Beretta M92F - Marushin
The Beretta 92 must be the most replicated handgun in airsoft form. I've personally reviewed gas pistols from WA, HFC, KSC and UHC and TM, KWC and Digicon also make Beretta 92 airsoft guns, plus, of course, Marushin, whose NBB 92F I am reviewing here.
This came my way secondhand from a forum and I encountered problems with the operation. These seem to have been due to switching the magazine release from the left side to the right (which I usually do, being left handed). Once I switched back, the problems vanished...
In the Box
The gun came in its box, but without anything else. I would normally expect a manual, allen key (for the hop-up) and a bag of BBs, judging from other Marushin NBBs I have seen.
The box is fairly typical Marushin, at least if you ignore the revolvers, with a photo artwork cardboard lid covering an all polystyrene base with a fairly tight cutout for the gun itself.
First Impressions
At first sight, I was very impressed with the look of the Marushin M92F. It has a finish that looks machined with a fine 'corduroy' finish to the frame and slide - I cannot say I've ever seen a gun that looked like this, but it looks good on this airsoft pistol, much better than the description may sound.
The overall replication is good, although the gun is a lot lighter than a WA Beretta.
Many of the controls and minor external parts are metal, with the takedown lever, slide lock, hammer, trigger and trigger arm all being metal.
Closer Look
Overall the Marushin 92F is a good looking replica of the familiar Beretta 92 design.
As well as the already remarked upon 'milled' effect on the frame and slide, the gun has a solid looking black finish, complemented well, on this used version, by slight wear on the metal controls, giving a nicely used effect.
There is, unneccesarily for an NBB, a full length metal recoil rod and a recoil spring and it is possible to rack the slide enough to chamber a round and cock the mechanism, although this only requires around two inches of movement.
Markings are an odd mixture of realistic and airsoft specific, but the realistic ones look oddly small.
The left side of the slide is marked "PIETRO BERETTA GARDONE V.T. - MADE IN JAPAN"/"BY MARUSHIN INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.". There is also a PB in a circle, a Beretta trademark. on the dustcover, there is a serial number, CO6010Z.
The right side of the slide is marked "MOD. 92F - CAL. 9 PARABELLUM - PATENTED"/"MFG MARUSHIN". The right frame is marked with an ASGK mark and, in a small font on the dustcover, "Beretta Trade Marks affixed under license"/"of PIETRO BERETTA & WESTERN ARMS".
Both grips are realistic in appearance and feature the correct Beretta markings. Unfortunately, due to the frame design, these cannot be swapped with real steel grips, so Hogues and the like are not an option, although for a 'factory stock' Beretta look they comfortably beat anything I've seen, except WA's grips.
The sights are unpainted, but reasonably usable. The ambidextrous safety works, but cannot decock the gun (Being an NBB, it is alway uncocked until you pull the trigger.
As I remarked earlier, it is possible to swap the mag release right to left, but doing so caused the gun to refuse to operate reliably with the slide fitted.
The only significant difference between the 92F and the more commonly replicated 92FS is the absence of a slide retention device in the form of an enlarged hammer axis pin, visible as a largish circular plate under the top of the left side grip. Marushin have replicated this correctly.
Shooting Impressions
Click on image for bigger version in separate window.
Carrying out my standard 5m/6 round, off hand test, I produced a best 5 grouping of 45mm (1.8 inches). I suspect I could have improved this with more practice, but the plain black sights were not easy to use in the relatively low light available and I was aware that I shifted my aim a couple of times during the shoot.
4 of the shots fell in an impressively tight (and well centred) 30mm, which is probably a more accurate reflection of the accuracy you can expect with care.
Over 10 shots, the Marushin M92F averaged 263 fps (using 134a gas) indoors (at 16C), a respectable performance for an NBB.
| Shot | FPS |
| 1 | 272.4 |
| 2 | 271.8 |
| 3 | 270.3 |
| 4 | 263.2 |
| 5 | 259.1 |
| 6 | 263.8 |
| 7 | 261.7 |
| 8 | 260.7 |
| 9 | 259.4 |
| 10 | 254.3 |
Trigger pull was 2,995g (105 Oz), which is a very heavy pull for a NBB.
Take Down
Take down is possible and typical Beretta.
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 and chamber can then be slid back and down, out of the slide.
Conclusions
The Marushin Beretta 92F is now quite an old design, but it performs pretty well.
It is undoubtedly a good looking gun, if far from perfect in terms of markings and finish. The weight of the gun, too, is not bad, but does not stand comparison well with modern GBB Berettas, such as those from Western Arms or HFC and a disproportionate amount of the weight is in the magazine.
Given those facts, I would recommend the M92F to anyone considering a simple, but good Beretta replica, especially suitable for winter use or for those who favour the simplicity and greater gas economy offered by the NBB concept.
For anyone less concerned with running costs and not adverse to GBBs, there are better choices.
Weight : 685g (300g magazine)
Realism : ***
Quality : ***
Power : ****
Accuracy : ***
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