Beretta Nano range report

[AdamSean]

I finally got the time to shoot my little Nano. I was mainly doing a functionality test after reading about the gun being designed to fire the heavier loads; 115 gr and higher. I bought a couple of boxes of both 124 gr Speer Lawman FMJ and 147 gr American Eagle FMJ.

I must tell you, before taking the gun to the range, I polished the chamber and feed ramp, as well as the striker components, and I gave it a thorough cleaning and lubed it with M-Pro 7 LPX. I do this with all my guns.

I was expecting to have issues with the 115 gr loads, but had none!

And then with the 147 gr loads, none either! I did get better accuracy with the 147 gr loads too.

As the gun is designed for heavy loads, I carry a 147 gr HP for defense purposes. And now my two cents. I have looked at other people's guns and have cringed at how they treat them. Most don't know how to properly clean and lube their guns. This is CRITICAL to the gun functioning properly! Take care if your gun and it will take care of you. Clean it after you shoot it. Even if its only a few rounds. This is not a plinker. Its a weapon that after some breaking in, you should be able to trust to work in that dire situation to protect you if ever needed.

I recommend the M-Pro 7 LPX. It does a really good job at keeping the barrel clean too. And great for surface protection against rust. Check it out. Anyway, I hope this info helps some folks.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[phreddy]

Great.
The last time I heard any numbers was in March, but back then Beretta had around 40 nanos returned in total out of 5,000 sold. Not all of those were for FTE issues, some had lose sights, some had finish irregularties. So based on those numbers you had about 8 tenths of one percent to get one with any issue. That is also assuming that all of the fte issues were gun related and not shooter or ammunition related. My nano is a great gun. Glad you like yours.

[380ACP]

While I was out gun shopping yesterday, I had a chance to handle a Nano. They don't allow dry firing in that particular store, but it looked like a nice little handgun.
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[crue2009]

While I was out gun shopping yesterday, I had a chance to handle a Nano. They don't allow dry firing in that particular store, but it looked like a nice little handgun.
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i also recently handled a Nano,really liked the size and feel of the pistol,trigger wasn't too bad either.i'm really surprised they're not more popular but then again there's alot of competition in pocket 9's right now..

[ironmike86]

i also recently handled a Nano,really liked the size and feel of the pistol,trigger wasn't too bad either.i'm really surprised they're not more popular but then again there's alot of competition in pocket 9's right now..

Imo if you could find them they would be more popular. They are never in LGS in Seattle area or they are bought quick

[brianalisa]

Imo if you could find them they would be more popular. They are never in LGS in Seattle area or they are bought quick

The LC9s were like that when they first came out but are noweasier to find. Though I have read many people having problems with Kimbers, including the Solos (which are double the price of most of the pocket guns), I still haven't found one in a store.
There have been several reports of FTE in Nanos (not unusual for a new gun which is why buying the first year of anything is risky), but it sounds like Beretta is addressing the problem with the above report of 40 returns out of 5000-this is the best report I have heard regarding the Nano. The only compaint I have (though I would prefer a safety), is the requirement to pull the slide back after reloading to put the gun into battery requiring 2 hands.
I would love Glock to make a singel stack as most reports on the G26/G27 are very positive but consistently "too fat!" Makes me wonder why Glock continues to ignore the obvious and pass on all that income from the Glock die-hards!"Someone is giving the bosses bad advice!

[cebur19]

As the gun is designed for heavy loads, I carry a 147 gr HP for defense purposes.

Excellent post and completely agree with your suggestions. Although I have been guilty of buying and shooting cheap low
quality ammo for range practice sessions.

I own one of the early Beretta Nano's in the 300 serial range and consider it one of my favorite small 9mm pistols. I do have a gripe, a small grip with Beretta though and that is the claim that the gun was designed for 124 gr and heavier ammunition. I read through my Beretta Nano owners manual and viewed the Beretta website. I also spoke with Beretta customer service on the phone with no mention about the ammunition requirement.

The first time I heard about the heavier ammo statement was from a Beretta customer service letter reply to a fellow Nano owner regarding FTE.

If the gun was designed for 124 gr and heavier then why not note that in the owners manual?

I wonder if the newer owners manuals have been updated to provide information about being designed to use heavier ammunition.

[Nano65]

I finally got the time to shoot my little Nano. I was mainly doing a functionality test after reading about the gun being designed to fire the heavier loads; 115 gr and higher. I bought a couple of boxes of both 124 gr Speer Lawman FMJ and 147 gr American Eagle FMJ.

I must tell you, before taking the gun to the range, I polished the chamber and feed ramp, as well as the striker components, and I gave it a thorough cleaning and lubed it with M-Pro 7 LPX. I do this with all my guns.

I was expecting to have issues with the 115 gr loads, but had none!

And then with the 147 gr loads, none either! I did get better accuracy with the 147 gr loads too.

As the gun is designed for heavy loads, I carry a 147 gr HP for defense purposes. And now my two cents. I have looked at other people's guns and have cringed at how they treat them. Most don't know how to properly clean and lube their guns. This is CRITICAL to the gun functioning properly! Take care if your gun and it will take care of you. Clean it after you shoot it. Even if its only a few rounds. This is not a plinker. Its a weapon that after some breaking in, you should be able to trust to work in that dire situation to protect you if ever needed.

I recommend the M-Pro 7 LPX. It does a really good job at keeping the barrel clean too. And great for surface protection against rust. Check it out. Anyway, I hope this info helps some folks.

Adam, I assume that the Speer Lawman 124gr ran OK because you didn't mention them. I had poor results from these on a very recent trip to the range. One FTEx in one box and 3 FTEx in the other box. Evidently a heavier load doesn't always ensure success. Here are my numbers so far:

250 Monarch 115gr FMJ brass
50 Monarch 124gr JHP brass
108 RWS 124gr FMJ brass
8 Speer Gold Dot 115gr GDHP
97 Winchester 124gr NATO brass (2 FTF)
50 Blazer 115gr FMJ brass (2 FTE)
100 Speer Lawman 124gr FMJ (4 FTE)
25 PMC 115gr FMJ (very old but worked OK)
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