Lucky person Shot a Demo Nano

[Russ]

This a direct quote from WRGDOG on the Beretta Forum:



"The Beretta Rep was at the LGS today when I visited, and the manager knowing my fondness for all things Beretta, arranged for me to shoot the rep's demo gun. The gun is slightly larger and heavier than my PM9, but still suitable for pocket carry in a DeSantis Nemisis. Shot two mags and really liked the gun, very managable recoil and very accurate. Couple of observation, there is no slide release button, you must drop the mag and pull the slide slightly to the rear to go into battery, the button on the side must be pushed inward with a pen or punch to block the striker before removing the slide, and the slide is removed by turning the takedown button with a coin or flathead screwdriver. The slide and guide rod spring assembly are substantially more heavy duty than those in my PM9. I told the LGS that I would take one when they arrive for sale which is supposed to be next week. I believe Beretta hit a home run with this gun."

[jocko]

mahybe that what the texas rangers should have had last night!!!!

[Rainman48314]

This a direct quote from WRGDOG on the Beretta Forum:



"The Beretta Rep was at the LGS today when I visited, and the manager knowing my fondness for all things Beretta, arranged for me to shoot the rep's demo gun. The gun is slightly larger and heavier than my PM9, but still suitable for pocket carry in a DeSantis Nemisis. Shot two mags and really liked the gun, very managable recoil and very accurate. Couple of observation, there is no slide release button, you must drop the mag and pull the slide slightly to the rear to go into battery, the button on the side must be pushed inward with a pen or punch to block the striker before removing the slide, and the slide is removed by turning the takedown button with a coin or flathead screwdriver. The slide and guide rod spring assembly are substantially more heavy duty than those in my PM9. I told the LGS that I would take one when they arrive for sale which is supposed to be next week. I believe Beretta hit a home run with this gun."
Any firm price comittment by the lgs?

[ripley16]

What is your opinion of the trigger?

Does the slide hold open after the last round?

Were the sights OK?

[Russ]

Ripley:

I did not shoot the gun. I have ordered a Nano and it will cost me $409.00 with free shipping through thegunsource.com. (I am fortunate my neighbor has a FFL and he will transfer for free) The Gun Source informed me I am number 16 on the waiting list.

Buds Guns has the Nano listed for $398 but they are not taking pre orders. I figured I would rather lock in an order and pay a few bucks more than fight with the Black Friday mentality when the Nano becomes available in the next few days. Beretta claims there wholesale orders have met production capacity for 2011 and most of 2012. I believe pre order is the only way a person will get their hands on a Nano for the next several months maybe even a year.

TRIGGER QUESTION:

If you go to the Beretta Forum the trigger question was answered. The person who shot the Nano preferred his Kahr PM9 trigger but said the Nano trigger was not "gritty" In his words he felt like the Nano trigger was about a 7 Ib pull compared to 5 Ib on his Kahr. But he also made it clear no test was done to verify the trigger pull. It was just his opinion.

Russ

[jeepster09]

I am the kind of guy whom never buys something new until the bugs get worked out......for example everyone clamered to get the new S&W Bodyguard 380's right away. They had nothing but problems in the beginning, now you should only buy one of those after serial # JJ. So good luck on getting a "beta version" gun. I might look at one in a year. :001_tt2:

[Russ]

Here is a second person from the Beretta Forum who shot the Nano:

CAL45:
"I also was able to test fire the Nano yesterday and it felt great. Even though the trigger appears Glock like it is a lot smoother than a Glock with a consistant pull all the way to fire. Fed and ejected all 6 rounds flawlessy. Told my GS Manager to put one aside for me when their shipment comes in.
While I'm not the OP, I did fire the Nano yesterday and have owned and fired a Walther PPS. Fit, finish and build quality is at the same level (if not better). To me, the Nano's trigger is a lot better (smoother) than a PPS. The frame feels sturdier as it appears to be constructed out of the same material as the PX4 pistols."

[Russ]

I am the kind of guy whom never buys something new until the bugs get worked out......for example everyone clamered to get the new S&W Bodyguard 380's right away. They had nothing but problems in the beginning, now you should only buy one of those after serial # JJ. So good luck on getting a "beta version" gun. I might look at one in a year. :001_tt2:


Agreed I am taking a chance buying the first of the Nanos. However, when Beretta fired 1,000 rounds through a dry Nano I am willing to take the gamble that Beretta has done their homework. They have been building guns for 500 years and they have had all this time as late to the pocket 9 MM party to learn from other pocket gun manufactures and I am sure they have studied extensively what works and what does not work (i.e., Kimber Solo). :84:

Russ

[Thunder71]

Take down sounds like a pain in the butt, other than that it sounds promising. That said, owning a PM9 I see no reason to add this to the collection.

[jeepster09]

Agreed I am taking a chance buying the first of the Nanos. However, when Beretta fired 1,000 rounds through a dry Nano I am willing to take the gamble that Beretta has done their homework. They have been building guns for 500 years and they have had all this time as late to the pocket 9 MM party to learn from other pocket gun manufactures and I am sure they have studied extensively what works and what does not work (i.e., Kimber Solo). :84:

Russ

How long has S&W been building guns? [Not quite 500 years but close ;)] Usually demo products are built in special departments and not on the assembly line so usually bug free. Hope it gives you no problems.

[Russ]

How long has S&W been building guns? [Not quite 500 years but close ;)] Usually demo products are built in special departments and not on the assembly line so usually bug free. Hope it gives you no problems.


I will be the first to report back my range experience good or bad. I just hope thegunsource.com has a least 16 Nanos in the first shipment otherwise it could be a Christmas present if lucky.

I don't have an extensive collection of firearms and I am without a concealed firearm after I sent my CM9 back to Kahr for good. That is one reason why I don't want to wait for a year. Yes, if the gun stinks I am out the bucks but I have owned a Beretta shotgun form my boyhood and that gun has never provided me one problem in cluding zero jams. I know a shotgun is not a pistol but Beretta is not going to post a youtube video bragging about firing 1,000 rounds dry unless they felt pretty confident they had a winner. (Can you imagine the backlash & embarasment if the average joe can not duplicate firing 1,000 rouds without a FTF. You know someone is going to try and replicate the test to get facetime on youtube.)

Yes, I will take it like a man and admit on this forum I was foolish if it turns out to be another Kimber Solo.:eek:

Russ

[JFootin]

How long has S&W been building guns? [Not quite 500 years but close ;)] Usually demo products are built in special departments and not on the assembly line so usually bug free. Hope it gives you no problems.

Fiat has been building cars for years, and their cars are still defective Ps.O.S. I know. I worked in the mid-70s as a new car salesman for a dealership that carried Fiat, Renault and Peugeot, but dropped Jeep because of a disagreement. (:crazy:) The service manger told me that every Fiat had things wired differently on the wiring harness. The vinyl seats disintegrated almost immediately. They were made out of the poorest quality steel ever put in an automobile. I even heard of some X-19s and 128s that rusted and broke in two in the middle of the chassis. Do you ever wonder why, other than 1 or two 124 Spiders, you don't see any of them on the road anymore? That's because they all disintegrated into red dust! I know Beretta has a good rep, and I'm kinda kidding around, but you never hear of Italy having a reputation for engineering excellence or quality control. Just saying, I'm a doubting Thomas until the Nano has been proven in a lot of shooters' hands.

[Russ]

Fiat has been building cars for years, and their cars are still defective Ps.O.S. I know. I worked in the mid-70s as a new car salesman for a dealership that carried Fiat, Renault and Peugeot, but dropped Jeep because of a disagreement. (:crazy:) The service manger told me that every Fiat had things wired differently on the wiring harness. The vinyl seats disintegrated almost immediately. They were made out of the poorest quality steel ever put in an automobile. I even heard of some X-19s and 128s that rusted and broke in two in the middle of the chassis. Do you ever wonder why, other than 1 or two 124 Spiders, you don't see any of them on the road anymore? That's because they all disintegrated into red dust! I know Beretta has a good rep, and I'm kinda kidding around, but you never hear of Italy having a reputation for engineering excellence or quality control. Just saying, I'm a doubting Thomas until the Nano has been proven in a lot of shooters' hands.

Didn't Fiat buy Dodge?

[Rainman48314]

Didn't Fiat buy Dodge?Fiat is the amjority shareholder of all of Chrysler, including Dodge.

I once owned a 1974 X1/9. The exhaust note was better than sex. It cornered like a go-kart. It had electrical problems and I sold it after 22 months. It was also a little underpowered.

[Rainman48314]

Ripley:

I did not shoot the gun. I have ordered a Nano and it will cost me $409.00 with free shipping through thegunsource.com. (I am fortunate my neighbor has a FFL and he will transfer for free) The Gun Source informed me I am number 16 on the waiting list.

Buds Guns has the Nano listed for $398 but they are not taking pre orders. I figured I would rather lock in an order and pay a few bucks more than fight with the Black Friday mentality when the Nano becomes available in the next few days. Beretta claims there wholesale orders have met production capacity for 2011 and most of 2012. I believe pre order is the only way a person will get their hands on a Nano for the next several months maybe even a year.

TRIGGER QUESTION:

If you go to the Beretta Forum the trigger question was answered. The person who shot the Nano preferred his Kahr PM9 trigger but said the Nano trigger was not "gritty" In his words he felt like the Nano trigger was about a 7 Ib pull compared to 5 Ib on his Kahr. But he also made it clear no test was done to verify the trigger pull. It was just his opinion.

Russ
My PM9, and most factory stock units, have a pull of 7-7.5

[Popeye]

If I was seriously looking to buy one of these Nano's. I'd wait like many others have said and give them a chance to hit the streets to see what the real owners of these new latest and greatest pistols have to say after they've shot more than a couple mags out of it. Lets see how it is after a 1000 or two rounds through it and carried as a EDC before it is claimed to be the Holy Grail of small light weight 9mm pistols. It 's a nice report from a person who admits he's fond of all things Beretta on a Beretta forum. :rolleyes:
However not hardly a report that would make me want to run out to put $400+ down on the counter. I'm gonna need a little more convincing than that. Ok now that I've said what I had to say on this matter lets :hungry:

[Russ]

I found this review on the Beretta Forum. The administrator did the most detailed review of the Beretta Nano I have found to date on the internet.

I am still waiting for my Nano. I am hopeful this month I will receive my pre-order Nano.


This a direct quote from "Beretta1526"


"FINISH:
I like the new finish. The Nano mini-site calls it Pronox, but I'm not so sure that will be the final name or not. Regardless, it's a ferric nitride process (or slight variation) that is similar to Tenifer or Melonite. The entire barrel and slide are finished with it. Most all of the other metallic parts in the pistol are stainless or a standard black ferric oxide finish like the barrel of a 92FS/M9.

After shooting over 100 rounds, I see the usual witness markings on the barrel and interior of the slide, but nothing that looks like any appreciable wear. In fact, it almost looks to me as if it was burnished.

GRIP:
The grip is Napoleon. Short, but it has a real presence. At first, it felt like it really needs a pinky extension. After shooting it, I don't think it's necessary, but it would help. The grip isn't so short that it's difficult to control the pistol while firing. For me, I think I would need at least a 1/2" extension beyond the thickness of the baseplate. My little finger has nothing to grab onto other than some air. One or two more rounds couldn't hurt either. Once I carry it a little (if I get an IWB holster in short order) I'll be able to decide whether I would prefer an extended mag or not.

TRIGGER:
I've mentioned the trigger in a previous post, that it seems as if the trigger is even better after just some dry fire practice on a snap cap. It's even better after a range session. At first, it felt like there was a small amount of roughness. Now after a short range session and quite a bit of dry fire practice, it's much smoother and there is only an ever-so-slight roughness of the spring for the striker. I'm sure a little dry lube will cure that. Otherwise, the trigger has an even pull with next to zero stacking, and the striker breaks clean. If there is overtravel, I can't tell. It's that close. The "drop safety" portion of the trigger is well rounded and will hide into the trigger completely. The inner edges of the other portion of the trigger are crisp and certainly keep your finger in position in a similar manner to the vertical ridges on some of the 80 Series pistols. After all is said and done, I like the trigger, and feel that it's a good balance between weight and travel.

SIGHTS:
Not much to say about the sights. They are there and they work. Once I got the trigger pull down and actually started using them, I did pretty well. That being said, the pistol aims quite naturally for me and point-shooting is very good.

RECOIL/AMMO/ETC.:
One thing I'm sure that many people are going to gripe about is the bore axis height. It's up there. It's not nosebleed seats, but it's getting up near the upper level when most prefer floor seats. Regardless, the pistol handles recoil well and it seems that most of the force is projected down toward the center of the pistol. I didn't notice a lot of muzzle rise, and it was very easy to get back on target -- even one-handed and off-hand one-handed after a couple mags' worth.

We shot:
UMC Y/B 115gr
WWB 115gr
S&B 115gr
RWS 124gr
Federal 124gr HST
Federal 124gr +P HST
Winchester 147gr White Box with Ranger-T bullets

Clearly, the 124gr +P HST was the most powerful. You could tell it was +P, but the Nano behaved well and it wasn't difficult to keep on target. The UMC 115gr had quite a few poofers, and it was obvious when shooting a mag of that compared to any other ammo. I won't buy that again. Anyhow, the recoil was very good in all cases, and even the +P wasn't a situation where you anticipate the worst. Compared to the Kahr pistols I've shot, the Nano handled recoil better. Now I need to put it up against a G26.

I was going to shoot the PX4 Compact along with it, but it just didn't seem necessary. It doesn't handle recoil as well as the PX4 Compact, but not much else does.

So far, this is a pistol that I wouldn't mind taking to the range on a regular basis and shooting a couple hundred rounds through it. I can't say that about some of the other smaller pistols I've shot.

ACCURACY:
As far as I can tell, it's accurate. You can see I could have done better with the two targets below (5rnds each), but I wasn't really trying to bullseye every shot. I tried to shoot the pistol in a manner of its intended use. Quick to aquire target, unload the mag at a fast pace. I didn't bother benching it, and just didnt' have enough time to analyze with all the other things I wanted to try. I'll do that on my next trip out.

Both targets shot with 115gr ball ammo at 25'.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hpirN9elDTk/TrGaHs-zLbI/AAAAAAAAAg8/Vb0apr3jZCY/s640/2011-11-02%25252015.27.49.jpg
For convenience, we were loading the mags to five rounds because of the 5x10 arrangement in the ammo boxes. The pistol had no issues with 6+1 the couple times I shot it that way. My next range trip will be full mags and some 6+1 loadings.

MAGS/MISC:
The magazines appear to be proprietary, so that other mags won't work in the pistol and vice versa. They are a polished stainless steel , polished. The follower and mag floor plate are both stainless, but the mag base is polymer. The shape of the mag base is that of the bottom of the grip on the pistol and doesn't seem to be molded over steel.

My initial thoughts regarding the mag base was, "Why not just make it shorter in the rear section and add a plug with a tool to turn the disassembly cam?" Only after realizing I could turn the disassembly cam with the rear of the magazine, did I rethink it. First off, the open cavity behind the mag well goes nowhere and the mag base covers it sufficiently. Second, with the way the mag base is designed, it leaves options open for an extended mag with finger rest area and extension of the backstrap.

Another benefit to the shape of the mag base is that it's got no sharp corners. I have a few pairs of shorts/pants that now have a hole from the rear corners of other mag bases.

Getting back to turning the disassembly cam, I found that the rear of the mag base is almost exactly the same width as the gap in the disassembly cam, and that it works quite well as a tool for this. What this means to me is that no tools or external items are required for field strip disassembly. I still think a tool hidden in the void behind the mag well would be a good idea. A very short double-ended tool with a flat portion for the cam and a punch for the striker deactivation.

Unlike most other Beretta pistols*, the Nano extractor is not designed to accommodate direct-load of the chamber. This is mostly due to the plunger-driven claw extractor. It can be done if necessary, but it's discouraged to avoid damaging the extractor.
(*PX4,92,80)

This is probably not unique or special, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. I discovered that I can fully rack the slide with a single (either) hand by using my thumb at the top of the backstrap and my fingers over the top of the slide. It's not too useful, but it could come in handy in the unlikely situation where I may only have use of one hand and need to rack the slide. I figured this out from resetting the striker for dry fire with a snap cap. The slide only needs to be racked just a tad over 1/4" to reset.

The fact that there's no external slide catch/release didn't bother me at all. This isn't the first pistol without it, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I'm not going to say that I prefer it this way, but it does keep the side of the pistol clean and free of projections.

It's not immediately apparent, but the mag well is beveled and allows magazine insertion at all different odd angles (not too extreme) without being blocked. It's a big help with the single-stack mags."

[TheTman]

LOL, I know I'm going to hell for this, but from reading the title on the homepage, I thought the subject was going to be "lucky person shot a demo.... crat". I don't know why I thought that. Just in a weird mood I guess.

[DubDubU]

Not hell but you might end up in stalag 13.

[JFootin]

"I see nothing, I know nothing!"
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee486/John_England/tvGuide06may1967p16SchultzPictureLa.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ag4nkSh7Q