ltwguns.com

Ladies & Gentlemen,
If anyone is interested in a super accurate and reliable gun for competition, or just a fun light-recoiling shooter that uses some of the most inexpensive ammo around, you might be interested in these. I’m posting these pictures at the request of a few of our members, but they are not of “new” guns for me. They are simply to show some available options for the few 9mm or Beretta fans left. Dave does not always do “Full House” Berettas. I’ve seen and shot quite a few that he’s just slicked up for duty use or IDPA shooters, and they are pretty darn nice, too. So…


My lowly “Plain Jane” Beretta. I got this after Dave rebuilt it for a guy who decided it necessary to have his local hacksaw “gunsmith” fix it. They managed to break one of the rails (the center one without the tool steel inserts), and destroy the feed ramp because it “needed polishing.” Funny, because the guns and magazines are tuned so the rounds are almost a perfect direct feed.


The left side view. Notice that this gun actually wears his older “SCG” logo, where newer guns wear “Sams Custom Gunworks.” The SCG logo is now usually only seen on mounts or guns that don’t allow for the longer text. The guns he built while still in Alabama/Georgia, as well as a few he built when he first came back to Virginia, have an acid etched Eagle Logo. That logo was a really good-looking one, but hard to duplicate due to the process used and not conducive to refinishing.


The right side. I shoot skeets lined up on the range backstop at 50yds with this gun when I take it out. I’m not good enough to do it with great regularity from a standing bullseye position, but it is pretty easy to get consistent hits when shooting from a bench. This is the same gun that has won numerous national and international competitions since the mid-90s. Dave Sams developed the gun. Many people imitate Dave’s build, and he really doesn’t mind all that much.

The Marine Corps uses about 80% of the processes in their guns, and Tony Kidd had built similar guns when he retired from the AMU (he learned the build from Dave’s guns at the AMU), but has gone back to AMU as a civilian and no longer builds them. Col. Johnson gave Dave the orders to develop the Beretta to replace the 1911 as the service pistol for bullseye, and he worked on it over a long period to get it to where it is. Some small changes have been made, but it is almost identical to the guns he built for the AMU. FWIW, he now uses almost all KKM barrels, and still builds Berettas for the Air Force shooting team and many members of the Michigan State Police team, as well as quite a few high-level civilian bullseye shooters.


Dave’s barrel bushing allows for refitting (if ever necessary)


A “Full House” compensated wadcutter gun with Ultra-Dot on Dave’s custom mount. This mount can be removed and reinstalled without any change in zero and total repeatability. The comp is his own make as well, and can be removed with a torx wrench.


This matched pair he did for a lucky customer shows one with the red dot and comp installed and the other set up for service pistol matches. The .22lr conversion units are totally rebuilt and fit to the individual guns, and receive the same attention to detail as the 9mm guns. They shoot dots with good ammo, and function with absolute reliability.


A close-up of the bushing/comp mating and the custom spanner wrench used for replacing the thread protector for when the comp is off. The comp is very simple, and very secure.


The whole package. The gun can be used for service pistol, centerfire, rimfire, and if you felt so inspired, it would function very well as an IPSC minor caliber gun. The wrench at the bottom is for the .22lr conversion bushing.


A detailed view of the re-lined .22lr conversion unit’s muzzle end. The bushing is removable, but there is really no need to ever remove it.


A view of the top of the compensated match grade Beretta. Notice the green fiber optic insert on the front sight. This is the only difference between the two guns, as the other is red. Dave makes his own sights since there are no aftermarket front sights for Berettas and adds fiber optic rod.


One last view. The trigger shoes are great for shooting single action only, as bullseye matches are. They come off with ease should you want to actually use the DA mode. Unlike many 9mm pistols out there, these seem to prefer hotter ammo, and generally shoot better with it.


Thanks for looking, & I hope you enjoyed it.

~JIm Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Jim,

Does David Sams use special rails like accurails in his Beretta modifications? Could we see pictures of these?

From my understanding from BE friend David Sams and Tony Kidd are the ones to go to for Beretta Hardball guns. I think both were from the AMU at Fort Benning.

Thanks,
Lester

Lester,

Dave does use tool steel inserts for the front and rear rails, and machines the slide to match. These pictures are some I took about a year ago, and I do not have a Beretta here at school to photograph. He does extensive work to the locking block and the frame area where the locking block rides. I will try to get some photos of this next time I get home or to his shop.

As for the Tony Kidd/AMU reference, this is what I wrote about under the 3rd picture down. Sorry for the confusing post style. I just wanted to put text under each picture to try something a little different.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Jim

Man can you take photos. I got to shoot the new toy this morning. What I like about it is the gun dosn't draw attention to itself. Most people think it just a 92 with adjustable sights. The best comment I received was the two guys with their girl friends talking to each other "man that guy has shot 40 or so rounds one handed and all of them are in the BLACK" I then proceded to pull the next two shots into the 7 ring. I'm extremely happy with my new purchase. However, thanks to you I will need to place a call to David & get one of the trigger shoes. I'm just a freak for them. They really make the trigger pull feel about a pound lighter. Thanks for posting the photos.

TJ

I still have some of my well known aluminum trigger shoes for most popular pistols at $10.00 each. They sure do make the pull feel lighter, its like picking up a weight with one finger or three.

Sorry, I missed the part on Tony Kidd. I was just in awe of your great pictures.

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Lester Wang

Jim-

Ya done real, real good with the pics and the info. But you think mebbe, we should stop telling these good folks about Dave? At least until we get a couple of more guns built?

_________________
Sic Semper Tyrannis

Now I would like to see this done on my favorite double action 9mm,
the Sig 226.

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''ya can't argue logic with ignorance.''

Machinist,

I met Dave through George Harris, who at the time was assistant director of training at SigArms Academy. The original idea was to make an M11 Sig into a match gun since it was, indeed, a service pistol. The reason it never went into big-time R&D with AMU is because the "Sig is not a standard issue sidearms, and only issued under special circumstances." Dave can do it, will do it, and would like to. He's already put a lot of thought into it, and I know for certain that his Sig action jobs are just as good as the Beretta. The biggest negative factor factor in the Sigs is the smaller size of the frame rails. Youd have to really do an overhaul to install steel inserts. But, like I said, it can be done and he would. I think he, like many other good machinists/gunsmiths, likes a little different challenge now and then just to keep him on his toes. If you are really serious about it, I'd give him a call.

Witherspoon,

The wait can be prevented... just do like me and fill out a few blank tickets and space them out over a period of time. If you have no need for one when the time comes for your build, he'll move it back. You've had some great luck with timing when you've taken your guns in. You seem to plan your drop off with his "take a break from big jobs" work. Maybe you have a better "in" than me, or maybe it's because he knows you have a job and I don't. Dang!

(Think .38 Super)

GOD Bless, and have a safe and happy Easter.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Thanks for the info and photos. I guess I'm one of the few Beretta fans out there. In fact my Beretta 96 Compact is one of my favorite guns of all time, much to my surprise.

Plus, it's nice to see the words "match" and "Beretta" used in the same post for once.

I'm also a Beretta fan, all the way from The Netherlands, Europe
(Yes the capital is Amsterdam, with the legal soft drugs (weed, stuff, mushrooms), legal prostitutes etc.

I took the picture from the Beretta site, cause i don't have a real one (picture) from mine.

Beretta 92 Stock



Very accurate, and a very nice gun 2 shoot with. The extra options that are on it, are defenitly worth the money.

Thicker slide
Extended magazine catch
Checkerd front strap
Checkerd front serrations
Barrel ring
Frame mounted safety
Slampad magazines

I post this gun on an other US gun forum, and only a few knew about it's exicstance.

Greetings

Vincent.

Dude, you kick ass that is sweet.

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''ya can't argue logic with ignorance.''

Those are some nice looking pistols. What would something like that cost?
And who would do it for less than a "high profile" shooter?
I wish there were more customized/target M9 pictures avalible. The M9 is the only pistol that even comes close to the 1911 in looks.
Thanks for the pict's.

Bill-

Below is Dave Sams website:

http://www.samscustomgunworksusa.com/pa ... /index.htm

He doesn't list prices on the site, but if you give him a call he will stop whatever he is doing and discuss and price whatever you may want/need.

Hope this helps.

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Sic Semper Tyrannis

Bill,

Witherspoon's answer was dead on... Dave, like most any good gunsmith trying to earn a living, will stop whatever it is he is doing to discuss his work. As for being a "high profile" shooter, that's not an issue at all. Every gun is built the same, regardless of the name on the ticket. If you want variations in the photos, that might take me a while. Dave's Beretta builds, because of their nature, are usually only done for competitive shooting, but I have seen and shot a few that he'd done for IDPA shooters and a few SWAT teams around the country. He does the build on the Brigadier, Centurion, and Vertec models, as well as any of those in .40 Caliber (he does a helluva 357 Sig Conversion, too). With Dave and the Beretta, the possibilities are pretty much endless, and limited only by your imagination. Give him a call, as I'm sure he'd be more than happy to discuss anything you want.

GOD Bless.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

How much does adding a match barrel and trigger job improve accuracy? I prefer a more "stealth" look. Would those two things help a lot or is that custom barrel bushing needed for any competition or bullseye accuracy on a Beretta 92?

Thanks guys. What can I say, I have a real weak spot for truly custom work.

Hoser,

Man, that's a tough question to answer. As for the re-barreling making a gun competition ready, a lot would depend on how good the factory barrel is, and what kind of competition you want to shoot. If you have a rare barrel that will shoot one hole at 25yds, it might not do anything for accuracy. If you have a common Beretta barrel that shoots around 3-5" with the best ammo for it, it will most certainly help. A trigger job won't change accuracy at all, per se, but only help the gun feel better to you, thus helping you shoot it better. Will a re-barrel make it bullseye type match ready? Maybe, but I doubt it. The frame rails, locking block set screws, oversized barrel, and barrel bushing, all work together to give as close to absolute repeatability as possible, and also eliminate the steel to aluminum wear points. Just like in a 1911, mechanical repeatability is a must for match accuracy. If you like the stealth look, I have shot a few of the guns Dave built for a well-known SWAT team that looked darn near factory and wore a small set of Novak sights. The biggest change in appearance is the sights, so if you stay with low profile sights the difference in outward appearance would be minimal, aside from the stainless barrel and bushing, which he can blacken as well (just like my Dan Wesson Razorback). I hope this helped.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Exuse me Jim for butting in here , but you forgot to tell hoser that Dave will fire the barrel through his own test bed fixture to find out just what the barrel is capable of. Then the gun's owner can decide what he wants to do about a barrel. Makes for a pretty good informed decision I'd say.

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Sic Semper Tyrannis

... what he said

Thanks, Chip!

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Is the Brigadier slide thicker than the std. slide?

Bill,

IIRC, the Brigadier is just a heavier 92. So, I think you're right on the slide. It's been a while since I've handled one.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Can anyone post how wide their stock 92 slide is? I have a Brig, and just want to know if it is taller and reprofied, or if its wider too.

Thanks