Beretta Nano? thoughts?

[RustHunter87]

I have been looking in to getting a small 9 for carry, and I have been doing a lot of searching, reading, watching and thinking.

I was originally looking for a PPS but cant find one than I moved on to the Khar Cm9 but I let that one pass, and now I think Ive settled on the Nano.

A lgs has the Beretta Nano in OD with an 8 round mag for the same price as a CW9 and to me the Nano seems like more gun for the money.

I did a search and read most of the old nano threads, but i wanted to start my own thread and see if i could get some different responses, so luts hear um.

What does the high road think of the Nano as a carry piece?

 

[F-111 John]

I only test shot the Beretta Nano last summer during their "test drive" offer. It was OK, I was so-so accurate with it, and I was lukewarm.

The same range session I had a box of 9mm leftover, so I rented a Glock 26 from the range. I shot a 4" group with the G26 and instantly fell in love with it. The G26 is now my carry gun.

If you can find it, I'd also look at the M&P Shield.

 

[dbp]

Are you planning to carry owb,iwb or pocket? I own a Nano and pocket carry only. I am pleased with the way it shoots for what it is -- a small 9mm semi.

However, my Glock 26 is my preferred carry piece as it shoots much better all around. It is more accurate, better trigger and higher round capacity.

Consequently, I carry my Nano only when, due to clothing choice, I can't carry my Glock.

 

[Beentown]

I have the Nano and CM9. I prefer the CM for the job. The Nano is a fine firearm but the CM fits the role better for me. Both are accurate and reliable but the CM is slightly smaller.

My Dad now carries the Nano and loves it.

 

[sota]

I just picked up an HK P2000SK... so nice. any smaller I think it'd be hard to handle.

 

[returningfire]

I shot a friend of mine's this weekend. He was trying to sell so I was looking with that in mind. Long story short, I love Beretta and have three, a model 70, 88bb and a 92fs. I love all three of my Beretta, but the Nano was disappointing.
Accuracy is not just so so, it's pretty bad, we had to move the rear sight a little farther (than looked good, it was partly hanging off the slide) to the right to get anywhere near center target, and had to hold the front sight higher than the bottom of slide in the rear notch to shoot anywhere high enough. And it felt like a top heavy brick.

My honest opinion is that the Beretta name does not belong on this firearm.

 

[Cycletroll]

Really think you should review the Kahr CM9 again. It is a 1/4 lb lighter than the Nano (and weight is very important when pocket carrying) and smaller too. My CM9 has been totally reliable from day one and has fed everything I've put through it (i have heard some reports of the Nano being ammo sensitive).

I would not pocket carry anything heavier than the CM9.

 

[dbp]

Really think you should review the Kahr CM9 again. It is a 1/4 lb lighter than the Nano (and weight is very important when pocket carrying) and smaller too. My CM9 has been totally reliable from day one and has fed everything I've put through it (i have heard some reports of the Nano being ammo sensitive).

I would not pocket carry anything heavier than the CM9.

I agree that the Nano is a little on the heavy side for pocket carry. I have decided to take a look at replacing the Nano with the Kahr when funds become available.

 

[RustHunter87]

Ive been looking at the smaller guns because they give me more carry options but it would be mostly IWB, pocket carry would be rare but I also routinely have a 22 once hammer hanggin from my pants so the extra 4 oz is not gonna pull my pants down.

The internet buzz on this gun seems to go both ways as it does with any thing, opinions vary and some folks get lemons, Thanks for all responses so far guys but im still on the fence.

 

[WYO]

The Nano is kinda clunky and topheavy. The boxy rear of the slide is not conducive to a smooth draw from a pocket. I cannot speak to the reliability issue becasue I decided it was not for me while I was still breaking it in. I much prefer the Sig P938 in the pocket application, but that gun has had its share of reviews that go both ways, especially on the early ones.

 

[LightningMan]

Never shot the Nano but did dry-fire one at my LGS and was not impressed as it seemed long and heavy compared to any of my 3 Kahrs that I have. Just my 2 cents, LM.

 

[J.R.W.]

I just traded into one. Sunday I fired the first 50 rounds through it. I was shooting MBC SmallBall over AA#5 as I can't locate any 9mm factory ammo at the moment for some odd reason. The first 12 rounds felt awkward between the grip and trigger pull so I set it back down. After shooting a few revolvers for a while, I went back to the Nano. The second "round" went much better with it. I didn't shoot for groups as I'm more concerned with practical accuracy. At 7 yards, the 8" steel plates were easy to hit regularly shooting fast enough to allow for sight alignment.

I'm waiting on some Federal HydraShok and Hornady Critical Duty to run through it. Overall, I like the little bugger. While the slide does seem awkwardly tall compared to the grip position, recoil is still manageable. I really wish Kahr would get their act together with the magazine followers as I really like my CW45, however I've experienced two cracked followers. The Beretta magazines seem to be much better quality. I realize I'm comparing apples and oranges and stoking the 9mm vs. 45ACP debate here, but it is the only basis for comparison I can offer.

 

[WRGADog]

I own a Nano, PM9, and Kimber Solo. I like the Nano very much, but it is a little larger and heavier than the other two. I pocket carry with a DeSantis Nemisis holster. All of these guns perform fine and I have ~500 rounds through each with no problems. You will not be disappointed with the Nano.

 

[CDW4ME]

My Nano write up: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=713864
Nothing has changed.

 

[skyscratcher5150]

I have had 2 Nano's (it was a phase) I thought they were good guns until I bought the Springfield XDS. I fell in love with that and sold the Nano's. XDS has less recoil than the Nano / more accurate and shoots the mighty .45! I like the .45 due to less chance of overpenetration and it packs a wallop even with FMJ.

 

[C0untZer0]

I ended up purchasing a Rohrbaugh R9

I thought the Nano was a little clunky and a little bit too big for pocket carry.

If I had to choose between the Nano and the Kahr CM9 - I'd take the Kahr.

 

[WYO]

I have had 2 Nano's (it was a phase) I thought they were good guns until I bought the Springfield XDS. I fell in love with that and sold the Nano's. XDS has less recoil than the Nano / more accurate and shoots the mighty .45! I like the .45 due to less chance of overpenetration and it packs a wallop even with FMJ.

I agree with this assessment. Neither is a true pocket gun, though.

 

[cocojo]

I like my Nano a lot. I had an early one and traded it for a Shield, which I do not like at all. Bought another nano. My preferred carry is a Walther PPK 380.

 

[Cokeman]

I like my Nano a lot. I had an early one and traded it for a Shield, which I do not like at all. Bought another nano. My preferred carry is a Walther PPK 380.

Reasons?

 

[howie6769]

I've had a .25 Beretta nano for yrs and its not a bad gun its easily concealed as pocket pistol and havent had to use it for anything other than shooting targets but i would imagine its barely enough to get the job done if needed to defend yourself but i think it will work mines holds 8+1 rds and rarely has a malfunction

 

[cocojo]

The reasons is the shield just doesn't feel right to me. It's bigger than the nano plus I do not like the safety and controls being a lefty. The nano and the walther are clean pistols no bell or whistles and no levers, great ankle guns. The shield shot ok but the nano shot better. I did have a failure to extract with the shield. My nano has been great along with the Walther. Now the Nano does sit higher in my hand and I do wish it had just a bit longer grip. The walther PPK is excellent. I bought a set of grips for the ppk which are outstanding.

 

[Rawss]

the beretta forum mods are losers.

 

[bannockburn]

I checked out a Nano and a PM9 at the same time. The Nano just felt top heavy and didn't balance well in my hand. The grip angle was also a little too upright for me and made it tough to quickly acquire the sights. The PM9 felt much more comfortable and ergonomic, like it was designed with my hand size in mind. It also seemed to be easier and faster at getting the sights on target. Bottom line: I went with the Kahr.

 

[Billy Shears]

I'd keep looking till I found the Walther PPS if I were you. Your local gun shops may not have one in stock, but most dealers will happily order one for you if you ask them. I don't think it can be beat among compact 9s. As I said in another thread:

In my opinion, this is the best overall concealed carry gun on the market today, hands down. Dimensionally, it's about the same size as a PPK, but instead of firing a .32 or .380 -- both marginal cartridges at best -- it fires a 9mm, and is capable of handling the +P loads in that caliber. Thanks to the low bore axis and good ergonomics, the recoil is not at all excessive, despite being a lightweight, compact pistol, and the pistol is thinner in cross section than any comparable gun. Some of the Kahr pistols are comparable in size, weight, and caliber, but Kahrs have a spotty reputation for reliability that Walther doesn't have. I have personal experience of this, having owned a TP-40 that couldn't be made to run reliably after two trips back to the factory (and the shop I bought that gun from has stopped carrying Kahrs because of the number of guns they've had to return to the factory for service). Finally, the gun has a versatility unmatched by any other compact gun, thanks to the three different magazines available with it. The 6 round mag fits flush with the short grip, which allows only a two-fingered grip on the gun, but maximizes concealability for when this is needed. The 8 round mag, which has an integral grip boot at the base, makes the grip nearly as long as a full size pistol, allowing not only increased ammo capacity, but maximum controllability, and is ideal for when heavier clothing or other circumstance permits carry in this mode. In between is a 7 round mag, also with a grip boot, that makes a perfect compromise between the two: the grip is short enough that the weapon will disappear under all but the lightest of clothing, but just long enough to afford a three-finger grip.

I've only just acquired mine, and only have a few hundred rounds through it so far, but it's run flawlessly so far, and I expect it to continue to do so. The interchangeable back straps are a nice option too, to allow you to fit the gun to your hand better.

 

[HKGuns]

I wanted to and really tried to like it but the controls and operation were just plain silly. I can't even remember what it was about it exactly that I didn't like, but there was something really weird about it that turned me off.