Since 1976, Beretta’s 90 series of handguns have served military, law enforcement and civilians, slowly evolving over that half century to accommodate modern shooting techniques and equipment. The latest step in that evolution is the 94X Performance, a handgun that the company calls “the ultimate evolution of the Beretta competition pistol for IPSC and USPSA.”
The 90-series Vertec frame, introduced in 2003, added a more vertical grip angle and a dust cover Picatinny accessory rail to the 90 series family. The Vertec design was updated as the X-series in 2019, which added the stouter Brigadier profile slide, an ambidextrous frame-mounted safety/decocker, a skeletonized hammer and Beretta’s “Xtreme-S” DA/SA trigger.
The 94X Performance Production starts with a new Vertec Pro frame made of steel with an extended grip area. This allows for the use of a 20-round magazine that fits flush. Due to its extended grip frame, 94X magazines are compatible with 90-series pistols, but standard 15-round and smaller 90-series magazines are too short for the Vertex Pro. Three magazines are included with each pistol, and they are also available in 15 and 10-round capacities for restricted areas.
The Vertec Pro’s frame beavertail is extended and upswept. These features combine for a higher, more natural grip. Beretta’s 92F square profile triggerguard returns, with a recessed undercut to allow for a high grip. Grip panels are re-designed with a palm swell and leave the front and rear grip straps, which have aggressive checkering, exposed. Controls have been updated, with safety/decocker levers that fit flush at the rear and are wider at the front, and the slide catch lever is thinner with an angled profile.
Slide serrations are 30 percent deeper and wider, angled at 15 degrees. The slide’s optics cut has been lowered by 3 mm for better mass centralization and to mount the optic closer to the bore axis. This also aids in keeping empty brass from hitting the optic and allows for removal of the extractor without removing the optic. Frame and slide design have been optimized for recoil control. The pistol weighs 48 ounces. Sights consist of a front post with a 1 mm fiber optic insert that mounts into a dovetail and an adjustable rear with a serrated and negatively-inclined face.
Not just a cosmetic update, the 94X has been upgraded on the inside as well, with longer firing pin geometry for more reliable ignition, and a redesigned extractor and integrated buffer to increase extraction reliability. The steel in its 4.9-inch, cold-hammer-forged barrel has been re-formulated for extended life under the high round counts of competition.
The Beretta 94X Performance that will be offered is the Launch Edition, which features a DLC finish, “acid-green” slide markings, aluminum grip panels with a 500th anniversary 3-D printed logo (supplied in three sizes), and a magazine release button that is not only reversible, but also orientable. The Launch Edition has an MSRP of $1,749. The standard version will have polymer grip panels and a Graphite Grey finish, and has an MSRP of $1,399.
For more information, see the company’s website.
