In the early 2000’s, Beretta introduced their M9 Special Edition pistol. The pistol was touted as being marked the same way as the US government pistols. To the untrained eye, it would appear so. But when you know what you are looking at, you can see there are very simple subtle differences which will differentiate one from the other.
The top two M9 slides are US government production slides. By looking at the right side alone it is difficult to determine. The real identifying marks are on the left. Notice the top three slides have a “PM” laser etched in front of the part number. All government slides must have this to indicate the pistol slide has been submitted to a proof cartridge and passed a magnetic particle inspection. Prior to the release of the J92M9AOM, there was a special run of M9 commemorative pistols which came with a Bianchi holster, magazine pouch and web belt (third slide). This early commercial version had a “PM” mark but the later production never did. The fourth slide was from the early limited release and the bottom is the standard production commercial M9 (J92M9AOM) pistol
The top two M9 slides are US government production slides. By looking at the right side alone it is difficult to determine. The real identifying marks are on the left. Notice the top three slides have a “PM” laser etched in front of the part number. All government slides must have this to indicate the pistol slide has been submitted to a proof cartridge and passed a magnetic particle inspection. Prior to the release of the J92M9AOM, there was a special run of M9 commemorative pistols which came with a Bianchi holster, magazine pouch and web belt (third slide). This early commercial version had a “PM” mark but the later production never did. The fourth slide was from the early limited release and the bottom is the standard production commercial M9 (J92M9AOM) pistol
The markings on the left side give you all the identification information needed. The top 2 are US government production. Notice the difference in the markings. First the top says P.BERETTA and the middle says BERETTA USA. This denotes the top slide was a first production, made in Italy. The Middle one states that the pistol was made in the Beretta USA facility. The “65490” is Beretta’s government CAGE code. Next you want to look at the “PB” mark. Notice on the top two government pistols, the PB has solid letters as compared to the stylized commercial PB shown on the bottom commercial slide. This shows the bottom slide came off an early M9 Special Edition or a newer commercial J92M9AOM pistol.
Above shows the government barrel assembly on top. Notice the laser etched “PM” which indicates the barrel was subjected to a proof cartridge and then passed a magnetic particle inspection. US government locking blocks will also have “PM” laser etched on the top of the locking block indicating the same. Also, on the bottom of the barrel it will read “934626-65490”, which indicated the part number and CAGE code for the barrel. This may or may not be found on the commercial pistols. The barrel below is the commercial barrel on the M9 Special Edition pistol. Notice the “C” laser engraved over the “PM”. This indicate the C for Commercial. Immediately shows this is not a US government component. I have never seen a “PM” marked locking block on any of the M9 Special Edition commercial pistols that I have come across.
Here we see the US government contract hammer on the top. The bottom is the M9 Special Edition commercial hammer. Notice how underneath the CAGE code there is a “C”. Once again, this indicates it is for the Commercial pistol. I have seen many later production M9 Special Edition pistols come with a completely unmarked hammer indicating Beretta stopped producing a marked hammer for the commercial gun.
The marks on the left side of the frame under the grip are correct for both pistols. The difference is the right grip panel includes the part number and CAGE code, but the left grip panel of the commercial pistol comes without part numbers. The US government pistol will have a different part number and CAGE code. Additionally, on the frame six or seven numerical serial numbers are on the government pistols. The early M9 Special Edition and current production M9 commercial pistols will have a prefix of M9 plus a seven numerical serial number.
The magazines shipped with the M9 Special Edition pistol are commercial Beretta magazines. The US government magazines will be marked “ASSY9346413-6590” on the right side. Both commercial and military pistols with Beretta magazines will be marked either “PB CAL 9 PARA MADE IN ITALY" or "PB CAL 9 PARA MADE IN U.S.A.”
Beretta has made sure that they, the government and law enforcement can tell the difference between actual government guns and the commercial pistols they sell. There are no absolutes in this world. One could acquire US government barrels, hammers, slides and locking blocks and place them on an M9 special edition frame. As long as the serial number on the frame has not been altered, the M9 prefix and seven numerical number will show if the frame started life as a government pistol or a commercial M9 Special Edition pistol.
The magazines shipped with the M9 Special Edition pistol are commercial Beretta magazines. The US government magazines will be marked “ASSY9346413-6590” on the right side. Both commercial and military pistols with Beretta magazines will be marked either “PB CAL 9 PARA MADE IN ITALY" or "PB CAL 9 PARA MADE IN U.S.A.”
Beretta has made sure that they, the government and law enforcement can tell the difference between actual government guns and the commercial pistols they sell. There are no absolutes in this world. One could acquire US government barrels, hammers, slides and locking blocks and place them on an M9 special edition frame. As long as the serial number on the frame has not been altered, the M9 prefix and seven numerical number will show if the frame started life as a government pistol or a commercial M9 Special Edition pistol.
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