The Beretta M9, the US military’s adopted version of the Beretta 92FS, was adopted amid a flurry of controversy during the acquisitions process. Despite some growing pains (and slides flying off), the M9 eventually grew into a long serving sidearm, familiar to any who served from the mid 80s through early GWOT. Consider it no surprise that there’s a nostalgic market for these guns, not to mention the usual run of shooters looking for a quality firearm. Girsan (of Turkey) is a NATO-approved manufacturer and is producing the Regard MC, a near-identical clone of the Beretta 92 that is in NATO service. Today, I’m covering the Girsan Regard MC BX, a variant that comes with G10 grips and a threaded barrel.
Tech Specs
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 18+1
Barrel Length: 5.2 in.
OAL: 8.6 in.
Weight: 2.15 lbs.
Grips: G10 Scale
Barrel: Threaded 1/2×28 tpi
Trigger Action: Double and Single-Action
Where To Buy
Let’s Check It Out
I hit Lucky Sporting Goods to pick this up, took it home and ripped the box open. The Girsan Regard MC BX looks like a Beretta 92, feels like a Beretta 92, hell it even smells like a Beretta. There are a couple mechanical differences under the hood that keep the Girsan Regard MC BX and the Beretta 92 from being totally interchangeable.
Namely, the barrel and locking block are a bit different. So if you’re buying a Girsan Regard MC BX with the hope it’ll fit all your old Beretta parts, it will only work with most parts. In fact, one owner posted online that his M9A3 slide and barrel fit on his Girsan frame. But enough comparing interchangeability, let’s just talk Girsan.
Fit and finish are good. Mechanically, the Regard MC BX is solid, with absolutely no rattle or slop between parts. The finish is closer to workmanlike than to beauty queen, but is applied well and has held up through testing.
The trigger is just what you’re expect from an M9 clone. In double-action, it’s a heavy, long pull before you get where you’re headed. In single action, the trigger is a much lighter and more predictable pull.
The controls are mostly laid out well, with the magazine release and slide lock/release in good position for their uses.
The decocker lever is in the same out-of-the-way location on the rear of the slide as designed. Worth noting that this is a ‘decocker only,’ meaning you do not have the option of carrying with the hammer back and on safe.
I do have a bit of an issue with the decocker location, in that it’s really easy to inadvertently hit while racking the slide. I have to stick to grabbing the front 2/3 of the slide when racking it or my hand is guaranteed to engage the decocker. My other choice is to run a “slingshot” grip when racking the slide.
So, either you run with the hammer back and the gun on fire, or with the hammer down in either fire or safe. You’re really stuck with a double-action first trigger pull, no matter how you
The takedown lever is really the gold standard. This is the easiest disassembly of any handgun I’ve owned, rented, or borrowed. Press in on the button right side of the frame, then rotate the takedown lever 90 degrees to the downward position. The slide pops forward, and slides right off. I don’t know if I’m doing it as fast as Jet Li, but still it only takes a second or two.
The grips. While G10 has gained a lot of popularity as a common material to make grip panels out of in the last decade, it’s not a universally loved item. There’s more than a few people saying the extremely hard material, combined with some pretty aggressive grip cuts, makes for a painful range day with the Girsan Regard MC BX past 50 rounds or so. Personally, I do like the aggressive texture on the Regard MC BX. These slabs are not going to get slippery just because they’re wet, there’s just too much ‘bite’ in this texture. The panels are a bit thick for my taste, adding bulk to an already hefty grip frame.
The sights are basic three-white dot type. They won’t wow you, but they work.
Range Time
My first experience with a Beretta was shooting at Ft. Lewis’ Range 7. At first, the M9 felt like a brick in my hand. I hated it. Then I spent the day shooting more proficiently with it than the 1911s and Glocks I’d spent so many years with.
Now with the Girsan Regard MC BX? Well, it still feels bigger and heavier than it needs to (subjective opinion), but I have decades more experience (and perspective) under my belt. The plain fact is, shooting the Girsan is awesome. The recoil impulse is less snappy than with polymer framed guns, accuracy is somewhere between acceptable and good, and the gun just chews through different types of ammo without a problem.
The Girsan Regard MC BX groups well enough. Running some the ammo shown above, I put down a handful of groups while standing, shooting at a moderate pace. At 15 yards everything was inside a 2-inch circle. Federal’s 135-grain Hydra Shok seemed to be the Girsan’s favorite, grouping around an inch. Not bad considering I wasn’t set up for max accuracy, just seeing what ammo the gun favored.
Running Mozambique drills at 15 feet is fast and easy. The Regard MC BX is a nicely balanced handgun. The double action first trigger pull slows things down a touch, but the low recoil makes the follow up shots quick. The rubber, self-healing target from Infinite Defense makes a good training tool.
When a pistol comes with a threaded barrel, there’s absolutely no choice but to suppress it, and I’m happy to oblige. I trotted out my AAC TiRant 45, with its 1/2×28 mount for 9mm barrels, and hit the range again.
While the can makes the gun a good bit more front heavy, the recoil impulse wasnt changed much. The sights are standard height, so expect that the whole affair is “minute-of-bad-guy” accurate until some proper suppressor height sights are installed. It’ll do the trick in a pinch, but it’s not optimal.
Most importantly, the Regard MC BX hasn’t run into any reliability issues. I’ve fed it the brands of ammo shown above, as well as some Syntech, and the gun has shown it will feed JHP, MHP, HP and FMJ with equal reliability.
Bottom Line
While police trade-in Berettas are available at a decent price from time to time, their used condition makes them a bit of a gamble. It might seem to some that going to a Turkish manufacturer would be a risk, but Girsan has been in the business for a long time with a good reputation as a NATO-approved manufacturer. If you’re not familiar with Girsan and are considering dipping your toes in the water, I’d say you should absolutely give them a shot.
While the MSRP on the Girsan Regard MC BX is $608, street price is currently $499. If you’re in the market, see what Girsan can do for you.
Check out more articles from Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer or visit him on Instagram @Rexnanorum.
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