This pistol has already been covered in detail, so just a few quick observations.
I finally acquired one of these last week and so far I've completed two range sessions totaling 500 rounds. Rounds fired consisted of my handloads of a 124 grain fmj bullet, propelled by 5.9 grains of Alliant BE-86. I didn't experience any malfunctions, nor did I expect to. This is my fifth B92 and they have all been rock solid in terms of reliability. Consequently, I didn't feel the need to wait until a 2k round count had been reached to post an opinion. This one is the "stock" Centurion Tactical, without an action job. The trigger gauges at 7.5 pounds on the DA and 4.0 pounds on the SA. This is within the range of my other pistols, which have a D Spring installed as this one already does. I find this set up to be perfectly adequate. Quite frankly, if you can't do good work with that you're better off spending you money on ammo and practice, rather than chasing down the trigger job rabbit hole. The guns accuracy is on par with my other 92s. This is to say, above average for a service pistol.
When the CenTac was introduced there was negative feedback regarding QC issues. I'm happy to report that none of those are present on this particular sample. Everything is machined straight and true, as well as proportional. The finish is as near to perfect as one can expect on a production gun and that's really all this is, a tarted up production Beretta specced out by Wilson Combat. This is not a bespoke custom piece, as far too many people seemed to expect when these were introduced. Regarding cost: the only 92 I own that's stock is an early production sample from 1977ish. The rest have been enhanced by me with parts from both Beretta and Wilson Combat. Those guns are set up in much the same fashion as the CentTac, sans the tritium front sight. When the cost of those pistols and parts are compared to the CenTac and its features, the price is quite comparable.
The ultra thin grips don't work for me, so I replaced them with a pair from Stoner CNC. Stoner has become my first stop for G10 grips. The contouring is excellent and the texture pattern covers the entire surface of the panel, something most other grip makers seem to be slow to catch onto. I haven't made any other changes to the pistol and don't expect to. Everything else seems good to go. The CenTac shoots straight on at 25 yards, with a #3 or drive the dot hold. No windage adjustment on the rear sight was necessary, something that's unusual for me. I debated between the CenTac and the Langdon LTT Elite. I like the feature set on both guns. However, with the addition of a tritium front sight on the LTT the cost becomes comparable. For a carry gun I prefer a tritium front sight to a fiber optic, so this was a requirement and one that's standard on the CenTac. In the end, the CenTac was simply in stock locally (Wichita Gun Club) and the LTT wasn't so CenTac is was. An LTT is in my future though, so I wasn't being exclusionary.
The CenTac has a frame rail so a new holster was required.
Since my usual source for holsters had the audacity to retire, I chose one offered by Wilson Combat. There's really nothing notable to report here. It's a quality leather IWB holster that dose its job, that's it. Once again, it was in stock so Wilson it was.
It was in the shooting where the CenTac had a few surprises for me. Beretta introduced the Centurion back during the 92s heyday in law enforcement. At the time I was a disciple of God's Gun and something of a Beretta basher, so I never sought one out and had no experience with that variant. I assumed, much like the Colt Commander, the CenTac would exhibit quicker slide cycling due to less slide mass. My assumption was correct, but I was surprised at how much this aided in keeping the muzzle down compared to a standard 92. During speed drills conducted between five and ten yards the CenTac proved to be quite flat shooting. I'm sure the added weight of the frame rail assisted in this. The front and back strap checkering is also an added plus over the standard 92. Taken as a whole, the CenTac is very secure and fast in the hand during shooting. When it was first introduced I was dismissive of Wilsons mag guide, which replaces the standard lanyard loop. I'll have to eat a bit of blackbird on that. It works exactly as advertised and is a nice addition.
In the end I can't make a single criticism about the Centurion Tactical. The particular sample is well put together and delivers as advertised. After another couple of range sessions it will become my EDC. Now, on to that LTT...……….
Postscript If I can offer any criticism it's this: Wilson's hype about tighter tolerances seems to be bovine feces, at least with this sample of one. The INOX 92 that's been serving as my EDC for the last six years and my current training gun with over 25k rounds through it are tighter in the slide to frame fit than the CenTac. The CenTac isn't loosey goosey by any stretch, but semi custom tight it isn't and looser than the two aforementioned standard production guns. When these collaborative guns were introduced I viewed that detail largely as snake oil, so it was expected. It means very little if anything in terms of accuracy and I doubted Beretta would make any special effort in that regard. Since the gun's a good shooter I have no worries over it, but it is the only negative data point and worth mentioning for that alone.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by GJM
!!
