Beretta’s New Pistol Caliber Carbine for police and civilian defense.

The Beretta 92-F (or the M-9 military designation) is the official pistol of the United States Armed Forces. Yes I know that the 9 MM round was the choice of NATO. Were our government officials taking the advice of North Korea or Iran, when they dumped the venerable 1911 .45 ACP for this wimpy little round? Okay, they invited women into many military combat positions and they were thought to do better with the peashooter than a real gun.

Europeans have had a love affair with mouse guns since the beginning. They produced such lackluster performers as the .25, .32, and .380 caliber guns. The Europeans were either better shooters or just ignorant of what is really needed.

Beretta has since offered side arms in the newer and more potent .40 and now make even a .45 ACP gun, the Cougar 8045. The police agencies have gone to the .40 caliber service round to satisfy that notion that women can’t do as well with a real gun, such as the new Cougar.

With shot placement more important with the wimpy, lady rounds, the concept of the pistol caliber carbine is really attractive. Cops are notoriously bad shots, and the police agencies pathetic training budgets call for less range time.

The little light carbines that accept the same magazines as the service side arms are a good answer. They can be operated with one hand, have a longer barrel to boost the velocity of the smaller rounds and improve public safety at the same time. Better shot placement means innocent civilians and the cops will be safer.

Here’s the latest entry shown by Beretta Marketing Manager, Laurel Smith. I'll let this pro show us the ropes of this little gem. She’s easier to watch than all of the men explaining their products to me.