r/Firearms • u/Riszard_ • 21h ago
Do I have "Limp wrist"?
Hi everyone,
I’m having a frustrating issue with my Beretta 92FS and could use some advice. I have about 500 rounds through the gun so far.
Every 25 to 30 rounds, it jams. It looks like a failure to feed (FTF) or a general failure to cycle, I'm not exactly sure how to classify it. Additionally, the slide fails to lock back after the last round is fired.
Some of my friends suggested that I might have a weak grip (limp-wristing). However, right after I clean and lubricate the gun, it runs perfectly for the first few rounds, no jamming, and the slide locks back on an empty magazine exactly as it should.
I’ve attached a video of me shooting both 124gr and 115gr ammo. I included the 115gr footage as a reference to show what the jams typically look like. I honestly expected better reliability from such an iconic and popular handgun.
Beretta owners, I would really appreciate your input. Do I need to change how I clean or lubricate the gun? Do I need to adjust my grip, or should I strictly be running heavier ammo?
Thanks in advance!
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u/NJCERKA 21h ago
Gonna be honest. Only watched round 1-4 because you know…Reddit attention span. 1 was definitely a little loose but not enough to cause a malfunction. I think it’s something else
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u/Riszard_ 21h ago
Okey, I will remember to add subway surfers below next time. Thanks for honest comment tho
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u/NJCERKA 21h ago
Hey man I damn well know you know where I’m sitting while I was watching the video. Can’t risk hemorrhoids by watching a video more than needed
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u/homemadeammo42 14h ago
Skip to the last three for the malfunctions. You can see in the thumbnail that the camera changes to the other side, so it's easy to skip to.
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u/notCGISforreal 21h ago
I think you have poor elbow position probably, but cant see them to be sure.
But I don't think its causing your ftf issue.
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u/devondragon1 21h ago
I would try to work on your grip a bit, there's more movement than It think there should be. I'm not sure how to explain it words, but try to make your wrist more "straight" if you can? So your arm is closer to in-line with the slide instead of ---___ ?
That said, you aren't limp wristing it enough to cause FTF in a 92FS IMHO. It's odd as my 92/M9 family of guns have always been 100% reliable. With 500 rounds through I'd expect enough break-in for things to be smooth. Are you using a lithium or grease on the slide rails or just oil? I'd recommend using something that persists better than a thin oil there. I might also try a different mag? Good luck!
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u/Riszard_ 21h ago
Thanks for comment! How do you oil your Berettas, I just use oil for barrell lock mechanism and sliders just enough to be wet but not too sloppy. If you have any video showing how to oil it like a pro I would watch it. It would cross out the bad maintanace reason
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u/Mountain_Man_88 21h ago
Let someone else shoot it and see if it still has issues. That'll determine whether it's you or the gun.
If it's you, make sure that your thumbs in the left side aren't riding the slide release or applying pressure to the slide and slowing it down. You can try vice gripping the thing to eliminate as much recoil as possible, but this doesn't seem like limp wristing.
If it's the gun, check the mags first. There are a lot of shitty mags out there. Actually, if you're using promag mags, don't even bother letting someone else shoot it. It'll be the mags. Get new mags first.
If it's not the mags then you can try fooling around with springs and feed ramps. A lighter recoil spring will have it cycling easier, at the expense of stiffer recoil and more wear and tear. A heavier spring will help with chambering, but you might have issues with it fully cycling.
Could also just be the geometry of the ammo, but it's a common enough platform and I assume relatively standard ammo, so that shouldn't be an issue outside of the mags being awful.
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u/CoolCatWithAGat 18h ago
1 was enough to possibly cause a malfunction but the rest looked fine. I think the best fix to save time is buy new magazines (Cheap MecGar is fine). The magazine that came with my Beretta causes problems. Buy new magazines and buy a different recoil spring.
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u/Turbinator870 21h ago
What 115gr ammo are you using? Looks a bit on the lighter side. Lightly loaded ammo will cause the problem you’re seeing, in an otherwise perfectly functional handgun.
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u/Sensitive_Box_ 17h ago
Looks a bit on the lighter side
What?
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u/Turbinator870 16h ago
Light loads. Not enough powder to cycle the action completely. That's what I think is going on with the 115gr ammo.
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u/Ok-Secretary455 21h ago
Have you tried tossing a shit ton of different brands of ammo at it? In my experience all of my 9mm are finicky. not as finicky as my 22LR but it took a minute to find out which one liked which ammo the best.
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u/chainmail97ws6 21h ago
It’s not you. I have owned two Beretta 92 series pistols. One I still have that’s from the 1980s, the other was a newer stainless/inox and neither one ever jammed. I even shot the older 92 one-handed and it never malfunctions. I can use any ammo, 115gr, 124gr, doesn’t matter. Keep in mind this was issued to the military for decades, they are extremely reliable.
So all that being said there is something wrong with the gun. You mentioned it’s fairly new, and as we know since Covid the QC of almost everything has gone to shit. If it were me I’d send the gun in to be repaired, and if that doesn’t work just sell it. I’ve been down this road too many times and it always ends up being the gun.
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u/Competitive-Pea3327 21h ago
I definitely have weak wrists (from sprains and breaks). I cannot shoot a Beretta handgun consistently. (Read as it jams every shot) I prefer heavier guns (steel frame) and revolvers for this reason. It is possible that there is some inconsistencies that could be because of your wrists, it is also possible it is not (I am 100% not the authority on this). I have been told to use stress balls to help strengthen my wrists.
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u/BeenisHat SR25 20h ago
Did you buy the gun new or is it used and you only have 500 rounds plus whatever the previous owner put through. Failure to feed almost always has me looking at magazines. Especially if they're not new magazines. But this is seemingly happening with all your mags.
But the 115gr failure has me thinking the gun might be short stroking a little, particularly since the previous case barely gets clear in time. The fact that it's running perfectly after you lubricate it makes me think that you're either not using enough lubrication, the wrong lubricant or you might have a faulty recoil spring. I've been using plain ass motor oil on my guns for years and it works fantastic. Whatever 20 or 30 weight oil I have on hand. I think the last oil change I did on my truck was with Mobil1 so that's what the guns get.
I'd also grab a magnifying glass or your phone's camera and take a nice close up look at the magazines and make sure nothing is obviously wrong but I think your issue might be in the gun itself.
Doing some wrist exercises couldn't hurt but I don't think you're limp wristing much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o38j28wx70&t=406s
Or if you're got a pullup bar or something suitably strong you can hang from, do dead hangs.
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u/moistenednougat 20h ago
Give the gun to three other experienced shooters. If the gun has the same problem, try a different batch or brand of ammunition. If the gun has the same problem, try different magazines. If the gun has the same problem, try replacing the recoil spring. If the gun has the same problem, take it to a gunsmith.
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u/Ill-Purchase-3312 19h ago
You could always use a reduced weight recoil spring. I believe the 92 comes with a 15lb spring from the factory. I load my own ammo and found a good sweet spot around a 12lb spring.
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u/RacerXrated 19h ago
Is it old/high round count? Could be tired springs. Could also be old/tired magazines. I bought some salty old 92 mags from a pawn shop and they induced a couple failures in my 92FS and M9A4. I cleaned them up on the inside and now they're fine.
IIRC they generally run better with 124gr, but when I use 115gr my 92s always work fine with it.
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u/Sensitive_Box_ 17h ago
Can’t wait to read all the expert opinions from people who shoot “every day”!
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u/Phantom_Sniper_a 17h ago
Limp wrist? Nah. Looks fine.
I think liquidfox covers all the things you need to check though I'd start easiest to to hardest
Check that you aren't engaging the slide catch/release. Doesn't cost anything and you just look at your grip and adjust.
Have someone else shoot it and see if the issue occurs. People at ranges tend to be helpful and free. Just requires people.
How old/used are the mags? Springs may be worn out. Might need new mags.
As my personal experience goes with my 92 and M9, I've shot just about everything through them with no issues.
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u/chesapeake_96 9h ago edited 9h ago
All good, just keep shooting. It’s not like one day everything just clicks and all of the problems suddenly stop. Certain loads can give different guns hell for many reasons. But, you can conceptualize and feel through some different things to help with the fixable issues.. and a lot of dry firing with intentional grip helps
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u/tbrand009 9h ago
The slide isn't going back all the way. Failure to cycle.
You aren't limp-wristing. The lighter 115gr bullet means there's less resistance to push the slide back, and the 92 does have a heavy steel slide. So because the slide isn't going all the way back it's not fully ejecting the casing, picking up the next round, or locking back. Cleaning and fresh lube means reduced friction, so it runs better, but only for a little.
The 92 was designed around the NATO standard. 9mm NATO is going to be a hotter load and have a 124gr bullet, running about 36,500psi. A typical 115gr 9mm target round is 35,000psi.
I'm also curious, is all of this ammo from one large bulk buy? It could be that particular lot is a little light on powder.
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u/Riszard_ 6h ago
First ten was 124gr. 3 last 115gr. I have suspitions that i use bad conservation oil that evaporates after fiew shoots. Gotta change the oil to different one and test result this sunday.
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u/Disastrous-Panic-87 21h ago edited 21h ago
Everyone has a limp wrist to a certain degree ...
Does your "limp wrist" causes malfunctions or POI shifts? If not I'd say you are fine.
It would have been nice to have footages of when it malfunctions.
Do you reload? If so, maybe your loads are too weak?
How many rounds have the firearm's internal gone through? Maybe a spring change could be a good idea.
Could be many things...
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u/Riszard_ 21h ago
Well, its almost brand new (around 500 rounds down the range). The malefunctions are the same as 115gr (end of video).
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u/JakenMorty 24m ago edited 8m ago
It being new-ish is almost definitely your problem. The recoil spring hasn't quite worn in yet, is I think the main component causing these intermittent issues. That explains why when you lube it it performs more reliably / locks back on final round. With Less internal friction it allows the spring to not lose as much energy as it cycles. A neat experiment would be to get some extra recoil springs of lighter weights in 1lb increments. Go 1lb lighter, see if it locks back on final round even when not freshly lubed. Doing that, btw, will also reduce the felt recoil since the spring doesn't have as much resistance. Well, really it's because the spring doesn't slam the slide back as hard because the spring doesn't have as much resistance. If not, just put another 500 rounds through it and reevaluate. I'm almost certain after another ~500 rounds, it will be as reliable as you expect.
Re your wrists. They look pretty good. Not perfect, but definitely a foundation to work from. I'd suggest squeezing your support hand harder while keeping your strong hand nice and, well, not loose, but relaxed I guess is a better term.
Edit: I also saw you mention 115 gr jams all the time and 124 only intermittent. That kind of reinforces my thoughts about the recoil spring being the culprit. 124 gr has to be loaded with slightly slower burning powder which creates a longer pressure impulse which more reliably cycles the slide.
think about 115 gr as a ping pong ball and 124 gr as a golf ball. the pressure impulse of 115 would be akin to flicking a ping pong ball off a table. quick spike that sends the ball flying. What if you flicked a golf ball? Would just hurt your finger and you'd get much less distance. Well, what if you took the flat of your hand and slid your hand along the table, propelling the golfball off the table such that it accelerates over a longer period of time? That's what is happening with your 124 gr ammo and why it more reliably cycles the slide.
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u/kwb166 21h ago
I would say it's not so much "limp wrist"...it looks like the gun is moving your entire arms/shoulders and they're absorbing too much energy that the gun needs to cycle.
"Do I need to change how I clean or lubricate the gun? "
I don't know what you cleaning/lubricating procedure is, so hard to tell you if you need to adjust, but...I carried a 92FS as my SWAT handgun for several years, and I rarely cleaned it other than field-stripping it, wiping the barrel off, and putting a drop of CLP on each frame rail every 1k rounds or so. I put around 18k rounds through that gun with zero malfunctions...so I doubt a lack of cleaning/lubricating yours every 30 rounds is contributing to your issues.
"should I strictly be running heavier ammo?"
As stated above, I put 18k rounds through mine...a mixture of 115, 124, and 147...never had any issues.
"Do I need to adjust my grip?"
In the view from the left side, it does look like your support hand is just kinda "there" and not providing much grip. Ideally, your stong hand is there to hold the gun and operate the trigger. Your support hand should provide most of the "clamping" force to control the gun. Think of it as a 25%/75% stong hand/support hand ratio. And try increasing the grip you apply with the pinky and ring finger on your support hand...I've been a Firearms Instructor for 20 years, and the last Instructor Development course I went to stressed this and it really made a big difference in how much muzzle rise I had, reducing the time it took to reaquire the sights/dot, and decreasing my splits between shots.
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u/FortunateHominid 18h ago
Doesn't look like it.
New firearms have a break in period. Some take longer than others.
I'd rule out magazine issues first. Number/mark each mag. See if the FTF issues are consistent with the same mag(s).
Next get others to shoot and see if they have the same problem.
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u/LilJonny2cookies 19h ago
You seem to be doing a sort of tea cup- you need your support hand to do most of the recoil mitigation while trigger hand is not doing much more than pulling the trigger.
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u/liquidfox6 21h ago
If you really want to make sure it’s not you, have someone else shoot it.
If the mags aren’t new, I’d try some different mags. Weak springs could cause a fail to feed.
Slide not locking back could be weak mags, but can also happen if you’re accidentally touching the slide release lever during recoil.
I know you tried two different weights of ammo, but if it only happens with the 115gr, I’d find another brand of quality 115gr to try out.
Most common causes of pistol malfunction is shooter, ammo, mags, dirty gun.
If it’s really well used, you might want to swap springs, but we’re talking 10k rounds or more.