Beretta weapon dynasty. Beretta air pistols Tactical and technical characteristics of Beretta Mo.1915

Among all Italian arms companies, the leading place belongs to Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta s. p.a. - the largest manufacturer of firearms. In addition, this company is also one of the oldest arms manufacturers in the world. Apparently, long-standing traditions are the basis of the company’s modern success: even in difficult economic periods, the owners were interested in preserving and developing the company.

history of the company

According to the Beretta family itself, the history of the company dates back to the Italian Renaissance. The dynasty declared the principle as its motto: “Everything that bears the name Beretta is the best.” The first name, which later became the source for the entire company, was Bartolomeo Beretta. He was a gunsmith who lived and worked at the turn of the 15th–16th centuries in a small town Gardone Val Trompia. Fortunately, a document from 1526 has been preserved, which states that Bartolomeo Beretta, gunsmith Gardone Val Trompia, for the creation of 185 barrels for arquebuses, received 296 ducats. Thus, it is this transaction that is now considered the commercial step that began the history of the Fabbrica dArmi Pietro Beretta company.

The next master, Giovanino Beretta, no longer produced components for weapons, but completely finished weapons. After this, the company focused entirely on producing finished products. At the same time, she specialized mainly in the creation of military weapons. Although, the company's product range also included hunting and sporting rifles. The period of the Napoleonic wars can be considered a rather serious contribution to the development of the company. At that time, the company supplied the army with weapons, thanks to which it received significant income. But, after Napoleon I was victorious, the then owner of the company redirected part of his finances to the production of hunting and sporting weapons.

Somewhat later, the Beretta family brought its enterprise to the world level in the production of hunting weapons. It is worth noting that the company spared no effort in developing unique hunting models.

The company has been producing hunting weapons for almost two centuries. This time was enough to win the trust and respect of hunters around the world.

Modern Beretta

Today the main plant of Beretta s. p.a. works in the city Gardone Val Trompia. This is a large holding company covering the entire globe. This arms empire has branches in Greece, Spain, Australia and the United States, and includes various smaller firms from Europe. Representative offices are located in New York, Paris, Dallas, Buenos Aires and Milan.

The company's main plant, also known as the first production complex, produces more barrels than all the factories and workshops in Italy combined. Almost 1,000 shotguns are created per day at the Beretta Uno factory.

Among the entire assortment, the main emphasis is on hunting and sports models: self-loading shotguns, side-by-side shotguns, over-and-under shotguns, rifles and carbines.

The security forces of many countries around the world have already assessed the reliability of this company’s firearms. The company's greatest success was achieved when the French National Gendarmerie, the French Air Force, the US Armed Forces and the US Border Patrol adopted the Beretta 92 V semi-automatic pistol.

Strict traditions

The company's owners claim that they achieved success only thanks to strong family traditions. Throughout its 500-year history, Beretta has been run by one family, passing the reins from father to son. This tradition was interrupted only now... Despite the fact that the current owner Hugo Gussali Beretta is not a “Beretta man” by blood and at birth he had a different surname - Gussali. The thing is that before him the company was run by brothers Giuseppe and Carlo Beretta. Unfortunately, both of them were childless. Therefore, in order not to interrupt traditions family clan ownership of the company, one of the brothers adopted his wife's child, giving him his last name.

To date, Hugo Gusalli Beretta has brought his two sons into the business and it is expected that after his death they will continue this business. Thus, this will be the 15th generation of the famous gunsmith family.

• Today, in contrast to the beginning of its creation and development, 90% of the company's production volume is sporting weapons.
• Beretta shotguns are in the Queen's collection Elizabeth I. I. Given the gun was presented to her in 1977 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the ascension of Elizabeth I. I. to the throne of Great Britain.
• Today Beretta produces equipment, clothing and accessories for hunting.
• Sporting shotguns from this particular company have won the most number of times, compared to the products of any other manufacturer, at the Olympic Games and other world shooting championships.
• Beretta weapons are also often used in Hollywood films: “RoboCop”, “The Matrix”, “Lethal Weapon”, “Natural Born Killers”, and “Die Hard”, “The Crying Killer”, “Leon”, as well as in many others.

This section of the Popadiv10 online store presents Beretta air pistols. The main feature of such pneumatics is its complete resemblance to the original weapon.

The original Beretta pistols are manufactured by the Italian company of the same name and have attracted the attention of many gun enthusiasts over several decades.

Air pistols are supplied to the Russian market by foreign brands and below are some modifications available on our website:

• Air pistol Stalker S84 (Beretta M84);
• Air pistol Borner Sport 331;
• Air pistol Umarex Beretta M92 FS (Black);
• Air pistol Cyber ​​Gun GSG 92 (Beretta);
• Air pistol Crosman C31;
• Air pistol Gletcher BRT 92FS Auto;
• Air pistol Swiss Arms Beretta P92 (Beretta) and others.

As you can see, the range of products is large and new modifications from foreign brands appear every year. There are no Russian products that copy the Italian Beretta on our market yet.

As with other air pistols, in this case the energy for the shot is taken from a 12-gram canister of CO2 carbon dioxide. The compartment for mounting the cylinder is located inside the handle or directly in the magazine itself.

The gas energy is enough to shoot at cans and paper targets, and after a little training you will be able to shoot a rodent or bird.

To protect against accidental pull of the trigger, each model of the air-powered Beretta is equipped with a special safety lock.

Key features of Beretta air pistols:

• Semi-automatic fire mode;
• Rolling shutter (Blowback);
• Steel ball speed - 130 m/s;
• 4.5 mm caliber balls are used as ammunition;
• No additional license required;
• Additional rail for tactical devices;
• Classic sight with front sight and rear sight;
• Non-automatic fuse.

Functional features of Beretta air pistols (Beretta)

Unlike replicas of Soviet pistols such as the Makarov and TT pistols, Beretta air pistols are distinguished by the ability to install tactical equipment.

For these purposes, a special mounting strip is provided at the bottom of the barrel. A tactical flashlight or laser sight will come in handy when firing from a long distance or in poor visibility.

Plus, of course, there are standard sighting devices in the form of a rear sight and a front sight. With their help, an accurate shot from close and medium distances will not be a serious problem.

It is also worth noting the presence in some modifications of such a system as Blowback. Thanks to this, the shooter can conduct semi-automatic fire without being distracted by reloading.

The power of the Beretta air pistol is enough to make an aimed shot at a distance of up to 20-25 meters. Provided there is no headwind.

With undeniable advantages, the price of Beretta air pistols will please the eye of every buyer with their affordability.

Design features of Beretta air pistols

With such power and a moving bolt, the Beretta pneumatic needs a durable and reliable body. For these purposes, engineers use materials such as alloy metal and impact-resistant ABS polymer in the manufacture of the case.

Not only the body, but also the gun barrel is made of metal. Prevention of corrosion is achieved by using a special solution that is used to treat steel elements.

The frame and pistol grip are made of plastic, which significantly reduces the weight of the structure without losing strength. Plastic has long been known for its resistance to mechanical damage and corrosion.

Therefore, after several years of daily use, every shooter will be able to see the ideal appearance of the Beretta air gun.

Why is it worth buying a Beretta air pistol from the Popadiv10 online store?

Firstly, only our online store offers a range of products from well-known companies, and we also act as an official representative. This will provide each buyer with permits.

Secondly, when purchasing Beretta air pistols from us, the buyer will receive a guarantee for a period of 6 to 18 months.

Thirdly, at the time of purchasing goods in the amount of 6,500 rubles, delivery is carried out at our expense.

History of the Beretta pistol (Beretta)

The production of original Beretta pistols is carried out by the Italian company of the same name.

Initially, the company was engaged in the manufacture of hunting and sporting rifles. However, after several decades, namely in 1915, it was decided to produce the first firearm.

Beretta products are used not only by police and military personnel, but also by civilians.

Recommendations for using Beretta air pistols

The use of Beretta air pistols is no different from models of other brands. And just like other weapons, Beretta pistols require proper care.

The main attention is required by the gun barrel, which takes on the main load when firing a shot. After which, particles from the shells remain inside the barrel, which will soon negatively affect the accuracy of fire.

The procedure itself takes 10-15 minutes, but will keep the elements of the weapon intact for many years.

Shooting is carried out using the energy of CO2 gas and steel BB balls with a caliber of 4.5 millimeters. A special magazine is provided for loading them (the amount of ammunition depends on the model).

Beretta pistols are a legendary brand, known throughout the world for their power and reliability. The brand was developed in Italy, and is famous for a couple of very famous models, such as the compact Beretta M 84 pistol and the Beretta 92, famous throughout the world for its high-capacity clip and automatic firing mode.

Among the variety of firearms, one can single out several dozen models that have already become a kind of “classic” of the gunsmithing business. Models of weapons such as the Nagan revolver, Colt M1911, AKM and so on are weapons of various types, but, of course, the most famous and desired by consumers, even despite their many years of age. If you compile a list of weapons that will correspond to the concept of “classics”, then you cannot do without the Italian representative, or, more correctly, a whole family of pistols - Beretta 92. It is with this weapon that we will get acquainted in this article.


Strange as it may seem, Italian weapons were initially created not for the Italians at all, but for the US market, and subsequently to participate in a competition for a new pistol for the American army, which, by the way, the Beretta 92F won. But we will not go into details of how patriotic it was, and what happened as a result, since there are still quite a lot of gaps in that, which many fill with fiction, and let’s move on to a direct acquaintance with weapons. Externally, the Beretta M 92 pistol is a full-size pistol, its appearance alone indicates a fairly large mass, but at the same time there is a shifted balance of the weapon towards the handle, which allows you to hold the pistol at arm’s length for quite a long time. But all this already happened somewhere, namely in the 951 model, which I propose to consider the first of the entire family of these weapons, since it was in it that the main solutions were applied that were implemented in subsequent pistols from one model to another. It was in this pistol that a modified system for locking the bore of the weapon with a locking wedge was used, and a long cutout was made in the bolt casing, which also served as a window for ejecting spent cartridges and, albeit slightly, lightened the design of the weapon, so this model of the pistol can be called a full-fledged ancestor, although there were some differences. In general, let's return to pistols of the 92 family, and leave the 951 alone.

So, as noted above, the weapon has quite serious dimensions and weight, while it remains comfortable to handle and carry on a daily basis, which should be noted as a unique feature of the weapon, since not all pistols of such dimensions and weight can boast of the same. This result is not just an accident, but the vast experience accumulated by the Italian company plus the talent and skills of the “fathers” of this pistol - designers Carlo Beretta, Giuseppe Masetti and Vittorio Valle. Why there was a reservation that this pistol was originally created for the USA is clear at first glance at the weapon, the tilt of the handle, the location of the pistol controls actually repeat those of the “American” pistol Colt M1911, although this is indirect evidence, but we will stick to the generally accepted version. In principle, it is quite understandable to want to get the maximum profit from weapons, and a market such as the US civilian arms market cannot generate little income. Actually, this is how the Beretta 92 appeared, which became the basis for a new family of pistols, and subsequently, and moreover, the basis for subsequent models of weapons with various innovations and for various ammunition, including virtually the entire list of more or less common ones in Europe and the USA, and beyond.

If you look at the design of the weapon, then everything in it is quite simple and understandable, although it can lead to some confusion if you don’t know which way to look. Thus, the pistol itself (the original model) consists of 65 parts, which is not the smallest number for such a weapon, and, accordingly, requires serious production costs. The return spring is located under the barrel of the weapon, and the barrel bore is locked using a separate part, which is usually called a locking wedge, since the phrase “locking cylinder” here does not entirely correspond to reality, but this will be written in more detail in the description of the pistol’s operation. The weapon controls consist of a standard full set, including a slide stop lever, a magazine eject button, a safety switch, a trigger and, of course, a trigger; there is also a separate switch for disassembling the weapon. The pistol is fed from a detachable box magazine with a capacity of 15 rounds. The trigger mechanism for different modifications may differ, but for all pistols the mainspring is made of a twisted type and is located in the handle of the weapon. Let's try to figure out now how it all works when firing.

As with all firearms, the source of energy for the operation of automation in this case is powder gases, which are formed during the combustion of gunpowder and build up pressure in the cartridge case, and then in the barrel of the weapon. It is their expansion that leads to the fact that the bullet leaves the barrel of the gun, and its working mechanisms begin to move. Naturally, movement does not appear out of nowhere. In order to understand why even in the simplest blowback design the bolt moves, you need to imagine how the powder gases act during a shot. If you don’t think about what’s happening, it seems that the powder gases simply push the bullet out of the barrel, since it is the bullet that acts as a kind of piston, the movement of which creates more and more space for the combustion products of gunpowder, but this is not entirely true. The fact is that in this system there is one more weak point in addition to the bullet - the cartridge case. If we take an automatic blowback system as an example, the cartridge case simply transfers a large but short-term force to the bolt casing so that it rolls back and removes it from the chamber. Moreover, this happens precisely due to the transfer of impulse from the casing to the bolt, and not in the form of pushing it by the cartridge case, so the removal of the spent cartridge case occurs after the bullet has left the barrel, which means the powder gases were used effectively, and the cartridge case itself remained intact. It all works this way only because the bullet has much less weight than the bolt casing with the sleeve, and therefore it will have a significantly higher speed of movement. But this is a simple system with a free shutter, the most striking and closest representative to our people is the Makarov pistol. In the case of the Beretta 92 pistol, everything is somewhat more complicated, but not much.

The Beretta 92 pistol uses an automatic circuit with a short barrel stroke and locking the barrel bore using a locking wedge that swings in a vertical plane. In the normal position, this wedge is raised upward, its side protrusions fit into vertical grooves on the inner surface of the bolt casing, while the locking wedge itself is located between the chamber and the protrusion on the outer surface of the barrel, that is, it does not have the ability to move back and forth independently. Thus, the cartridge case transmits the impulse to the bolt casing, which has to pull not only the cartridge case, but also the barrel of the weapon. True, he doesn’t last long. When fired, the barrel and bolt begin a joint path in the direction opposite to the shot, but after some time the guide rod of the return spring begins to act on the locking wedge under the barrel, forcing it to lower, the side protrusions of the wedge begin to go down along the cutouts on the inside of the bolt casing and into eventually come out of them, simultaneously becoming part of the guides for the shutter casing. The barrel of the weapon stops, and the bolt casing continues to move back, removing the spent cartridge case from the chamber, throwing it through the window for ejecting spent cartridges, and also cocking the hammer. In its rearmost position, the shutter casing stops and, under the influence of the return spring, begins to move forward. At the same time, he removes a new cartridge from the magazine and inserts it into the chamber, and then, resting against the breech of the weapon barrel, begins to push the barrel forward, which leads to the raising of the locking wedge, which fits into the vertical cutout on the inner surface of the bolt casing and securely locks bore until the next shot. In general terms, everything works exactly like this.

This automation system is a direct descendant of the automatic system for pistols proposed by one of the greatest gunsmiths in history, Browning, but it is still sufficiently modernized to speak of complete similarity, but the principle is the same, only the elements that implement the work are different. The positive quality of such a system is that the barrel of the weapon moves without distortion, which makes the operation of the weapon smoother and shooting from it more accurate, however, it is difficult to say that this is the only reason, after all, at the beginning of the twentieth century, weapons with a distorted barrel were so It was distinguished by fairly high accuracy, at least few people complained. Despite the fact that the pistol has a fairly large window for ejecting spent cartridges, which makes its system virtually open, the Beretta 92 pistol turned out to be quite resistant to dirt, and this despite the fact that it is based on a locking element that interacts with the bolt housing through sliding. Naturally, if the weapon is completely immersed in liquid mud and allowed to penetrate into all the components of the pistol, it will not be able to shoot, but the weapon tolerates dust, sand, and moisture within reasonable limits quite calmly, although it wears out quite a lot, but it’s difficult to name another pistol that could boast a high service life both under normal operating conditions and under unfavorable conditions. In general, if you want the weapon to last long enough, then regular cleaning/lubrication is an integral part of owning this pistol, as well as any other weapon.

From the lofty heights of weapon design and descriptions of its operation, let's move on to a more down-to-earth topic - a brief description of the various modifications of this pistol. Well, we need to start with the fact that despite the fact that the ancestor of the entire family was the Beretta 92 pistol, only 5,000 units were produced in the first year, after which the production of this model was curtailed. So the original 92 Beretta is something of a rarity. Then it was followed by modifications that added some capabilities to the weapon or changed existing ones.

The first modification was the Berette 92S pistol. Its main difference is the location of the weapon safety switch, which was moved from the pistol frame to the bolt housing. This innovation was dictated by the Italian police, who were the first to pay attention to the new product, although the pistol was not originally developed for them. It would be stupid not to take advantage of this opportunity and not adapt the weapon to the requirements; we can say that it was with this model that the pistol began to bring huge profits to its creators. In addition to the relocation of the fuse, the principle of its operation has also changed. If in model 92 the fuse simply blocked the sear and the bolt casing both when the hammer was cocked and when it was released, then in model 92S, turning on the fuse led to a smooth release of the hammer, after which it was blocked, as well as the hammer and trigger were blocked. An interesting point is that there are several possibilities for removing the weapon from the safety lock. So, you can simply slide the switch, or you can simultaneously press the trigger and pull back the hammer to bring the weapon into combat readiness. Separately, you can neither pull the trigger nor cock the hammer when the safety is off. It is also necessary to mention one more feature of the 92S model, just like the original pistol, in this sample the magazine eject button is located not at the base of the safety bracket, as in subsequent models, but on the left side of the handle at the lower right corner, and this is precisely the button , and not a latch at the bottom of the handle like the PM. This feature of these two models immediately gives them away, so that without a shadow of a doubt you can name the model of the weapon just by glancing at it. At the same time, magazines for later modifications, in which the eject button is located in a place already familiar to pistols, can also be used in these models.

The next modification of the pistol is especially interesting because it was with this that the introduction of this weapon into the US Army began. This model is designated as Beretta 92SB, created specifically for the US Army. The main difference from previous models is that the magazine eject button has been moved to its usual place, and the ability to move the button from the left side of the weapon to the right has also been added. In addition, there were changes in the operation of the device to protect against accidental discharge. So, with the safety on, the trigger retained the ability to move, but was separated from the firing pin using a small insert. By the way, he closed the firing pin literally until the last moment of the trigger stroke. On the basis of this pistol, a compact version of the weapon was also created, which was distinguished by a shorter barrel of 103 millimeters and a correspondingly shorter bolt housing. In addition, the length of the weapon’s handle has decreased, and, naturally, the capacity of a standard magazine has decreased to 13 rounds, although the use of magazines from full-fledged samples is not excluded.

In 1983, a new military Beretta appeared. This time there was a letter F after the numbers, but these are not all the changes that were in this weapon. It was this pistol that entered service with the US Army, and for this to happen the following adjustments would have to be made. One of the external innovations that immediately catches your eye is the modified shape of the weapon’s safety guard, which has now become more convenient when firing a pistol using two hands. The angle of the pistol grip has been changed, but this is hardly noticeable, since the angle has changed only for the front part of the grip. Also, to increase the service life of the barrel, its bore began to be chrome-plated. Well, on a voluntary basis, the company changed the protective coating of the external parts of the weapon to a more reliable and durable one. Unfortunately, with this pistol, not everything turned out to be as smooth as we would like. The weapon's bolt casing could not withstand prolonged firing, although everything was fine on the samples submitted for testing. Apparently, the mass production of weapons and not the highest quality material had an impact. Nevertheless, the weapon worked flawlessly, only less than the declared resource, so the contract for the supply of this pistol to the US Army was suspended.

In order to get rid of such a shameful disease of its weapons and continue supplies to the army of the United States of America, the Beretta company modified its pistol, now it was called Beretta 92FS, which is now in service with the US army under the name M9. In essence, it was the same pistol, but the strength of the bolt housing was significantly increased, which made it even more durable than stated. In addition, in order to save the Americans, who are very fond of more powerful cartridges, from injuries, a kind of disk was installed on the head of the trigger axis, which prevents the bolt casing from breaking off in the event of its destruction and flying into the shooter’s face. Actually, this sample of the Beretta 92 pistol is the most common in the world.

But this variety of weapons does not end there; in 1990, another modification of the pistol appeared. In essence, it was the same 92FS, but now it had only a double-action trigger mechanism, that is, each shot was fired by self-cocking, which significantly increased the force of pressing the trigger, and, as a result, negatively affected the accuracy of shooting, although this is the case habits. Also, the possibility of safely releasing the trigger was removed from the safety mechanism as unnecessary. This model is designated as Beretta 92DS, but it did not gain much popularity like the previous version.

In the same year, another modification appeared, in which there is no fuse at all. This model also has a trigger mechanism that allows firing only by self-cocking, while the manufacturer has increased the trigger pull even more to make the pistol safer. In case of falls, the weapon is protected from an accidental shot by the firing pin lock, which is removed only in the last millimeters of the trigger stroke. This pistol model is designated as the Beretta 92D, and naturally, it has not received wide distribution or fame due to its specific design.

I wanted to skip the next model of the pistol, since it is a branch of the main family, but, remembering how often the Beretta 92 is endowed with the ability to automatically fire by ordinary people, and the “blue screen” is in no hurry to dispute this, I decided to devote one paragraph to the pistol Beretta 93R. This weapon is old, despite all its popularity among the masses, and it really has the ability to shoot short bursts with a cutoff of 3 rounds, but not a long burst. Without going into details of the difference in the design of the pistol in comparison with previous versions (those who have read to this point - my respect), you only need to note that the weapon has a reinforced casing-bolt, as well as a heavier barrel protruding in front of the casing-bolt. From the muzzle there are holes that act as a kind of muzzle brake-recoil compensator to prevent the pistol from being thrown up when firing. The rate of fire is 1,100 rounds per minute and is fed from detachable 20-round magazines, although standard 15-round magazines can also be used. A little further along the frame of the weapon from the safety bracket there is a handle for more convenient control of the weapon when shooting, and the pistol is also equipped with a removable shoulder rest. It was discontinued more than 20 years ago, since there is a separate class of weapons - submachine guns, over which this pistol does not benefit in any way. Well, it would not be out of place to say that the service life of this pistol, in comparison with even the most average submachine guns, is not very high.

It would be nice to stop after this, but since I’ve already started, I’ll continue. In addition to all the above mentioned models, there is also a “French” model called PAMAS G1. It appeared due to a shortage of modern pistols in France in the late 80s of the last century, but for some reason there were no manufacturers in the country who would take on this problem. She responded to the call for help and solved this problem by creating the Beretta 92G pistol model, which differed from the 92FS in that the safety switch had three positions - two “classic” and one that ensured a safe release of the trigger, instead of two positions, one of which had a safe release function was automatic. This pistol was adopted by the French Gendarmerie in 1989, and entered service with the Navy and Army in 1990 and 1991.

Don’t forget about weapon variants that are produced under license by other manufacturers. Thus, the most famous are the pistols of the Brazilian company Taurus. A very successful purchase of a license for the production and modernization of weapons, almost instantly made the Brazilian company famous in the short-barreled weapons market. By the way, thanks to timely modernization and a wide range of ammunition that is used in Brazilian pistols, Beretta 92 variants from this company are still popular today, especially in the civilian weapons market in the United States, and are also in service with the armies of several countries, including Brazil. But I wrote in detail about these pistols earlier in articles: ; ; .

Based on all that has been written above, we can say with confidence that the Italian Beretta 92 is a weapon, if not a cult weapon, then quite worthy to put it on a par with at least the same Colt M1911. And although the gun has shortcomings, unfortunately, you can’t live without them, but its positive qualities completely cover all the negative ones. So the weapon has a fairly high accuracy, the norm is when at a distance of 50 meters all the bullets fall into a circle with a diameter of 70 millimeters, naturally under ideal conditions. In addition, it is quite comfortable to hold, despite its impressive weight. The simplicity of the design made the gun resistant to reasonable contamination, without fanaticism. Well, the fact that the weapon will not fire accidentally is guaranteed by a safety device that literally blocks everything that can move (depending on the modification). Well, for the sake of fairness, there are shortcomings. Large weight and dimensions for concealed and daily carry, which in my opinion is a matter of habit. The weapon's handle is thick, which is inconvenient for a person with short fingers, and, perhaps, that's all. This is what Beretta 92 is like.

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Beretta is the oldest gun manufacturer in the world. The company has been in existence for almost 500 years and has been managed by the same family all this time. People have not changed much over the past 5 centuries, so they still require means for effective attack and defense. They are produced by Beretta.

Arquebuses for the Venetian Arsenal

The Beretta company appeared in 1526, that is, at the moment of the transition from the Middle Ages to the New Age. It was then that the Italian gunsmith Bartolomeo Beretta from Gardone Val Trompia (province of Brescia, Lombardy) received an order from the Venetian arsenal. He undertook for 296 ducats to produce 185 barrels for arquebuses - matchlock muzzle-loading guns. This weapon was very effective in the early 16th century. It made it possible to hit a target measuring 60x60 cm from 100 meters, and from 30 meters to pierce knightly armor 2 mm thick. The invoice for this transaction is still kept in the archives of the arms company. It should be noted that at the beginning of the 16th century, Brescia was already considered a leading weapons center in Italy. Bartolomeo Beretta had to work in a highly competitive environment, and his choice as the executor of the order for the Venetian government spoke of the high skill of the gunsmith.

Family business

In the Beretta family, it is customary to pass on weapons production technology from father to son. Bartolomeo's experience was adopted by his son Giacomo, who, in turn, made his sons Giovannino and Lodovico good gunsmiths. The first became the head of the family enterprise, and the second began manufacturing gun locks. Beretta started out manufacturing individual parts, but quickly moved on to producing complete guns. Giovannino Beretta had a son, Giovanni Antonio, who in the mid-17th century became famous as a famous gunsmith designer. In 1641, he invented and manufactured six-pound cannons that were equipped with Venetian ships. In the second half of the 17th century, Beretta was already one of the leading Italian arms manufacturers. For a long time, the company produced only military weapons. However, at the beginning of the 18th century, under the leadership of Giuseppe Beretta, she began making barrels for hunting rifles. The new head of the company made the right choice - in 1719, Beretta became the largest exporter of gun barrels. The manufacturer had advanced technical equipment for its time - a steel melting furnace and a forge shop with forging machines.

From Napoleon to the Olympic Games

In 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte conquered the Republic of Venice, causing the last Doge to sign his abdication. The Doge's Institute had existed for 1100 years by this time. Venice was occupied by the French without resistance. Beretta's business not only did not suffer due to the events that took place, but also went even more successfully. France loaded the enterprise with its military orders, and it brought great profits. In 1815, Napoleon's power fell, and fewer military weapons were needed. Beretta embarked on a forced diversification - it began to switch to hunting and sporting rifles. At that time, the company was owned by Pietro Antonio Beretta (died 1853). He constantly traveled around Italy in order to study the hunting weapons market, look for new buyers and business partners. He managed to find regular customers and ensured the company's independence from third-party parts suppliers - all the necessary spare parts were made within Beretta. The next head of the company was Pietro Antonio's son named Giuseppe Beretta. Under his leadership, the manufacturer developed new models of hunting rifles and entered the international hunting weapons market. Beretta, in addition to its products, sold weapons of other brands, including . This is how the company became the leader in the arms markets of the Old World. In 1903, Pietro Beretta became the head of the enterprise, purchasing the most modern equipment for the plant and improving production processes. As a result, the company began to produce significantly more products. Its engineers developed and patented new weapon designs. A state testing station began operating at the enterprise. It was in honor of this leader that the company was named “Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta”. The company has retained this name to this day.

Nowadays

Pietro Beretta had two sons - Giuseppe and Carlo. Under their leadership, Beretta became a large transnational corporation in the second half of the 20th century, successful not only in business, but also in sports. Many athletes became Olympic champions with guns of this brand. Both Giuseppe and Carlo Beretta had no children, so the centuries-old tradition of passing production to the next generation through the male line was under threat. However, a solution was found - Carlo adopted the nephew of Hugo Gussali, the son of his sister Giuseppina. The owner and manager of the company today is Ugo Gussali Beretta, who has already involved his sons Franco and Pietro in the business. According to family plans, the next head of the company will be Ugo's grandson named Carlo Alberto Giusalli Beretta.

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Currently, Beretta's production area is 108,000 square meters and employs approximately 2,600 people. Every day the company produces 1,500 units of various weapons. 90 percent are sporting weapons sent for export. Italy, USA, France, Spain, Canada and Turkey order military weapons from Beretta for their military and police units. Beretta has branded stores in New York, Dallas, London, Paris, Milan and Buenos Aires. Weapons of this brand are very popular, including among civilians who buy them for self-defense.

Beretta 92 is the base model.

Beretta 92SB-C is a compact model.

Beretta 92FS Brigadier - with a reinforced bolt.

Beretta 92FS Elite - with a reinforced bolt and a slightly shortened barrel.

Beretta 92FS-C is a compact model.

The Beretta 90two is a variant of the Beretta 92 pistol, with redesigned bolt contours and a modular grip guard.

US M9 pistol - military version of the Beretta 92FS pistol

Beretta M9A1 - an option proposed for the US Army but rejected by it

Beretta M9A3 - another version developed for the US Army, but also not yet successful

Beretta 92FS - partial disassembly.

Characteristics

Caliber: 9x19mm (also 40SW in model 96 and 9x21mm in model 98)
USM: double acting
total length: 217 mm (197 mm for compact models)
Barrel length: 125 mm (109 mm for compact models)
Weight: 950-1000 g without cartridges (depending on model)
Magazine capacity: 15 rounds (models 92 and 98); 13 rounds (92 compact); 11 rounds (model 96 cal. 40); 8 rounds (92 compact type M)

The development of a new military pistol to replace the Beretta M951 began at Beretta in 1970. The design team, led by Carlo Beretta and including Giuseppe Mazetti and Vittorio Valle, developed two prototypes in parallel at the first stage. Both pistols were supposed to have a self-cocking trigger and an aluminum alloy frame. The first prototype had a Browning High Power type locking, the second a Walther P38 type. It was from these prototypes that the index “92” appeared in the designation of serial pistols. It meant "9mm pistol, 2nd model." Obviously, the “9mm pistol, 1st model” (with Browning locking) did not satisfy the designers, and they focused specifically on the “92” model.
The first prototypes of the pistol appeared in 1975, and mass production began in 1976. In the same year, a version of the Beretta 92S pistol appeared, which had a safety lever located on the bolt, which, when turned on, also performed a safe decocking. This model owes its appearance to the Italian police (Policia di Stato), who showed interest in the new pistol, but wanted to have an option with a safety trigger mechanism (Beretta 92 pistols had a safety on the frame that locked the bolt and a sear both when the hammer was cocked and released ). Beretta 92S pistols quickly replaced the first model from production and were widely used by the Italian army, police, and were also exported. Between 1978 and 1984, Beretta took part in the American competition for a new 9mm XM9 army pistol. For this competition, several versions of the Beretta 92 pistol were consistently developed - Beretta 92S-1, Beretta 92SB, Beretta 92SB-F. It was the Beretta 92SB-F pistol, renamed the Beretta 92F in the series, that was declared the winner of the XM9 competition in 1985. Currently, Beretta produces a fairly wide range of models based on the Beretta 92F pistol, both at a factory in Italy and at a subsidiary in the USA.

All Beretta 92 series service pistols have an aluminum alloy frame and steel slide. In 2004, a Beretta 92 Steel variant was also released for the civilian market (primarily for athletes), which has an all-steel construction and a frame-mounted safety (similar to the first Beretta 92 pistols). The automation is built according to a scheme using recoil energy with a short barrel stroke and locking like a Walter P38 - a larva swinging in a vertical plane. The pistol bolt is open at the top, which is why it has a significant width to create the necessary safety margin. The ejector, openly mounted on the right side of the bolt, additionally serves as an indicator of the presence of a cartridge in the chamber. The safety on pistols produced in 1975-76 was located on the left side of the frame, the magazine release button was located at the bottom of the handle, on the left cheek. There is also a shutter stop lever on the left side of the frame.
Overall, the Beretta 92 series pistols eventually earned a reputation as fairly reliable, if somewhat bulky, weapons. Some complaints are caused by the overly thick handle, which is only comfortable for shooters with fairly large palms, and the pistol itself is quite large in size. It is interesting that cases of the destruction of the bolt with the separation of its rear part, which led to injuries to shooters, that occurred in the period 1986 - 1989 in the US Armed Forces, occurred not only in the USA, but also in France (about 10 years later). After the introduction of the Beretta 92FS modification for the American military, Beretta 92F series pistols were sold for a long time on the civilian and police markets without modifications that prevented the bolt from tearing off in the event of its destruction. Despite this, the new reinforced bolt with a completely closed upper part, developed by Phrobis at the request of the US Navy, never went into mass production, and over time, the Beretta 92FS pistols completely replaced the previous model from production. During the military operations of the US Armed Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2002 - 2004, problems with the reliability of M9 pistols (American-made Beretta 92FS) also became more frequent, mainly associated with weakening of the magazine feed springs due to prolonged wearing of magazines fully loaded with cartridges.

Below is a list of the main modifications of the Model 92 in order of their appearance, as well as differences from the base model. The year of manufacture of the models is given in parentheses.
Beretta 92S(1976) - The first modification of the base model 92. Instead of a fuse on the frame, a fuse appeared on the bolt, which also serves as a safe release lever (when the safety is turned on, the firing pin is blocked, the hammer is released from the cocking position and the trigger is locked). In all other respects it is no different from the base model. Currently no longer in production.
Beretta 92SB(1981) - development of the 92S model, originally designated 92S-1. The safety/safety release lever has become double-sided, automatic firing pin blocking and half-cocking of the hammer have appeared. The magazine latch was moved to the base of the trigger guard. Production discontinued in 1991.
Beretta 92SB-C(1981) - Compact version of the Model 92SB, with a shortened barrel, bolt and handle. The total length decreased to 197 mm, the barrel to 103 mm, the magazine capacity became 13 rounds, but the ability to use standard 15-round magazines remained.
Beretta 92SB-C type M(1983) - a variant of the 92SB-C model, characterized by a single-stack magazine with 8 rounds, and, accordingly, a flatter handle and lighter weight. The release has been discontinued.
Beretta 92F(1984) - originally designated 92SB-F. Developed as part of the American XM9 competition as a further development of the 92SB model, it is distinguished by a slightly modified handle shape, plastic handle cheeks and coating of metal parts. The bore and chamber are chrome plated. Modern pistols of this model do not differ in appearance from the 92FS model.
Beretta 92G(1987) - The "Gendarmerie" variant was created by order and adopted by the Gendarmerie Nationale de France in 1989. Manufactured in France under license at GIAT Industries factories under the designation PA MAS G1. It differs from the 92FS model in that the lever on the bolt only has the function of safely releasing the trigger, and the trigger is not blocked (the pistol is always ready to fire).
Beretta 92FS(1989) - modification of the Beretta 92F pistol, which has an enlarged hammer axis head, which prevents the rear part of the bolt from falling off the guides when it is destroyed. Created based on the sad experience of the American military. In the US Armed Forces it is in service under the symbol M9; it differs from commercial pistols in markings and external decoration.
Beretta 92FS-C(1989) - a compact version of the 92FS, with a shortened barrel, bolt and handle. Magazine 13 rounds, same dimensions as Model 92SB-C.
Beretta 92FS-C type M(1989) - version of the 92FS-C with a single-stack magazine for 8 rounds.
Beretta 92DS(1990) - the model is similar to the 92FS model, except that the trigger of this pistol is only self-cocking (Double Action Only). When the safety is on, it blocks the trigger and firing pin.
Beretta 92D(1990) - the model is similar to the 92DS, but does not have a safety lock. The trigger does not have a spoke.
Beretta 96(1992) - modification of model 92F chambered for .40SW for the American police market. Magazine capacity - 11 rounds. Modifications to the Model 96 are similar to the corresponding modifications to the Model 92 (D, Brigadier, Elite, etc.). Widely used by the US police, is in service with the US Border Guard, and is successful in the civilian market.
Beretta 92FS/96 Brigadier(1996) - modification of the 92FS model with a reinforced and heavier bolt. It was initially implemented as a modification of the Model 96 (chambered 40SW) by order of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and later transferred to the Model 92. Another difference is that the front sight is removable.
Beretta 92FS Centurion(1996) - model 92FS with a shortened barrel and bolt with the same frame. Total length 197 mm, barrel 103 mm, magazine 15 rounds.
Beretta 92 Vertec(2003) - a modification primarily aimed at the US police weapons market. The main difference of this modification is the modified shape of the handle with a straight back, making it more convenient to handle the weapon for shooters with medium and small hands. Another improvement is integral guides for mounting a laser pointer or flashlight on the frame under the barrel.
Beretta 90two(2006) - the newest option in the line of modifications of the 92 model. It is distinguished primarily by a modified design of the handle with unitary modular overlays made of plastic and having a U-shaped profile when viewed from above (encompassing the handle from the sides and back, in contrast to only the side overlays on previous models). In addition, cosmetic changes have been made to the shape of the bolt and safety levers; a guide for attaching a flashlight or laser laser has been added to the frame under the barrel; if necessary, we can close it with a special plastic cover.
Beretta M9A1: an improved version of the M9 pistol, distinguished by the presence of a Picatinny-type under-barrel guide integrated into the frame and a number of minor improvements. Offered to the US Army to replace M9 pistols, but so far unsuccessful
Beretta M9A3: further development of the M9 pistol family. It also has an integrated Picatinny rail under the barrel, a replaceable front sight, and a smaller grip handle (similar to the 92 Vertec). In the muzzle of the barrel there is a thread closed with a removable bushing for installing a quick-release muffler.