Many folks have the sister model 87 and think that is Beretta's most accurate .22. I handled an 87 and wasn't impressed, but never shot one.

 

This thread is tailor made for LdBennett. I think he has had as much experience with these pistols as anyone on RFC forum.:t

 

I Like It Best

I've had an 89 for about 5 years now and just love it. Sold both 42's, didn't think they were as accurate. And the Beretta takes every type of ammo, exception is Remington Yellow Jackets, horrible ammo.

It took me 3 years to find the 89 here in Canada, and it's a keeper along with the Browning Medallist and a lot of love for a Ruger Hunter Target. All good .22's but the Beretta is tops.

 

Last year, as I started getting back in to 22 target pistols, I decided I really liked the 89, so decided to try to "fix the issues". Rink supplied me a semi custom set of orthopedic grips which are at least as fine as any I have ever seen! Truly close to perfection for me. Then, my new LGS (also a teriffic bullseye shooter) worked on the trigger. It is now 2 1/2 lbs, very little take up, and virtually no creep

Currently I have the factory iron sight on it for CMP, just found a wider front sight blade at Brownell! I also have a Picatinny rail for a dot sight, likely a Burris FF3.

The gun is easily the match for my Hammerli 208, S&W 41 and HS Victor, although I suspect some of that is the wonderful grips. The 208 has factory orthopedic grips, the 41 has Fung grips, and the Victor has Vitarbos.

Shot it last night, off hand at 25 yards, seems quite accurate, I can hold the 9 ring, but plan to take it to the long line later with a rest and compare it to the some of the others. Luckily, there is an enclosed range with 50 yard indoor targets not too far from home.:AR15firin

 

I bought an 89 the year they came out and sold it about 5 years ago.. Incredibly rekliable and quite accurate. The trigger was somewhat different than most target grade guns. It did not have a clean snap but rather rolled off . some liked and some did not. Mind came with a 2 1/4 pound pull. It also came with three front sight widths and 3 grip sizes were available from Italy.

at the time it was considered a high end target grade pistol and the equal to it's peers, the high Standards, 41's and the upper end Benellis. I did not think it was an Olympic grade pistol like some of the Walther's, Hammerli's but they were more expensive. It was more than good for my needs and was so right out of the box. Never went to a smith.

My only concern now would be parts. I soild it to a friend and we had to get two new magazines from the factory.

Still, a very fine firearm.

 

I have no experience with the 89 but do have an 87T. Initially it was a disappointment.

The trigger had a huge amount of creep with no over travel stop. You pulled forever and somewhere in the pull the gun went off...terrible!

Add to that the misrepresentation by Beretta of the weight of the gun. The gun was suppose to weight around 40 ounces (pretty much the standard for target pistols) but weighed closer to 30 ounces.The stability of the aim was compromised due to the light weight.

And finally the barrel crown was done off center. Several posters, not all, that reported here also had an off center crown.

For all of these problems I paid a premium. But I fixed it all and the gun is now a respectable target pistol. The trigger repair cost a modified 89 trigger with an over travel stop and a trigger job to minimize the creep. I added a UltraDot red dot to get a few more ounces of weight and increase sighting accuracy. I cut off the factory crown on a lathe and replace it with a 90 degree target crown that was chamfered into the bore.

I will add that the gun minimizes the parts count to give parts multiple functions. The result was a nightmare to get the gun back together and I have take a gun or two apart over the last 30 years.

I still like my Hi Std Trophy and Victor better as well as my Model 41. Probably my favorite is my Benelli MP90S Olympic style target pistol.

LDBennett

 

89GS is a terrific gun but I'm sure its not in the same league as proper target guns, from what I've ready. I'd like to add am 87T to my collection at some point.

 

What model target guns are you comparing it to? Makes a big difference.

89GS is a terrific gun but I'm sure its not in the same league as proper target guns,

 

Hammerli, Pardini, Walther, etc

 

I have several Olympic pistols, including these, and would agree with you. It wasn't really priced there either. To me, it is in the same league as the S&W 41, High Std Victor, & Volquartson Scorpion. Definitely up from the Ruget Mark 2-3, BuckMark, and the new S&W Victory, although all of these can be modified into **** good target pistols. For the money, at the time, the 89 was a pretty decent pistol. I've never even seen a 87T, what I have read suggests it was downscale from the 89, although certainly cannot verify that. Parts are definitely an issue with the 89.

 

Interestingly, 89's sell for less than 87's or 87T's. One went on GB for $6xx recently. At the high end, a complete LNIB w/ case and all factory accessories went for 2x that over the past summer. That was a serious aberration though.

 

Yea, the 89 was never popular, wasn't made all that many years (or at least imported). Plus, the 8 round mag is kind of goofy, and no longer available. Finally, not much available aftermarket, and its often unclear which Model 87 parts interchange. Italian attention to the detail (lol). Certainly wouldn't recommend it as a 1st gun or daily shooter to anyone.

I collect target 22s, and really appreciate the 89 as a fine target pistol. For me, it's looks and ergonomics are as good any 22 pistols of the same time period.