laststandonzombieisland

Ever since the 1950s, guns have been losing weight. First, there came the introduction of aluminum and alloys to shed ounces, then wood fell away to plastics, advanced polymers moved into the pistol frame (and AR lower) business, striker fired replaced hammers, and so on, and so forth.

However, as an interesting twist in firearms history, in the past several years a number of manufacturers are moving to flip that model to produce flat-shooting niche guns for competition use that incorporate lots of steel to absorb muzzle flip and recoil. These have included the CZ Shadow and Walther SF Q5.

Now, Beretta has gone back to the days of the M1935 and M1951 with the 92X Performance pistol.

The new gun, the latest incarnation of the Model 92 family that first appeared in the 1970s and has gone on to be a classic worldwide, was debuted this week at the IWA show in Nuremberg, Germany. The 92X Performance is a bit heftier than its predecessors as its Vertec steel frame and heavier Brigadier slide push it to 47.6-ounces, unloaded. For comparison, the common aluminum-framed 92FS tips the scales at 33-ounces.

And man is it loaded with features.

Splooge…

More in my column at Guns.com.