Combloc
Stop Negassing me!!!!!
I ended up with this pistol even though I didn't really want one. Don't get me wrong; I'm a huge Beretta fan. I bought a circa 1989 92F back in the early 90's. It's my No.1 home defense pistol and I always keep it handy. But I don't think the 92 will ever be considered collectible so I had no real interest in buying another one...especially an older model. However, a buddy of mine was really interested in getting a 92 simply for range use and didn't want to spend a bunch of money on a plinker. He was looking at the 92S but was worried about what he would get being that these are Italian government trade-ins. He had also never used SOG before. My only experience with them was a Walther P5 police trade-in I had bought years ago so I told him about my experience. I had opted for the hand select option and had received what was essentially a new in the box pistol. To ease his fears, I told him to buy the "Excellent" grade for $309 and pay the extra $10 for hand pick. If he wasn't satisfied with what he got, I would buy it from him so he would be out nothing. To that end, I went with him to the shop the day he picked it up just in case it would be me filling out the transfer forms instead of him. Well, I'm now $363 poorer and have a redundant pistol! He ended up buying an almost new in the box 92F for $500 he found the same day. That's the way it goes sometimes. So.....let's look at what you get for $353 plus $10 transfer fee. The magazine was, of course, picked up outside of this wonderful socialist republik.
Here is the 1970's 92S compared to a 1989 92F:
What killed the deal for my buddy was the gawd awful chew marks on the slide serrations. Let's look at those before going any further:
Were it not for these marks, (and let's be clear, they are ATROCIOUS) I would agree that the pistol is in "excellent" condition. The number match, wear is minimal given its age, and it has an acceptable bore. I've been at this for many years and my expectations are reasonable. I can live with patina. I even LIKE patina. What I cannot stand is abuse and this thing was clearly abused at some point. These marks alone drop it to "fair" condition in my book and they certainly exclude it from a "hand pick". My friend said the he will never, ever buy from SOG again and I can't say I blame him. If this happened to me the first time I bought from a company, I would probably never deal with them again either. So, were it not for these marks, I would be very pleased with what was shipped. As it is, it's just plain UGLY. I'm sure it will shoot just fine (I'll find out soon enough) but chewed up steel is all I see when I look at it. I will think long and hard before I order from SOG in the future. Alright, moving on.
Front of slide and dust cover. Only edge wear:
Front strap and trigger guard. Light freckling in the anodizing and edge wear:
Wear on lanyard ring. Looks fine:
Back strap and beaver tail. Some hammering on the edge of the beaver tail but I've seen many that had zero finish left here so this is actually pretty good:
Top looks great:
Very nice satin blue on the slide and crisp roll marks. Marred by the importer stamp but that's life:
Internally, very nice:
As stated earlier, the barrel matches the frame. The slides were not numbered on these pistols. I've seen some that have had the barrels replaced or the number was mismatched. The vast majority I've seen also have another number added to the barrel along the side by either the exported or importer I think. This one does not have any of that stuff going on which is nice.
Chamber looks good. I worry that those chew marks on the slide are from a vice and that the pistol locked closed at some point but I don't see any burrs in the chamber. What you do see in there is just dust I think. I have only semi-cleaned the barrel. We will see....
Crown looks good:
And there is a little frost in the bore but I imagine accuracy will be far better than my shaky hands can get out of it:
So.....IMO, what would otherwise most likely be a 90% pistol has been reduced to an eyesore by abuse sometime in it's past. I've seen these looking 99% to new. All things considered, I would rate this as fair. Shame on you Southern Ohio Guns. True, my buddy could have sent it back but he would still be out $50. I could have eaten the $50 too I guess but, as a shooter, I'm guess it's worth the $350. The trigger isn't as good as my 92F and the safety is much stiffer but it appears to be (and I' sure it is) just as well made. Consider it a slightly less "refined" model in the 92 series. In the end, that's exactly what it is. But when it was new in the 70's, it was top notch equipment. It would be so pretty if only.......I'll sell it off in the future for what I have in it. C'est la vie.
Here is the 1970's 92S compared to a 1989 92F:
What killed the deal for my buddy was the gawd awful chew marks on the slide serrations. Let's look at those before going any further:
Were it not for these marks, (and let's be clear, they are ATROCIOUS) I would agree that the pistol is in "excellent" condition. The number match, wear is minimal given its age, and it has an acceptable bore. I've been at this for many years and my expectations are reasonable. I can live with patina. I even LIKE patina. What I cannot stand is abuse and this thing was clearly abused at some point. These marks alone drop it to "fair" condition in my book and they certainly exclude it from a "hand pick". My friend said the he will never, ever buy from SOG again and I can't say I blame him. If this happened to me the first time I bought from a company, I would probably never deal with them again either. So, were it not for these marks, I would be very pleased with what was shipped. As it is, it's just plain UGLY. I'm sure it will shoot just fine (I'll find out soon enough) but chewed up steel is all I see when I look at it. I will think long and hard before I order from SOG in the future. Alright, moving on.
Front of slide and dust cover. Only edge wear:
Front strap and trigger guard. Light freckling in the anodizing and edge wear:
Wear on lanyard ring. Looks fine:
Back strap and beaver tail. Some hammering on the edge of the beaver tail but I've seen many that had zero finish left here so this is actually pretty good:
Top looks great:
Very nice satin blue on the slide and crisp roll marks. Marred by the importer stamp but that's life:
Internally, very nice:
As stated earlier, the barrel matches the frame. The slides were not numbered on these pistols. I've seen some that have had the barrels replaced or the number was mismatched. The vast majority I've seen also have another number added to the barrel along the side by either the exported or importer I think. This one does not have any of that stuff going on which is nice.
Chamber looks good. I worry that those chew marks on the slide are from a vice and that the pistol locked closed at some point but I don't see any burrs in the chamber. What you do see in there is just dust I think. I have only semi-cleaned the barrel. We will see....
Crown looks good:
And there is a little frost in the bore but I imagine accuracy will be far better than my shaky hands can get out of it:
So.....IMO, what would otherwise most likely be a 90% pistol has been reduced to an eyesore by abuse sometime in it's past. I've seen these looking 99% to new. All things considered, I would rate this as fair. Shame on you Southern Ohio Guns. True, my buddy could have sent it back but he would still be out $50. I could have eaten the $50 too I guess but, as a shooter, I'm guess it's worth the $350. The trigger isn't as good as my 92F and the safety is much stiffer but it appears to be (and I' sure it is) just as well made. Consider it a slightly less "refined" model in the 92 series. In the end, that's exactly what it is. But when it was new in the 70's, it was top notch equipment. It would be so pretty if only.......I'll sell it off in the future for what I have in it. C'est la vie.
Does SOG know that it was not your friend who ultimately took posession? Could your friend complain to SOG and at least get his $10 hand pic fee back (and take you to lunch with it?)? Somebody should complain to them. At least give them a chance to make it right...for your situation and to maybe prevent it in the future? I'm all for hiring the handicapped, but maybe they need to know that their blind hand picker could be better serving the company in another capacity. 
