality : ****
Power : ****
Accuracy : ****
Back to the Homepage