I too am a Colt .45 lover. Recently bought a SS Gold Cup Trophy and a couple of .38 supers. I will be getting a 9mm barrel for one of the .38 supers since I can't find a NIB 9mm Colt. But to respond to your questions....
I've had the Elite 9mm and the SA stainless loaded 9mm. My Elite was flawless and I really hated to trade it but I already had two Elite IIs so in the end I couldn't justify keeping the Elite (I do regret trading it though since it is one of the few "G" models and I liked the two-tone look). And don't forget that at least you have those 15/17 round mags for the Beretta which is really fun at the range, etc.
Anyway, I purchased the SA stainless loaded 9mm and out of the box the gun would rarely go into battery (once in a while a Blazer would feed but not any brass or nickel cased 9mm rounds...really weird). Slide would not close all the way and when closed 3/4 way it took a herd of elephants to open and clear the gun. A gunsmith said the chamber was mis-sized while someone else mentioned it could have been too much tension on the extractor (or some other part, can't remember). SA would pay shipping BOTH WAYS to fix the gun for me but I traded it to a smith that was going to work on it. I was extremely disappointed but must tell you that I know several people that have them and they have been flawless. I also had a SA V16 Longslide that came with a 9 pound trigger (instead of 4 1/2-51/2 as advertised) that I could hardly pull. Again, SA would have paid for me to ship it back to them but I was beginning to see a pattern that I didn't like....that being poor initial quality but good customer service/repair. I just don't have that much time to ship my guns back and forth. Or maybe I just got 2 lemons. Had a smith fix the V16 and sold it.
I also purhased a SA Ultra Compact Lightweight 9mm. This gun has been PERFECT and it is a sweet little gun to shoot. So I guess it's just the luck of the draw. I would certainly check the SA over and maybe see if ammo feed and ejected properly. I haven't heard of anyone else having negative comments about the SA fullsize 9mm.
I just can't compare Beretta Elites/Elite IIs to a 1911 9mm. They're just different. The Elite's slide racks like it is on ball bearings and it's a very solid gun (albiet with a DA/SA trigger). And don't forget those 15 round factory/17 round MecGar mags that perform reliably!! Certainly the Beretta is not like shooting a single action 1911. But, if you could at all do it, why not sell some of your hi-caps and try to keep the Elite and still buy the SA 9mm? I know money doesn't grow on trees but it was just a suggestion.
[You didn't ask if the trade was a good deal but here's some input anyway]:
I recently traded my Beretta Elite and got $350 for it. They sell new at the shows in the Dallas area for about $429. Factory 15 round mags sell for about $30-50 at the shows depending on condition, etc. A NIB SA Loaded 9mm sells for around $650 at the shows. My question would be, what are you getting for the Elite and what are you getting for the eight high cap mags? Depending on the answer you may be better off selling the mags yourself and just trading the gun. I think my trade for $350 was actually a little low but I was trading 2 guns which this dealer didn't especially want to do and he had the gun I wanted so.....I went ahead and traded.
If the trade is out the door even (no cash at all) then I guess it is a good deal since you'll also be saving sales tax.
I've had the Elite 9mm and the SA stainless loaded 9mm. My Elite was flawless and I really hated to trade it but I already had two Elite IIs so in the end I couldn't justify keeping the Elite (I do regret trading it though since it is one of the few "G" models and I liked the two-tone look). And don't forget that at least you have those 15/17 round mags for the Beretta which is really fun at the range, etc.
Anyway, I purchased the SA stainless loaded 9mm and out of the box the gun would rarely go into battery (once in a while a Blazer would feed but not any brass or nickel cased 9mm rounds...really weird). Slide would not close all the way and when closed 3/4 way it took a herd of elephants to open and clear the gun. A gunsmith said the chamber was mis-sized while someone else mentioned it could have been too much tension on the extractor (or some other part, can't remember). SA would pay shipping BOTH WAYS to fix the gun for me but I traded it to a smith that was going to work on it. I was extremely disappointed but must tell you that I know several people that have them and they have been flawless. I also had a SA V16 Longslide that came with a 9 pound trigger (instead of 4 1/2-51/2 as advertised) that I could hardly pull. Again, SA would have paid for me to ship it back to them but I was beginning to see a pattern that I didn't like....that being poor initial quality but good customer service/repair. I just don't have that much time to ship my guns back and forth. Or maybe I just got 2 lemons. Had a smith fix the V16 and sold it.
I also purhased a SA Ultra Compact Lightweight 9mm. This gun has been PERFECT and it is a sweet little gun to shoot. So I guess it's just the luck of the draw. I would certainly check the SA over and maybe see if ammo feed and ejected properly. I haven't heard of anyone else having negative comments about the SA fullsize 9mm.
I just can't compare Beretta Elites/Elite IIs to a 1911 9mm. They're just different. The Elite's slide racks like it is on ball bearings and it's a very solid gun (albiet with a DA/SA trigger). And don't forget those 15 round factory/17 round MecGar mags that perform reliably!! Certainly the Beretta is not like shooting a single action 1911. But, if you could at all do it, why not sell some of your hi-caps and try to keep the Elite and still buy the SA 9mm? I know money doesn't grow on trees but it was just a suggestion.
[You didn't ask if the trade was a good deal but here's some input anyway]:
I recently traded my Beretta Elite and got $350 for it. They sell new at the shows in the Dallas area for about $429. Factory 15 round mags sell for about $30-50 at the shows depending on condition, etc. A NIB SA Loaded 9mm sells for around $650 at the shows. My question would be, what are you getting for the Elite and what are you getting for the eight high cap mags? Depending on the answer you may be better off selling the mags yourself and just trading the gun. I think my trade for $350 was actually a little low but I was trading 2 guns which this dealer didn't especially want to do and he had the gun I wanted so.....I went ahead and traded.
If the trade is out the door even (no cash at all) then I guess it is a good deal since you'll also be saving sales tax.
