Recently I got the Shu Wei Beretta 92FS here in Taiwan. I had it sent to Taichung from Taipei via mail order and I got it for a pretty good price too. And to my knowledge, Hwa Shan distributes these too and they are pretty plentiful. The first time I saw this blank fire pistol was at a model gun store at night market in Taipei. I was surprised that they were selling these guns over the counter in a public place because when I tried to get my hands on model guns in Taichung, the store owners there would tell me that they are illegal. So, about that, I'm a bit confused. The store owner in Taipei also told me that there are 3 main manufactures in Taiwan for the Beretta 92FS: Wha Shan, Shu Wei, and JP. Now, for the readers of this forum, the Wha Shan models are pretty familiar to you guys and some of you have heard of the Shu Wei models. But the JP model is actually the most expensive compared to the other two. The reason being that its the easiest to convert into a real firearm. The store owner even told me that the JP models are a favorite among the "brothers" (Taiwanese slang for gangsters). However for the collector, I would recommend the Shu Wei model and here are the reason why.
First off, when I got the pistol, it was in an unoriginal box. The box is long gone now but I still remember what it had written on it.. "Heavy Weight Gas Pistol" or something like that. Very unimpressive. No styrofoam cut out for the gun to sit in or anything. But maybe this was done by the shop that sold it to me for, I dont know, legal reasons? Anyways, the gun also came with 3 dummy rounds that does not chamber into the gun. Again I think the store owner gave me the wrong kind of rounds because the dummies didnt have the holes cut in the front for the forward firing pin to go in. With this pistol I also purchased 50 rounds of the Wha Shan disposables which again, cannot fully seat in the chamber. However, the store owner is allowing me a return/refund for the ammo because he made the mistake of assuming the Wha Shan rounds can fit in the Shu Wei. The gun also came with an exploded diagram of the pistol with the parts numbered and named. The gun did not come with an instruction manual whatsoever.
The pistol itself however is really really impressive. Definitely the most faithful reproduction of the real steel M92 comparing with the Wha Shan and JP models.
The pistol features the following:
1. All Metal Construction (metal barrel)
2. Field strips like the real steel
3. Safety works as a de-cocker
4. Actual working firing pin block
5. All authentic Beretta markings (minus serial number)
6. Colored "safety on/off" marking and sight post (white dot)
7. Heavy as f#*k
I recently f@#ked up my digital camera so I had to take the following pictures with my cellphone cam. Please excuse me for the quality of the photos.
"PIETRO BERETTA GARDONE V.T.-MADE IN ITALY (PB)"
"MOD.92FS-CAL.9 Parabellum-PATENTED
BERETTA USA CORP., ACKK. MD."
Probably the most interesting design in the Beretta 92 series pistol is the firing pin block safety feature that restricts the firing pin from striking the primer unless it is moved out of the way. And the only way to move the firing pin block is by pulling the trigger all the way to the rear. Therefore, even if you have the weapon chambered and cocked (hammer back), safety off, and you were to drop the pistol muzzle down and the hammer was to release, the weapon still will not discharge.
With the safety on, the pistol is take off double action and the hammer remains stationary. However the firing pin block is still pushed up when the trigger is pulled.
Another very interesting feature of the Beretta's design was the safety itself. The safety lever not only de-cocks the weapon and makes the trigger ineffective, it also moves the rear end of the firing pin out of the way of the hammer. Therefore, if the safety is on, its on good! No way the round is going to be discharged. Pictured above: Safety is off (Note: the position of the firing pin).
Safety is off (Note: The firing pin is now rotated up and now I have to keep my thumb on the hammer to stop it from going forward). Just to add another thing about the safety of this weapon. The pistol has an unusually long trigger pull and that itself is a safety feature on it's own.
One of the features that Beretta offered was the "Chamber Loaded" indicator on the extractor which protrudes and reveals a red dot. However, on the Shu Wei Beretta, the red dot is no there and also when there is a round in the chamber, the extractor does not protrude out as much.
With round in chamber
The slanted piece of metal is the part that pushes up on the firing pin block when the trigger is pulled. The semi-circular piece of metal that is immediately left of the firing pin block lever is the de-cocker. When that is pushed down by the safety lever, the hammer is released. The little bump just above the rear of the grip is what disengages the trigger from double action. When the safety is engaged, that little bump is also pushed down.
One of the downers of this pistol is that the barrel blockage is very far forward and could be easily seen by the naked eye.
Another shot of the barrel
The forward firing pin. These barrels will not accept any "real look" ammo. However, the gun store in Taipei has informed me that I can buy a 2nd barrel without the firing pin which will accept "real look" ammo. He told me that its one or the other, dummy gun or cap firing gun. Cant have both in one gun. I was like "Damn!" Haha.
Overall, this gun is freakin' awesome and I really really recommend this for anyone who is into collecting the 92 series. The main reason I chose the Shu Wei model over the Wha Shan or JP model is because of the realism. I mean, the first time I held this gun in the gun store, I was convinced that this was a real steel converted to fire blanks. I know some people will say "why not just get the real thing?". I wish I can but they are illegal here in Taiwan and this is the closest I can get. This is my first model gun and I am really impressed with it. I will still get the Wha Shan models just for fun (because they are cheaper and can use disposables).
The real downer of this pistol is that it cannot chamber the Wha Shan disposables. The store owner told me Shu Wei used to make disposables but not anymore. However the guy in Taipei says he have talked to Shu Wei and got me the right rounds (re-useable) for this pistol and is going to let me exchange it for the Wha Shan rounds I have right now. Once I have the right ammo, I'll see if I can post some shooting vids but that won't be anytime soon because going up to Taipei is a pain in the ass.
Here is some key words that will help you guys find some more info/pics on Taiwanese model guns:
旭偉=Shu Wei
華山=Wha Shan
道具槍=Prop Gun
操縱槍="Control Gun" (Taiwanese for PFC gun)
Thanks for reading my first review!
Tue Aug 31, 2010 4:08 am
! This is the gun that I was frantically searching for but without success when I was in Taipei last time (I planned to buy (at least) one back to HK but the Wa Shan Shop guy told me these sold like hot cakes and stock extremely limited which I'll have better chances finding these in Taichung & even Tainan - which is in contrary to what you wrote 
)...and I'd posted something about this gun before if possible please tell me how can I get these Berettas...
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