New: Beretta 92SB 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Pistol

Beretta is marking a half-century of the legendary Model 92, the company has released a retro SB variant of the type that went on to make history.

The original Model 92 hit the market in 1975, one of the first double-stack double-action/single-action pistols available, and soon went on to become a global icon. The company has been honoring the lineage of the “Italian Stallion” this year with limited-edition offerings, and the repro 92SB comes as part of Beretta’s “Celebrating 50 Years of the 90 Series” program.

The repro 92SB is full of classic features such as a polished anodized frame, polished blued slide and barrel, a rounded trigger guard, and a flat dust cover. On the inside, it features all-metal components and upgraded internals, including a short reset trigger bar and D hammer spring. It runs a slide-mounted Type F safety lever.

Beretta 92SB repro
The new 92SB is engraved “Celebrating 50 Years of the 90 Series” on the left side of the slide and has a 1 of 1,526 serial number range, the latter an ode to Beretta’s first firearm contract. (Photos unless noted: Beretta) 
Beretta 92SB repro
Note the ambi Type F safety and all metal components, other than the G10 grip panels. 
Beretta 92SB repro
You have to love the polished externals. 
Beretta 92SB repro
The repro 92SB is a Beretta through and through and ships with a pair of classic-style 15-round magazines with flat base pads. 
Beretta 92SB repro
Finished with G10 grips, each pistol comes in special collector’s packaging, including a challenge coin and a history booklet chronicling the 90 Series legacy. 

The history behind the 92SB

The 92SB was the third production model of the 92 series, building on 1977’s Model 92S, which added the slide-mounted safety/decocker to the pistol. Debuting in 1980, the SB added an automatic firing pin block and an ambidextrous safety lever, and was marketed in both the standard and a compact model, the first for the 90 series.

Beretta 92SB ad

The Beretta 92SB hit the market in 1980, with the 92SB Compact arriving the next year. 
Beretta 92SB ad
The gun found fast success with consumers as well as LE/military customers. 
Beretta 92SB ad
It was soon adopted by the Connecticut State Police in 1983, among many departments. 

Perhaps the 92SB’s greatest claim to fame was that it was submitted to the Army Pistol Trials in 1984 and 1986, which it won, and, with modifications including a squared trigger guard, a matte finish, and a chrome-lined barrel, became the 92SB-F, later just shortened to 92F.

The rest is history.
Army's Pistol Trials,

The Beretta 92SB beat out a crowded field in 1984-86 to win the Army’s Pistol Trials, with the modified 92SB-F being adopted as the M9. (Image: 1986 GAO Report)

The MSRP on the new Beretta 92SB repro is an appropriate $1,526.

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