Beretta 92 reassembly question

[jac502]

Hi- I recently purchased my first handgun, a Beretta 92 FS. After shooting it for the first time, I field stripped it to clean it. I was careful to follow the instructions in the manual, and feel I took it apart and reassembled it properly. Everything is functioning properly (mag release, slide, hammer, trigger, safety). The only question I now have is when I place an empty mag in and open the action (locked open), I notice there is a little play in the barrel. It freely moves forward and backward about an 1/8 of an inch. This is only when the action is open. Try as I might, I don't recall whether it did this before I stripped it! Does anyone have any insight into this? I'm assuming it did this before and I didn't notice, but I'd like to be certain befroe I fire it again.

Thanks-
Jerry

["DoubleAction"]

jac; Glad to see you made it over here. Picking up where I left off at the old Handgun Review Forum:

DoubleAction said:

jac; With the slide and barrel being out of battery when the breech is open, the barrel is not locked as it would be when in battery. This is due to it's Browning Tilt barrel design and the front barrel bushing. When the slide is open, the chamber of the barrel drops in order to accept the next cartridge; When the slide closes, the chamber of the barrel rises into the locked postion with the upper lockup of the slide and and the breech face, this is where concern of fit is crucial. The front bushing serves as a pivot for the muzzle of the barrel during the loading and firing of the pistol. As you rack the slide take notice to the barrel as it tilts downward when the slide opens and levels off when the slide closes.

You wrote that you did not notice the barrel tilting when you racked the slide. If you close the slide on an empty chamber, with a magazine, do you notice the barrel hood rising as it comes into contact with the breech face of the slide?
With the slide in battery, and the barrel locked, press down slightly on the barrel on the chamber end and check for any play there.

[TMan]

Jerry, I hate it when I put something back together and notice something I hadn't noticed before taking it apart. Welcome to the club/forum.

I don't think anything is wrong with your gun. I almost bought one myself, but when looking at one in the store I noticed that I could stick my finger in the front of the barrel and wiggle the barrel around while it was locked and ready to fire. I asked the guy behind the counter how you could possibly get accuracy with that. He replied that they were very accurate.

So if your barrel doesn't move around when the gun is in battery (ready to shoot), you got a good one. The test DA specified will prove it. However, if you do find a little bit of play, I think it was there before you field stripped it. I can't think of anything you could have done wrong putting it back together that would make the barrel loose.

[jac502]

I did notice a very slight change in barrel position as the slide moves forward, almost so slight you can't say for sure it is happening. When the gun is in battery, the barrel does not move at all, no play whatsoever.

Thanks-
Jerry

[5ontarget]

pretty normal, my friend's taurus 92 has quite a bit of play, out of battery, but locks up pretty tight.

["DoubleAction"]

All of my Sigs and 1911 do the same thing when out of battery; I hoped to help you understand the reason for it.
If you want to check the firing pin function, insert a pencil into the bore of the unloaded pistol, point the muzzle end toward a safe direction( Eraser End Toward the Firing Pin and Breech Face)and squeeze the trigger. You can also use the pencil test with the muzzle end pointed up to check the decocker in some pistols, in reassuring that the hammer is not contacting the firing pin when the decocker is is engaged.

[TMan]

Jerry, I got a chance to field strip a 92 Steel I today. I was curious how the locking function worked. I studied it, I studied it, and I'm still not positive how it works. It is unlike anything else I've seen.

What I noticed disturbing was that I could slightly shift the barrel vertically at the muzzle when the gun was in battery. The question that brings to mind is where the heck is the barrel in relation to the slide when the bullet is exiting the muzzle.

I had seen this before with less expensive 92's at the store, but I was kind of surprised that the Steel version (when you factor in the price) didn't provide a tighter fit. From their web site:

Designed with extreme care to detail, the Steel I pistol is created with the true connoisseurs, the expert marksmen and collectors in mind

For the expert marksmen, but yet it doesn't even have adjustable sights. With the exception of the muzzle to slide fit, it appears to be a better pistol than the 92FS INOX, but at twice the price

Sorry, I went off on a tangent again. At least I didn't switch to a different gun - I'm learning. ;D