To G or not to G...help me build a Pizza gun

[TheNewbie]

First, congratulations on an exceptional $300 setup! That's rad.

Your post hits home for me. I've been dealing with lesser and greater elbow/arm stuff (some say tendenitis, others say lateral epycontolitis... and I've surely spelled it wrong... I'd spell it right if I ever reported it or got it diagnosed) since late 2012. There've been a couple years in there that I barely shot. Also, having recently retired I'm on a nostalgic kick and while I haven't dropped the pistol optic stuff (still shoot competition with Staccatos and such), I'm carrying and shooting iron sights more, trying to avoid strikers and polymer, and I'm planning on using some Berettas for competitions in the fairly near future.

As for Berettas I've talked about my admiration for the design and history with it. I fired a 92F or FS when a friend's dad took us to an indoor range. I was 15, which would have been around 1993 or so. Later I fixed a "broken" (not broken - put together wrong) M9 at an Army display booth at the Van Nuys Air Show around 1996... based on reading and researching how Berettas worked and how to field strip them. I remember that the Army guy was impressed and I scored points with my ten year old brother for being cool. I wasn't normally very cool.

Fast forward to my first real purchased by me pistol... A Para Ordnance P13 Limited. It sucked. It wasn't reliable at all. I traded it in and bought a Beretta Custom Carry (13rd mag compact model) in 1999. It was totally reliable. Man I wish I kept it.

By 2002 I was a 1911 fanboy before the term (Ha! - still am), but I got issued a Beretta 92FS. It's sitting next to me right now as I type because I was able to buy it from the county in 2013. At the time I didn't think it was cool, but compared to several of the other pistols issued that day, mine seemed to have a really nice trigger, so I was sorta ok with it. I bought a lot of Berettas over the years since to try to fill niches and be consistent.

I went the striker fire route for a bunch of reasons and was shooting M&Ps, but in October of 2015 I decided to go back to Beretta. I bought an M9A1. It eventually got a factory Beretta D spring, extended mag release, Wilson fluted guide rod and rear sight, steel trigger, and G10 grips. All of that was department-approved because we'd approved the Wilson Brigadier Tactical recently. Since Beretta didn't have the conversion kit at that time, any pistol with a safety had to (and still does have to) be carried "on safe", so when I went to the Langdon Tactical class in 2016 that was my setup. M9A1 with that stuff, carried on safe, on a duty belt with flapped mag pouches.

So backing up...

I graduated the academy in September of 2002. From that day... stuffing my 92FS into a Bianchi 3S that I still own and used a couple weeks ago to carry another important Beretta... I carried a bunch of full-sized Beretta pistols to include both "FS" and "G" models after they were authorized. The new "G" looks...kinda gross... but it carries fine. At least for me.

Back to 2016.

So drawing from safety-on I managed to get a FAST Coin... That was probably the greatest day of my shooting life. It was also simply what I trained. The safety sucks when you do it wrong. It's fast as anything if one knows how to do it. The LASD holster was designed to assist in deactivating the safety and it works great, but regular 6280s were no problem with the right technique. Problem was NO ONE taught how to do it right and everyone bitched about how it didn't work. My hands aren't big, and I've taught a lot of small females to run an on-safe Beretta like a champ. It's not hand size. It's technique. Even most instructors in my old department don't know how to train to draw an on-safe Beretta effectively from a standard 6280. Many of them simply shit talk the boomer pistol choice.

So where does that leave me...

I ended up getting a Wilson Centurion Tactical, then later adding "G" kits to several of my guns. When the LTT Elite was released, I bought one right away. Soon, since most of my guns were now "G", I'd become accostomed to drawing without deactivating the safety. When I got an old 92FS Inox and did some practice I realized pretty quick that consistency is important. It was then that my original issued 92FS got a "G" kit. I still have the original parts.

I retired in September. At "some point" prior to retirement, I was able to arrange to be issued a Beretta 92FS Compact L, Type M. It was one of a few "M" pistols purchased by the department for small-handed people who couldn't become proficient with a full size 92F/FS. I've heard a few stories about it but from my understanding/knowledge, no one ever selected one because if you did, that was the only pistol you could carry on duty.

I was able to purchase that pistol when I retired. I don't think it was ever fired before I tested it for accuracy and reliability. I ended up adding a D spring and I've been practicing manipulating the safety on the draw, which is not unsimilar to a 1911 if done right.

So to answer all your questions in one statement... Do nothing... Do everything. It doesn't matter. Just practice and be good. Excuses don't win gunfights, competitions, or coins.

Was that holster the 280s?

Wish I could find one in plane black but they are all basketweave from what I can find.

[SoCalDep]

Was that holster the 280s?

Wish I could find one in plane black but they are all basketweave from what I can find.

It was the 6280LASD. The 280S can be pretty fast but not as fast as the 6280 since with the 280S you have to hit the thumb snap with the thumb and then rotate the hood with your trigger finger. When done right you can tension the hood with your finger so as soon as you unsnap the finger rotates the hood and your thumb drives down disengaging the safety.

They did have them in plain black “nylon look”, but I’m guessing those have been discontinued for a long time. I think I still have a couple 280S basketweave holsters just for old-times.

[TheNewbie]

It was the 6280LASD. The 280S can be pretty fast but not as fast as the 6280 since with the 280S you have to hit the thumb snap with the thumb and then rotate the hood with your trigger finger. When done right you can tension the hood with your finger so as soon as you unsnap the finger rotates the hood and your thumb drives down disengaging the safety.

They did have them in plain black “nylon look”, but I’m guessing those have been discontinued for a long time. I think I still have a couple 280S basketweave holsters just for old-times.

What is unique about the 6280LASD?


Seems like the ALS might put the thumb in the right location to naturally take the safety off. Though I’ve heard the ALS doesn’t work as well with the 92.

[SoCalDep]

What is unique about the 6280LASD?


Seems like the ALS might put the thumb in the right location to naturally take the safety off. Though I’ve heard the ALS doesn’t work as well with the 92.

The 6280LASD was developed at the request of my former department for a few separate reasons that converged at the same time.

First, the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) was looking for a holster to fit their Beretta 92A1 and Wilson Combat Brigadier Tactical pistols with Surefire X300 Ultras and DG Switches that many had begun carrying once we got "G" models approved.

Second, many deputies who had decided to continue to carry the Beretta rather than to convert to the M&P had purchased the Surefire MR-11 adaptor rail for the 92F/FS and added a Surefire X300 Ultra. Many had significant difficulty during training classes drawing for two reasons. The first was that the holster body covered the safety and they therefore had to deactivate the safety after drawing the pistol from the holster (this was a bit of BS - there's an easy way to do it and I did it for years in patrol, but rather than practice the technique, there was much poop-talking the holster from both instructor staff and deputies in general) and second was that the Safariland light-bearing holsters for Berettas were designed around the Streamlight/Insight plastic rail, not the bulkier MR-11, and that made the holsters excessively tight.

Because of all that, we wanted a holster that would accomodate a wide range of Beretta pistols - everything from the BrigTac with a DG switch to a 92F with an X300, MR-11, and DG switch. We also wanted compatibility with CTC lasergrips, the safety to be accessable while the pistol was still seated in the holster, and to get rid of most of the suede-type lining that caused unnecessary friction and draw difficulty.

I remember one of my partners with a prototype and a dremel cutting away part of the body until we were all satisfied that the safety was sufficiently uncovered. The final verson works very well. As the thumb drives the SLS hood down and forward the thumb almost "automatically" knocks the safety into the fire position.

Safariland achieved the wide range of pistols the 6280LASD accomodated by overlapping the kydex (much like other 6280 holsters) but with a wider range of adjustment via the screw/spacer at the rear of the holster body. THere was also a "ramp" at the back of the holster per our request - to minimize wear to DG switches.

I gave my 6280LASD away when I was packing to move so unfortunately I don't have pictures.

[paherne]

I might have to buy this for my Wilson Combat Vertec:https://www.copquest.com/safariland-...er_23-1040.htm

[Sal Picante]

Les, do mind giving a quick rundown of stuff you have broken and estimated round counts?

I used to track all of this stuff on my journal. Life got a bit in the way and I stopped doing that...

Before I really started tracking all that, I broke a few TRS due to the amount of dry fire. It is a solid design than and works really well, but at my peak, I settled on replacing parts every ~6 months: Locking block, recoil spring, TRS. if I was using a 12# spring, I'd probably have swapped it by then - back then they were only good for ~month/5000 rds.

I don't shoot nearly that much in volume anymore... In fact, due to some changes in life, I've only shot ~2000 round from summer to now?

I'll get back on the horse soon - new mark 7 automation and indoor reloading room just need to slide up the honey-do list.

[Wonder9]

I highly recommend the Hogue Rubber Grip Panels (not the wrap-arounds with finger grooves) for thin grips.

[MolonLabe416]

I have two Brigs. One I bout direct from LTT, the other a D police trade-in I sent to LTT for the full Monty.

I tpp refer to the D as a K Frame Smith with more ammo onboard and better sights

Great pistols.

[jeep45238]

I realized that the PX4 barrel ODs are the same between .40 & .45 I had the thought to convert one to 45GAP. BUT that was after I thought of attempting to convert one to 10mm.

[KevH]

I spent some quality time with MicroMesh pads, some Brownells Emory paper, and a file today.

I got the trigger, sear, Match hammer, hammer pin, and mainspring guide done today.

With the exception of the Match hammer, these were all old spare take-off parts I had lying around.

I pickup my frame tomorrow. The LTT trigger bar should be here Monday or Tuesday.

I ordered a Dawson FO front sight. Skinny red FO sights just work well for me so I may or may not play with the orange Wison front.

My goal is to have this gun up and running with a very very nice trigger by mid week.

We have our department instructor development day in a couple weeks on Friday, March 1. I want the gun sorted out so I can use it for that and do a bunch of shooting with it.