Darryl Bolke once said to me “There are two kinds of triggers. Shooting triggers and thinking triggers.” The Beretta 92D LTT is a thinking trigger that you can really shoot.
You Can’t Buy a Beretta 92D-LTT
Truth be told, I struggled for a while with whether or not I should even write this review. The reason is because this gun is 1 of 1, there isn’t another one on the planet. The Beretta 92D LTT was built by Langdon Tactical for John Johnston of Ballistic Radio. Unfortunately for John, he doesn’t get along great with iron sights any more. Knowing that I am a fan of both double action revolvers and 92-series Berettas, he sold me the gun. Which is how I became the owner of the only 92D-LTT on the planet.
Thinking Triggers vs Shooting Triggers
Before we go on, we need to explain what the 92D is and why you’d want it. The “D” in the 90-series Beretta stands for “double action only,” which means a 92D is going to have a DAO, revolver-esque trigger for every shot. A “normal” Beretta 92 is double action for the first shot, and single action for all subsequent shots. This takes back to the conversation about thinking triggers and shooting triggers. A shooting trigger is one that’s designed to make the shot process as easy as possible. Think about a well tuned 1911 trigger, or the triggers on some striker fired pistols, like the Walther Q5. Those are shooting triggers.
A thinking trigger, on the other hand, gives the operator more time to visually process what’s going on. A thinking trigger can still be a good trigger, for example a nicely tuned S&W Model 10 is a thinking trigger that’s also a good trigger. Thinking triggers matter, especially to people who frequently have to hold people at gunpoint but maybe don’t need to shoot those people.
The Double Action Craze
During the mass changeover to semi-automatic pistols from double action revolvers, for a brief period of time double action only automatics were very popular with law enforcement. Some of this stemmed from wanting a similar trigger to their old revolvers. Some departments were concerned about liability and thought that a DAO auto would be harder to negligently discharge. Others misunderstood the value of a thinking trigger but lucked into them by trying to get a gun with a “consistent” trigger pull. Regardless, every major manufacturer making guns for law enforcement had a double-action only auto in their catalog.
Beretta’s entry was the 92/96D models. The 92D was adopted by several agencies, however Beretta’s biggest sales success in their DAO catalog remains the 96D. This was the duty gun for the Border Patrol for years. It wasn’t long until shooting enthusiasts discovered that the DAO triggers on the D-series guns were excellent, and on par with anything the S&W factory had ever put in a revolver.
How we Got the 92D LTT
Fast forward to 2020, and obviously DAO autos have fallen out of favor. However, Berettas were hotter than ever, with Langdon Tactical dropping their LTT series. Over at Ballistic Radio, John had the idea to create a carry gun that combined the best features of a thinking trigger with the trigger improvements Langdon offered. The result was the 92D LTT. As mentioned, he sold it to me.
Beretta 92D LTT Specifications
It’s a double action 9mm that uses Beretta mags, so capacity is 15-20 depending on the magazine. The most important specification is the trigger pull, which is absolutely fantastic. It’s around 7 pounds and pulls completely smooth to the rear with no creep or stacking. The only DAO triggers I’ve experienced that are better are on revolvers with highly tuned custom action jobs. Unlike earlier 92D series guns, the LTT also has an accessory rail, so it can host weapon mounted lights, such as the Surefire X300. It’s blacked out rear sight pairs nicely with a red fiber optic front sight.
Shooting the 92D LTT
To test the gun, I ran it though a very simple evaluation. Shoot some groups, shoot The Super Test, and shoot a club level IDPA match. The groups were a breeze. At 25 yards off a bag, the smallest group came in right at 2 inches with Federal Premium 124 grain HST rounds. The Super Test, which is a marksmanship challenge consisting of 30 shots at various distances on a B8 target was similarly easy.
Last, we get to the IDPA match. Short version: I handily won Stock Service Pistol at this club level match, thanks in no small part to the accuracy and shootabiilty of the 92D LTT. The pleasant trigger pull, good sights, and accuracy all added up to being able to consistently put rounds exactly where I wanted them.
As of now, the Beretta 92D LTT is my dedicated home defense gun. I wanted something with a thinking trigger, the ability to get good hits one handed, and host a WML. I trust this gun absolutely with my family’s personal safety.
Getting a 92D LTT
Unfortunately, you can’t buy one of these. However, you can buy an existing Beretta 92D, which will probably be a police trade in, and send it to Langdon for an action job. That will get you pretty close, and the end result will be a dream to shoot…especially if you’re a fan of a double action revolver, but want more ammo on board.
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