Beretta 92FS/Browning Hi-Power 9mm magazine ejection?'s

To those who own/owned the Beretta 92FS and Browning Hi-Power 9mm semi-autos, tell me about the magazine release of those models. Are the magazine ejection buttons easy to reach when holding the pistol in the firing position? Do they eject (drop) the magazines fully when the button is depressed or does the mag drop an inch or so necessitating it be removed "manually"?

I'm considering purchasing either, specifically, used police/military" turn-in's" of both aforementioned models. Are these two semi-autos suitable for "tactical" style reloading? Any assistance will be appreciated.

Never owned a Highpower, but I've owned 92's for decades. The magazine release is standard, on the grip behind the trigger guard and can be reversed to either the left or right side. Yes, easy to reach when reloading. Yes, the magazines drop free.

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Originally Posted by denner

Never owned a Highpower, but I've owned 92's for decades. The magazine release is standard, on the grip behind the trigger guard and can be reversed to either the left or right side. Yes, easy to reach when holding the pistol in the firing position. Yes, the magazines drop free.

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Thank you. One down, one to go. Since I'll be buying online it's critical I know what I'm getting before committing to a purchase. Not all sellers are accomodating when asking questions about features, they seem concentrate on condition due to the volume of sales.

My 92 spits mags out quickly and never had a hangup in almost 7 years... and I do combat reloads all the time.

Never owned a Hi-Power or known anyone who has one to be honest... and I know quite a few gun guys.

TIP: If you need additional mags, go with Mec-Gar ones... amazing finish & springs are the best I've seen. Just picked up 8 more 18rd Mec-Gars for my Beretta 92Ghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/01/5ygybe6e.jpg

I have two Brownings and yes the Mags. will drop and the release is also by the triger guard and will drop out cleanly. With that in mind buy quality mags as some cheap one will warp or dent when dropped a lot and stop a clean release.

Both great firearms - buy one of each if you can!

Browning Hi-Power's with the magazine disconnect safety will not drop their magazines free (at least my 1989 Mark III-S didn't). You will have to use your support hand to remove the magazine. There is a fix which doesn't disturb the disconnect safety and a good gunsmith can do this (this is what I had done to my Mark III-S Hi-Power).

Can't speak for anyone else, but I have owned both, and the mag basically flew out of both..........

As noted, guns with the magazine disconnect enabled may not have the magazines drop free.

There are mags available with an assist spring that will force the mag out.

http://www.midwestgunworks.com/mm5/g.../112050293.jpg

Thank you all for the well thoughtout and informative replies it is has been helpful and much appreciated.

I have a few more questions.

I must decide whether to purchase two of my choice of semi-auto pistol. At 6'3" 190 lbs with long arms/legs I don't have large hands, I want to buy two semi-autos, one for me and one for the wife (Note: I've fired a Colt 1911 .45 and it fit my hand). CCW is NOT an issue at this point since I live in N.J. where it is almost impossible to secure such permits though should we relocate to the Florida condo things might change.

How are the Beretta 92FS and Browning Hi-Power 9mm for women? My wife's hands are almost the same size as mine. I figure by having two of the same handgun will make it easier for cleaning and maintenance (I'm 49 yrs old and a bus/diesel mechanic so all service to firearms would be done by me).

I MUST take ammo availability/price into account before making my decision, I prefer to have only one caliber, should it be required due to frame size I would consider buying a .380 semi-auto for the wife but would like to avoid that if possible.

I am NOT looking at new handguns, availability here in N.J. is near nil due recent events so I'll make my purchases over Gunbroker.com. The police/military "turn-in's" are attractively priced and the majority have been serviced by dealers prior to being listed.

It's not that I'm new to firearms, my dad was an NRA instructor and Scout leader, like him I'm a deer hunter (he used an Enfield .303 & 12 gauge pump shotgun, I use a compound bow). The only handgun we had in the home was a Star .22 caliber Target Pistol. Both my parents belonged to a pistol league in the early 60's-early 80's, mom was the better shot. My experience in the Boy Scouts since '71 has helped, working summer camp as Program Director and before that Waterfront Director and program aide allowed me the opportunity to use a variety of firearms on the range where other staffers brought their guns including such models as an AR-7, Winchester 30-30, Colt 1911 .45, .38 Special, and a S & W .44 in addition to the typical .22 bolt-action rifles .

I don't have exceptionally large hands, but I love my 96's...........my wife shot one, and concluded that the grip was too large for her, not in the sense of feel alone, but more of control.....purchased her a Ruger SR40, and the grip is perfect, and we keep the same ammo........I think in a majority of women, a 92 or high power might be a bit large for their hands.

Personally, I think Browning would be the way to go. My other half and myself both have smaller hands and the browning works and shoots fine. Remember that the browning is a single action auto Vs a beretta is both double and single action. For me the 92 is too much for my hands and don't own one for that reason. have and have had other berettas in the past and still have a mod 70s, in .380 and shoot it at times (other half likes the Sig p230 better) so it dosen't get to the range that often.

Shoot safe and have fon doing it.
JT

The only down side to the Hi Power is hammer bite, if you've never shot one in the configuration you plan to buy I would try and so so beforehand.

I loved my Hi Power but even with some miss the hammer would leave my hand bloody.

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Originally Posted by VAMarine

The only down side to the Hi Power is hammer bite, if you've never shot one in the configuration you plan to buy I would try and so so beforehand.

I loved my Hi Power but even with some miss the hammer would leave my hand bloody.

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Isn't "hammer bite" a result of holding a semi-auto improperly? Doesn't it occur more commonly in those with larger hands?

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Originally Posted by jtguns

Personally, I think Browning would be the way to go. My other half and myself both have smaller hands and the browning works and shoots fine. Remember that the browning is a single action auto Vs a beretta is both double and single action. For me the 92 is too much for my hands and don't own one for that reason. have and have had other berettas in the past and still have a mod 70s, in .380 and shoot it at times (other half likes the Sig p230 better) so it dosen't get to the range that often.

Shoot safe and have fon doing it.
JT

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I have larger hands and the Beretta is the best fit for me. The question comes down to which is the best fit for you and only you can make that choice. Keep in mind it is much easier to adjust a pistol that is too thin by changing the grips than it is a pistol that is too large. If you struggle with choosing one over the other, buy both. :mrgreen:

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Originally Posted by JerseyJubal

Isn't "hammer bite" a result of holding a semi-auto improperly? Doesn't it occur more commonly in those with larger hands?

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Yes and no, slide bite typically is a result of improper grip. But yes hammer bite is more common to larger hands but not always.

The Hi Power doesn't offer much in the hand protection much like the original M1911.

"No bite" hammers are a pretty common upgrade in most Hi Powers, some will have a beavertail added.

For me a No Bite hammer just didn't do it and I'd still got bloodied.

My hands are medium to large and I'm pretty sure I know how to grip a pistol:D

I have huge hands and it's tough to even find gloves that fit me. I have several Beretta's. Only once, did I have an issue with the slide coming back and nipping at the area between my thumb and index finger.

I've fired thousands and thousands of rounds over the years, and still not sure as to why it happened. It was very hot that day and I do recall that my hands were sweating a lot. Anyways, not a big deal and a lesson learned.

As far as choosing between a Browning and a Beretta, I'm quite sure by now, that you all know how I feel about Beretta. I'm staying the course and promoting Beretta. :mrgreen:

At least when shooting the Browning, but maybe also with the Beretta, there is a technique to reaching the magazine-release button quickly. In the process, you do have to release your firing grip, but if you do the process correctly, magazine release is quick, and return to the firing grip is equally quick.

Here we assume a right-handed shooter:
• Starting from a two-hand hold, release the left hand and slightly relax the right hand.
• The left hand slides forward along the slide, toward the pistol's muzzle. As it slides forward, it pulls the pistol around so that the left side of the gun faces the shooter.
• As the magazine-release button meets the right-hand thumb, the thumb presses the button and drops the magazine.
• At the same time, the left hand leaves the pistol and drops down to the reload magazine. The left hand grabs the reload between thumb and bent second finger, with the index finger along the length of the curved front of the magazine's shaft.
• Pull the reload out of its holder, and bring it up to the pistol, rotating the reload so that it's right-side up and properly oriented toward the gun's magazine well.
• Holding the pistol so that you can see its magazine well, the left hand inserts the magazine. Watch it go in. As the fingers let go of it, slam it home with the heel of your left hand.*
• Using the thumb of the left hand, rotate the pistol into firing position in the right hand. Solidly grip the pistol in the right hand.
• Slide the left hand back into firing position. Bring the gun up to your eye, and reëstablish the sight picture.
• Start shooting again.

*If you have shot to slide lock, this is the moment to release the slide and let it run forward. You may also want to hit its rear end, to make sure it's fully seated.

Thank you all for the contributions on this topic, it has been enlightening.

Have a Browning Hi-Power .40s&w and the mag literally shoots out at about 10fps! I have big palms, but short-ish fingers and I can reach the release with my thumb quite easily. And I have Hogue grips that are a bit thicker than the standard-issue grips.

All my Beretta's drop the mags freely and easily.

I have XX large hands, so manipulating the mag release isn't a big deal for me.

I always change my Beretta mag releases to the right hand side..........I use my index finger, tilting the firearm slightly to the right, so the weight is sideways in my hand....the mag drops freely, and I don't have to regrip....not for everybody, works for me.......

Once again than you all for your insightful contributions to my inquiries.

I've made my decision and purchased a Star BM 9mm due to it's light trigger pull, single stack mag, all-steel frame, reduced size (compared to a full-size 1911 copy), and price. The Star BM fit my hand better than the Beretta 92FS. For the wife we went with an Astra Constable II .380, again all steel with single stack mag. Both are military/police "turn-in's" which have seen little use, at least I won't have to worry about a "break-in" period with either pistol and each being all-steel will allow us to get "back on target" much quicker than with the alloy and polymer framed semi-auto handguns common today.

Thank you to all who have contributed to this topic.