The Beretta Nano; a 9mm pocket rocket with a sleek design from a reliable company. It is Beretta’s first-ever striker-fired pistol. How does it hold up as a good option for concealed carry? Let’s find out!
Size
The Nano comes in a 5.6″ in length, 4.17″ in height and just .9″ wide. For a comparison it’s a little smaller than the Glock 26 & 27, but still pretty comfortable in the hand. The narrow width of it allows for only a single stack magazine, and ammo capacity is rather limited at 6+1.
Look & Feel
At first glance, I had an initial impression that went like this: “Yikes, that thing is an ugly mess”. After owning it for a few months and taking it to the range on a regular basis, I have to say that it really grew on me. The more I looked at the slide, the more it’s rather bizarre design became very appealing.
The whole firearm is sleek and snag-free. If you look closely, there is nothing on either side to catch on anything such as clothing. No external safety, no slide release, no nothing. This sleek look does take some getting used to though. If you’re used to pushing down on a slide release to chamber a round, you’ll need to get over that quickly with the Nano. If your slide is back when you put your magazine in, you’ll need to pull back on the slide for it to proceed forward. Furthermore, if you’d like to close the slide after the last round has exited, you’ll need to first drop the magazine and then you’re able to pull back on the slide and let it move forward. To be honest, it’s pretty annoying at first. Don’t worry though, you’ll get used to it.
If you notice on the image above, the serial number is etched on the chassis of the firearm instead of on the grip frame itself. This allow for the entire frame to be replaced with relative ease. It’s a pretty neat concept for people who would like color options, or even a larger grip to accommodate their bigger hands.
Also notice on the frame, there is a ‘teardrop’ indent above and to the left of the trigger guard. It’s on both sides for left-handed and right-handed shooters. This serves as a very comfortable and easy to find resting place for the tip of your finger when you are not actively shooting. It’s a nice incorporation because that’s where your finger should be if you aren’t pulling the trigger.
Safeties
Much like a Glock, the Nano sports internal safeties instead of external (except for the trigger safety, very similar to the Glock trigger safety). It is designed, like any other modern firearm, to only fire when the trigger is pulled. Some people will only carry firearms with an external safety that they can visually inspect to ensure that it’s ‘safe’. If this is something that you look for, the Nano may not be for you. It’s the same reason you don’t own a Glock.
Sights
The Nano factory sights are a pretty standard 3-dot system. They can be adjusted with the provided hex wrench, or better yet replace them with better sights.
Concealability
Straight from the manufacturer, they hit it on the head with this honest statement:
Whether you like to carry inside the waistband, on the belt or in an ankle holster, the Nano will meet and surpass your needs. At less than 1″ wide and just over 5″ overall length, it will disappear for ideal concealment and will not “print” thanks to its flat, low profile. Also, its organic, protrusion-free design will not dig into your body as you carry it, and its polymer frame and advanced metal coating will make it highly resistant to sweat–even on hot summer days.
It really is a sleek design and will hide nicely in many conditions. With it’s thinness, it can ride closer to your body than others in the same class.
Take-down
Hands down, I’m not a fan. I know I know, I’m spoiled. Here is a video that demonstrates the process of field-stripping a Nano:
Reliability
I owned this firearm for about 8 months and during that time, put 1,200 rounds down range with it. The very first shot that I took with it was a double feed. I chalked it up to me not cleaning it thoroughly before I took it out (which I do with every gun I buy) because after that one instance of error, I had no other glitches. It was a very reliable and accurate firearm (and a real pleasure to shoot).
Conclusion
If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive and compact 9mm for concealed carry, this may be the firearm you’re looking for. If you are brand new to shooting, the fact that it has no slide release shouldn’t be much of an issue for you. On the other hand, if you are familiar with firearms and used to that slide release, this will probably take some getting used to.
