Key Takeaways:
- Beretta’s documented history begins in 1526, when Bartolomeo Beretta delivered 185 arquebus barrels to the Arsenal of Venice.
- The Model 1915, Model 1934, MAB 38, and Model 92 document successive stages in Beretta’s military-firearms development.
- The SO over-and-under and 1301 Tactical demonstrate the company’s continuing role in sporting and semiautomatic shotgun design.
On October 3, 1526, the Arsenal of Venice recorded a payment of 296 ducats to Bartolomeo Beretta of Gardone Val Trompia for 185 arquebus barrels. The document is preserved in the State Archives of Venice and marks the formal beginning of Beretta’s recorded history. Firearms production subsequently continued through generations of the Beretta family.[1]
Beretta’s development from a barrel-making workshop into a modern firearms manufacturer can be traced through several military, sporting, and civilian designs.
Model 1915
The Model 1915 was Beretta’s first semiautomatic pistol. Chambered for the 9 mm Glisenti cartridge, it was adopted by the Royal Italian Army during the First World War.[1]
The pistol also established a design vocabulary that would recur in later Beretta handguns. Its exposed barrel and open slide became recognizable features of several subsequent military and commercial models.
Model 1934
Beretta developed the Model 1934 from its earlier Model 1923 and Model 1932 pistols. Chambered for the 9 mm Corto cartridge, commonly known in the United States as .380 ACP, it was a compact semiautomatic pistol with a seven-round magazine.[2]
The Carabinieri began issuing the Model 1934 in 1938 as a replacement for the Model 1889 revolver. It remained in Carabinieri service until 1977, when it was replaced by the Beretta Model 92S in 9 mm Parabellum.[2]
The Model 1934 retained an exposed hammer and the open-slide configuration associated with earlier Beretta pistols. Military ownership and manufacturing period can often be assessed through the serial number, proof marks, service markings, and date codes found on an individual pistol.
Model 1938 Submachine Gun
In 1935, Beretta chief engineer Tullio Marengoni returned to the mechanisms of the Model 1918 and Model 1918/30 automatic carbines. His work produced the Moschetto Automatico Beretta Model 1938, generally abbreviated MAB 38.[3]
The Model 1938 was a 9 mm, open-bolt submachine gun with a detachable box magazine, fixed wooden stock, ventilated barrel shroud, and muzzle compensator. Instead of a conventional fire selector, it had two triggers. The front trigger produced semiautomatic fire, while the rear controlled fully automatic fire.[3]
Early examples were acquired for the Italian Africa Constabulary. Beretta subsequently modified the design to meet Italian Army requirements, producing the Model 1938A. Wartime manufacturing pressures led to the Model 38/42, which had a shorter barrel and stock, no ventilated barrel shroud, and greater use of stamped components. Further simplification produced the Model 38/43 and Model 38/44.[3]
Production continued after the war in the form of the Model 38/49 series. Beretta manufactured several postwar variations before the Model 12 succeeded the design in the early 1960s.[3]
Model 950 Jetfire and Minx
Introduced in 1950, the Model 950 established a separate line of Beretta pocket pistols. Its defining feature was a pivoting barrel that exposed the chamber when a frame-mounted latch was operated. The chamber could therefore be loaded or cleared without retracting the slide.[4]
The .25 ACP version became known as the Jetfire. Beretta also produced .22 Short Minx variants, including a version with a longer barrel. The original Model 950 used two recoil springs, while later versions adopted a combined spring arrangement for the recoil system and barrel latch.[4]
The Gun Control Act of 1968 ended importation of the Model 950 into the United States. By 1978, Beretta’s Accokeek, Maryland, operation was producing the 950BS in .25 ACP. The American-made pistol added a manual thumb safety to the design.[4]
Model 92 and the M9
The immediate mechanical predecessor of the Model 92 was Beretta’s Model 1951, a single-action 9 mm pistol that used a dropping locking block beneath the barrel. Beretta combined that locking system with a double-action/single-action trigger and a double-column magazine when it developed the original Model 92 in the mid-1970s.[5]
The first Model 92 had a frame-mounted safety. The Model 92S moved the safety to the slide and incorporated a decocking function. Further development produced the 92S-1 and 92SB, which added an ambidextrous safety, a repositioned magazine release, and a firing-pin block.[5]
Beretta submitted the 92SB-F, commercially designated the 92F, to the United States military’s XM9 trials. The pistol was formally designated the M9 on January 14, 1985. Army fielding began in 1986 as the 9 mm pistol replaced older .45-caliber semiautomatic pistols and .38-caliber revolvers.[5][6]
Following slide failures during military testing and training, Beretta incorporated an enlarged hammer-axis pin intended to retain the rear portion of a fractured slide. Commercial pistols fitted with this feature were designated the Model 92FS.[5]
The M9 served as a standard American military sidearm for more than three decades. The Army began fielding the SIG Sauer M17 and M18 Modular Handgun System as its replacement in the late 2010s.[7]
The SO Over-and-Under Shotgun
Beretta completed its SO over-and-under shotgun design in 1933. Developed for hunting and target shooting, it was the company’s first Italian over-and-under design and became the foundation of Beretta’s hand-built SO series.[1]
The design marked a significant expansion of Beretta’s sporting-arms production. Unlike the military pistols and submachine guns that defined much of the company’s early 20th-century output, SO shotguns emphasized individually fitted mechanisms, sidelock construction, finishing, and engraving.
For collectors, the exact model designation, gauge, barrel dimensions, proof marks, engraving, and factory records are more informative than the broad SO name. These details distinguish individual grades and configurations within a series that has developed over several generations.
The 1301 Tactical
The 1301 Tactical is a 12-gauge, gas-operated semiautomatic shotgun with a rotary locking system and aluminum-alloy receiver. Its controls include an enlarged charging handle, bolt release, and reversible trigger-guard safety. The standard sighting system uses a ghost-ring rear sight.[8]
Beretta’s manual specifies chambers for 2¾- and 3-inch shells. The listed magazine capacity is seven 2¾-inch shells, plus one in the chamber, or six 3-inch shells, plus one in the chamber. Variations in the overall length of individual shells can reduce usable capacity.[8]
The 1301’s mechanism and materials differ fundamentally from Beretta’s early sporting guns and military small arms. Its place in the company’s history rests on the continuation of Beretta’s semiautomatic shotgun development within the same Gardone Val Trompia manufacturing tradition established centuries earlier.[1][8]
Frequently Asked Questions
Beretta’s documented history begins on October 3, 1526, when Bartolomeo Beretta supplied 185 arquebus barrels to the Arsenal of Venice.
The Model 1915 was Beretta’s first semiautomatic pistol. Chambered for 9 mm Glisenti, it was adopted by the Royal Italian Army during the First World War
The MAB 38 was a 9 mm, open-bolt submachine gun with separate triggers for semiautomatic and fully automatic fire. Wartime requirements produced simplified variants including the Model 38/42, 38/43, and 38/44.
Beretta submitted the 92SB-F to the XM9 military trials, and the pistol was formally designated the M9 in 1985. Army fielding began in 1986.
The 1301 Tactical is a 12-gauge, gas-operated semiautomatic shotgun with a rotary locking system. It uses enlarged controls, a reversible safety, and ghost-ring sights.
Sources
[1] Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta. “Beretta from 1526 to the Present.” Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta, n.d.
[2] Arma dei Carabinieri. “Pistola Beretta mod. 1934: L’Arma della Riforma.” Arma dei Carabinieri, n.d.
[3] American Rifleman Staff. “This Old Gun: Beretta Model 1938 Submachine Gun Series.” American Rifleman, August 19, 2020.
[4] American Rifleman Staff. “Exploded View: Beretta 950BS Jetfire.” American Rifleman, November 13, 2020.
[5] McClellan, Angus. “The Beretta M9: 25 Years of Service.” American Rifleman, November 12, 2009.
[6] Haynes, Mary L. Department of the Army Historical Summary, Fiscal Year 1987. U.S. Army Center of Military History, CMH Pub. 101-19, 1995, p. 44.
[7] Arden, Dawn M. “Army Fields New Handgun System to Military Police.” U.S. Army, February 15, 2019.
[8] Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta. Semiauto Shotgun User Manual. UQAN3953, rev. 1, n.d., p. 15.
