The Beretta 93R is an Italian
selective-fire
Selective fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective-fire we ...
machine pistol
A machine pistol is an autoloading pistol capable of fully automatic fire. The term can also be used to describe a stockless handgun-style submachine gun. The term is a calque of ''Maschinenpistole'', the German word for submachine guns. Ma ...
, designed and manufactured by
Beretta
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapon Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and milita ...
in the late 1970s for police and military use, that is derived from their semi-automatic
Beretta 92
The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The Beretta 92 was designed in 1975, and production began in 1976. Many variants in several different calibers c ...
. The "R" stands for ''Raffica'', which is
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
for "volley", "flurry", or "burst" (sometimes spoken "R" as ''"Rapid"'' in English).
History
The Beretta 93R was designed to be used by the Italian counter-terrorism forces of the national police ''
Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza
The ''Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza'' (NOCS) ( en, Central Security Task Group) is the police tactical unit of the Polizia di Stato, one of Italy's national police forces. It operates under the command of the ''Direzione Centrale della P ...
'' and Carabineri ''
Gruppo di Intervento Speciale'' (both formed in the late 1970s in response to terrorism) but was also adopted by other police and military forces who required a concealable weapon with rapid fire capabilities.
[Thompson (2012) p.12–13][Fowler, Anthony (2007). ''Pistols, Revolvers, and Submachine Guns'', p. 136.] The pistol is a development of the
Beretta 92
The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The Beretta 92 was designed in 1975, and production began in 1976. Many variants in several different calibers c ...
design.
Mechanics
The Beretta 93R is mechanically similar to the
Beretta 92
The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The Beretta 92 was designed in 1975, and production began in 1976. Many variants in several different calibers c ...
. It can be selected to fire either a
three round burst or single fire. A selector switch enables the operator to alternate between the two firing modes. The pistol is fitted with a collapsible
angled foregrip at the front end of the trigger guard to provide better stability when firing.
A folding steel
buttstock
A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attache ...
can be attached at the heel of the grip.
[McNab, Chris (2004). ''The Great Book of Guns'', p. 145.] The Beretta 93R is much more controllable compared to other machine pistols because it was designed with only a three round burst mode as well as a
ported barrel
A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...
.
Users
*
*
[Jones, Richard D. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010''. Jane's Information Group; 35th edition (January 27, 2009). .]
*
References
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External links
Modern Firearms*
{{Beretta firearms
93R
9mm Parabellum machine pistols
Machine pistols
Military equipment introduced in the 1970s