Langdon Tactical: Beretta 92 Red Dot Mod

Red-dot-sighted pistols are one of the hottest firearm trends. Almost every pistol manufacturer now offers at least one optics-ready model. However, when it comes to the Beretta 92, the basis for the former sidearm issued to the U.S. military, shooters interested in attaching a red dot were out of luck. This is because the firing pin block of the Beretta 92 protrudes from the top of the slide as you pull the trigger, making red-dot mounting an engineering hurdle that Beretta hasn't tackled. The aftermarket attempts were less than ideal, which included mounting a rail on the rear sight dovetail.

Langdon Tactical Technologies (LTT), a custom Beretta 92 gunsmithy, which has worked hand-in-hand with Beretta for years, released a red-dot optic (RDO) modification for these pistols. LTT is offering complete guns, complete slides with their red-dot mount, or will do the work to your slide.

LTT's first mounting plate accommodates the Trijicon RMR pattern. From the firing pin channel to the center of the RMR’s window measures just .84 inch, which is about as low as you’ll see a red dot mounted on any pistol. It’s so low that the top of the left-side safety/decocking lever has to be cut down to fit under it. (LTT prefers using the G-model decocker-only lever.)

Prefer another optic to Trijicon's RMR pattern? A mounting plate to accept Docter-pattern sights is already in the works.

Who is LTT?

LTT is the company of Ernest Langdon, national and world champion Beretta shooter who has been working on this project for years. There are millions of Beretta 92s on the market, and Langdon deliberately designed his RDO upgrade so it could be retrofitted to any slide. He wanted the dot to be as low as possible, and to accomplish that he had to redesign five parts in the slide: the firing pin, firing pin block, extractor pin, safety plunger and the safety lever. All the new parts are machined from 17-4 stainless steel and heat treated to H900, which is Beretta's spec, for the ultimate in durability and corrosion resistance.

The new firing pin block required the most effort, and it is now held in place by the firing pin. LTT completed extensive drop testing of this new firing pin and block design with zero issues.

The mounting plate is anodized aluminum to keep weight down, and is the same width as the slide. The front of the plate is dovetailed into the slide, and it is held in place by three screws. It is deliberately set back far enough on the slide so that the bigger window of the Trijicon SRO, which has the same footprint as the RMR, does not overhang the chamber.

The rear of the plate has an integral suppressor-height sight, a plain black notch. That is paired with a tall front sight, and whether you’re running an RMR or SRO you can use the sights through the window of the optic. At the time of this writing, just white-dot front sights are available, but other options are being considered.

There are bosses in the front of the plate to fit the RMR base, and in the middle of the plate the mounting screws feature raised bosses to provide additional stability. The slides are given a Cerakote finish once the mount is installed.

If you want the RDO alteration done to your Beretta 92 slide, LTT charges $352 and projects a 2 to 4 week turnaround. Also, they are offering complete LTT RDO custom guns, full-size, Centurion, or Compact models, starting at $1,495. LTT has guns in stock. If you just want a new slide, a complete assembly minus the barrel and recoil spring will run you $562. LTT has these in stock, too.

For more information, visit langdontactical.com.

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