Beretta Nano is like a Volkswagen Beetle with Bugatti engines. A powerful, concealable pistol that functions flawlessly and one of the top-rated handguns today! I have been searching for a well-designed, low profile, powerful, and accurate concealed carry pistol ideal for self-defense. Then I finally found the Beretta Nano, a sub-compact, locked-breech, striker-fired, recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9mm. This sub-compact pistol is exactly what I have in mind for my everyday carry, it is Beretta's answer to the growing concealed carry market. A tiny piece of weapon that has the capability of keeping me safe especially when SHTF!
Beretta Nano: The Ideal Carry Gun
Gun Specs
Gun Specs Photo by On Point Supply
The Beretta Nano BU9 is one of the smallest sub-compact pistols on the market today. It is a slim, sleek, and snag-free concealable shooter. It is Beretta's first striker-fired pistol which is capable of delivering 6+1 9mm rounds accurately. The grip has a front and rear checkered design to keep my hold firm. The slide barrel and chamber are covered in durable black nitride coating. Nano comes with a reversible mag release that swap to the left or to the right depending on your preference. It also has an internal automatic striker block safety and a trigger drop safety common to many modern firearms which eliminate the need for external safety. To know more about the technical side, below are the specs of the Beretta Nano BU9.
- Type: Recoil-operated, striker-fired DAO-typed trigger
- Barrel Length: 3.07″
- Overall Length: 5.63″
- Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
- Capacity: 6+1
- Construction: Stainless/Alloy steel, fiberglass-reinforced technopolymer
- Finish: Black Nitride
- Grips: Integral with frame
- Sights: Removable dovetailed white dot front and rear with lock screws
- Weight: 17.1 oz.
Ease of Use and Performance
Ease of Use and Performance Photo by Guns And Ammo
The Beretta Nano is very easy to operate and shoot. It's one of the coolest guns to own. I hit the bullseye from 10 feet away on my first shot, thanks to its adjustable, low-profile, three-dot sights. Although the trigger has a heavy pull measuring about 7-8 pounds, it breaks quickly and it will feel more like a 6-pound pull. And when we talk about recoil, the slide is heavier than the grip so this helps to tame the recoil and muzzle rise when you shoot it. You just have to use the right ammo to avoid misfeeds. The Nano doesn't recommend using +P or +P+ ammo. When it comes to field stripping, the nano is easy to breakdown due to the well-thought-out takedown design of this pistol. And it can be simply done with steps illustrated well in the users manual.
Pros and Cons
Pros and Cons Photo by Guns.com
There are a lot of good features the Beretta Nano possess and one of them is the size that is ideal for concealed carry. It is ridiculously small but the best quality handgun. It is easy to operate and maintain and because the serial number is on the chassis, you can swap your polymer grip to black, brown, OD green, and even pink. The Nano's snag-free design leaves nothing to poke you when you carry it in your pocket and nothing to catch when drawing the pistol. But just like everything else, the Beretta Nano also has its downside and it is the heavy trigger pull. The trigger pull is around 7-8 pounds right out of the box. Other than that, some shooters might encounter an FTE using 115 grain but when you use 120-grain ammo or above, there's a strong possibility you will not experience a malfunction.
Overall Verdict and Price
Overall Verdict and Price Photo by Unblinking Eye
The Beretta Nano BU9 is easy to conceal, use, and maintain. It is an accurate and reliable sub-compact pistol that has the power to stop any perpetrator. Will I recommend this pistol? The answer is a resounding “hell yeah!” You can get the Beretta Nano for right around $400 or even less.
Watch this video below by hickok45 to learn more about the Beretta Nano and how it performs in the range:
Deep concealment will not be an issue for the Beretta Nano. It is definitely one of the best sub-compact pistols for home defense and personal protection. The design may not be groundbreaking, you might even see much better pistols in the near future but for now, the Nano is a perfect option in an increasingly populous niche.
Do you own a pocket pistol? How does it work for you? Share it with us in the comments section below!
Up Next: The 5 Best Pocket Sized Pistols Available
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Editor’s Note – This post was originally published on June 21, 2017 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
Featured Image and Placard Image Via beretta
Not that much smaller than my Glock 39 in .45 gap! With the standard plus 2 mag extension you have 7+1 rounds of .45 gap 200 grain rounds and it also acts as a grip extension! weight is about the same!
but for stopping power?
no contest!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/43e154d01aac9ae4b7c412077aaae8113fd30c0f1b5c8c68cd35fb93e521b5d4.jpg
My wife has had a Nano for two years. It IS a nice gun but we both dislike the trigger pull weight. My favorite pocket pistol in our house is a FEG PA-63 chambered in 9mm Makarov. Extremely accurate but quite snappy recoil. We also have a couple Bersa Thunder .380’s. I run Hornady Critical Defense ammo in all four of these pocket guns.
I’ve never fired a Glock 26 so I have nothing to compare it to. The FEG has comparable recoil to my S&W model 59 9mm. The FEG is small and light weight and has no extended beaver tail. I have large prominent first knuckles on my thumbs and the FEG really impacts that knuckle. I ground, rounded, and re-polished the frame where it impacted that knuckle to dissipate some of that painful impact.
Will it Hurt a recoil sensitive Person with weak hands and Is the slide easy to rack.Is the trigger confortable and crisp?Thank You
The recoil of the Nano is not bad at all, and the slide is easy to rack. I don’t think that someone with weaker hand strength would have a problem. As stated in the article, the Nano does have a fairly heavy trigger pull, however, it does break crisply and cleanly and has a decent reset. I believe that there is one error in the article where it says that Beretta does not recommend +P ammo. Unless they have changed that in newer models, the one I purchased a little over two years ago specifically stated in the manual that +P ammo was ok. It doesn’t say anything about +P+ ammo at all. It’s a great sub-compact pistol and I’ve been very happy with mine. Also, I rectified the problem that the Nano has with 9mm 115 grain ammo by swapping out the factory polymer guide rod with an aftermarket stainless steel guide rod. I can now shoot 115 grain ammo with no problems.
How Is recoil compared to Glock 26?Thanx very Much for your reply and your previous one
Fired 5 rounds in Glock, that was way too many.
I’m not a big fan of Glock either. My very first Polymer Striker Fired pistol was a Springfield Armory XD40 which I still have and shoot often. The SA XD series are similar to Glocks, but they have a grip safety in addition to the Glock type safety trigger. I’ve read to many stories about unintended discharges with Glocks.
I own a number of Micro 9mm’s. And the Nano is top Shelf. Extremely mild, one of the lowest tested and very little muzzle flip. Built for a 40 cal. Modular design, fantastic Striker Fired DAO trigger which is great for EDC. I own three of them. One just went through the 10,000 rd. Broke it down and still looks almost new. Solid, Rugged. A very under rated firearm. One that you can shoot a heck of a lot of rounds through and pass on to future generations.