Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapon Factory") is a privately held Italian

firearms manufacturing company The following list of modern armament manufacturers presents major companies producing modern weapons and munitions for military, paramilitary, government agency and civilian use. The companies are listed by their full name followed by the short ...

operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and military purposes. Sporting arms account for three-quarters of sales; Beretta is also known for marketing shooting clothes and accessories. Founded in the 16th century, Beretta is the oldest active manufacturer of firearm components in the world. In 1526 its inaugural product was

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

barrels; by all accounts Beretta-made barrels equipped the Venetian fleet at the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...

in 1571. Beretta has supplied weapons for every major European war since 1650.

History

Val Trompia The Val Trompia (also: ''Valle Trompia'') is a slightly more than 50 km long valley in the Province of Brescia, northern Italy. It consists of the valleys of the river Mella and its tributaries, north of the city of Brescia. It is situated bet ...

, a northern Italian river valley in the

Province of Brescia The Province of Brescia ( it, provincia di Brescia; Brescian: ) is a Province in the Lombardy administrative region of northern Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia. With an ar ...

, Lombardy, has been mined for iron ore since the time of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, Val Trompia was known for its ironworks; after the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

it came to be a center for the manufacture of weapons. By the mid 16th century Val Trompia had forty ironworks, supplied by fifty mines and eight smelters. The birthplace of Beretta is in the village of Gardone located on the banks of the Mella river, in the middle of Val Trompia (i.e., between the upper valley and lower valley). The Beretta forge was in operation from about 1500, although the first documented transaction is a contract dated October 3, 1526 for 185

barrels, for which the Republic of Venice was to pay 296 ducats to ''Maestro di Canne'' (master gun-barrel maker)

Bartolomeo Beretta Bartolomeo Beretta (c. 1490 – c. 1565). known as ''maestro di canne'' (master gun-barrel maker), was an Italian artisan from Lombardy who, by 1526, had established the arms manufacturing enterprise Beretta. Beretta worked at Gardone in Val Tro ...

. The original account document for the order of those barrels is now stored in the ''Archivio di Stato di Venezia'' in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

. By the end of the 17th century, Beretta had become the second largest gun barrel maker in Gardone. Under the guild system, the knowledge of gun barrel fabrication that was bequeathed to Jacopo (1520/25 – …) from his father Bartolomeo (1490 – 1565/68) was then passed on to his own son Giovannino (1550 – post 1577), and to his grandson Giovan Antonio (1577 – post 1649) and so on until guilds were abolished by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

after his conquest of Venetian Republic in 1797. Beretta has been owned by the same family for almost five hundred years and is a founding member of Les Henokiens, an association of bicentenary companies that are family owned and operated. In 1918, the

Beretta Model 1918 The Moschetto Automatico Revelli-Beretta Mod. 1915 (Commonly known as the Beretta Model 1918) was a self-loading carbine that entered service in 1918 with the Italian armed forces. Designed as a semi-automatic rifle, the weapon came with an overhe ...

, one of the first submachine guns in the world, was fielded by the Italian army. Beretta manufactured rifles and pistols for the Italian military until the 1943 Armistice between Italy and the Allied forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. With the Wehrmacht's control of northern Italy, the Germans seized Beretta and continued producing arms until the 1945 German surrender in Italy. During that time, the quality of the exterior finish of the weapons diminished, with late-war examples being much inferior to both the pre-war and mid-war weapons, but their operation remained excellent. The last shipment of Type I Rifles left Venice for Japan in a

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

in 1942. After World War II, Beretta was actively involved in repairing the American

M1 Garand The M1 Garand or M1 rifleOfficially designated as U.S. rifle, caliber .30, M1, later simply called Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, also called US Rifle, Cal. .30, M1 is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S Army during World War ...

s given to Italy by the U.S. Beretta modified the M1 into the

Beretta BM-59 The BM 59 is an automatic battle rifle developed in Italy in 1959. It is based on the M1 Garand rifle, chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO, modified to use a detachable magazine, and capable of selective fire. Later revisions incorporated other featu ...

rifle, which is similar to the M14 battle rifle; armourers consider the BM-59 rifle to be superior to the M14 rifle in some ways, because it is more accurate under certain conditions. After the war, Beretta continued to develop firearms for the Italian Army and police, as well as the civilian market. In the 1980s, Beretta enjoyed a renewal of popularity in North America after its

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 ...

pistol was selected as the service handgun for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

as the "

M9 pistol The Beretta M9, officially the Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9, is the designation for the Beretta 92FS semi-automatic pistol used by the United States Armed Forces. The M9 was adopted by the United States military as their service pistol in 198 ...

". In 1993, a Beretta USA executive revealed that it had been the company's strategy since 1980 "to use the military contract to make Beretta a household name in the United States", and then to expand into larger law enforcement and commercial markets. In the 1970s, Beretta also started a manufacturing plant in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. A contract between Beretta and the Brazilian government was signed, under which Beretta produced Beretta 92s for the Brazilian Army until 1980. Later this plant was sold to

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * '' Bos tauru ...

, who continues to manufacture the Beretta 92 under the name of PT92 using the same tools and labour which Beretta used, without the need for a license from Beretta, since the design is based on the original Beretta 92, for which the patents are expired. Beretta acquired several domestic competitors (notably Benelli and Franchi) and some foreign companies (notably in Finland) in the late 1980s.

Overview

Today, Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (Beretta S.p.A.) is run by Franco Gussalli Beretta, President and CEO. The traditional father-to-son Beretta dynasty was interrupted when Ugo Gussalli Beretta assumed the firm's control; uncles Carlo and Giuseppe Beretta were childless; Ugo married into the Beretta family and adopted the last name Beretta. His sons are now direct descendants through their mother's side of the family. Beretta is known for its broad range of firearms: side-by-side shotguns, over-and-under shotguns, semi-automatic shotguns, hunting rifles,

express rifle The term ''express'' was first applied to hunting rifles and ammunition beginning in the mid-19th century, to indicate a rifle or ammunition capable of higher than typical velocities. The early express cartridges used a heavy charge of black po ...

s, assault rifles,

submachine guns A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an automati ...

, lever- and bolt-action rifles, single- and double-action

revolvers A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six ro ...

and semi-automatic

pistols A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, ...

. The parent company, Beretta Holding, also owns Beretta USA, Benelli, Franchi,

SAKO Sako or SAKO may refer to: People with the surname * Bakary Sako (born 1988), French-born Malian footballer * Hygerta Sako, Albanian beauty pageant contestant * Louis Raphaël I Sako (born 1948), Iraqi cleric, head of the Chaldean Catholic Church * ...

Stoeger Stoeger Industries is a manufacturer and importer of firearms into the United States. The company's Stoeger Publishing division also publishes books and videos about firearms, hunting and fishing. Stoeger Industries' headquarters are in Accokee ...

, Tikka, Uberti, and the Burris Optics company. The model

Beretta 92FS 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 co ...

was the primary

side arm Sidearm, side-arm or Side Arm(s) may refer to: *Sidearm (weapon), a backup weapon *Sidearm (baseball), a baseball throwing technique *Sidearm, a flying disc (Frisbee) throw *'' Side Arms Hyper Dyne'', a 1986 arcade game *AGM-122 Sidearm The ...

of the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

, United States Navy, Navy and United States Air Force, Air Force, designated the M9 pistol. In 1985, Beretta was chosen after a controversial competition to produce the M9, winning a contract for 500,000 pistols. A condition of the original agreement was domestic manufacturer of the M9. In 2019, the 9mm version of the SIG Sauer P320 was selected to replace the M9 throughout the US Armed Forces.

Product lines

Semi-automatic pistols

*Beretta Model 1915 *Beretta M1923 *Beretta 418 *Beretta M1934 / Beretta M1935 *Beretta M1951 *Beretta 70, Beretta 70 series **Beretta 70#70, Beretta 70 **Beretta 70#71, Beretta 71 Jaguar **Beretta 70#72, Beretta 72 Jaguar **Beretta 70#73.2C 74.2C 75, Beretta 73, 74, 75 **Beretta 70#76, Beretta 76 **Beretta 70#100.2C 101.2C 102, Beretta 100, 101, 102 *Beretta Cheetah **Beretta Cheetah#81 and 82, Beretta 81 **Beretta Cheetah#83, 84 and 85, Beretta 84 **Beretta Cheetah#83, 84 and 85, Beretta 85 **Beretta Cheetah#86, Beretta 86 **Beretta Cheetah#87, Beretta 87 **Beretta Cheetah#89, Beretta 89 *Beretta 8000 **Beretta 8000, Beretta 8000 Cougar **Beretta 8000#8045 Cougar, Beretta 8045 Cougar **Beretta 8000#Inox, Beretta Cougar Inox **Beretta 8000#Mini Cougar, Beretta Mini Cougar *Beretta 90 *Beretta 9000 **Beretta 9000S *

**Beretta 90two **Beretta 92#92F (92SB-F)/92G, Beretta 92F **Beretta 92#92F (92SB-F)/92G, Beretta 92F/FS **Beretta 92#92FS, Beretta 92FS Inox ***Beretta 92#92FS, Beretta 92FS Compact ***Beretta 92#92FS, Beretta 92FS Centurion ***Beretta 92#92FS, Beretta 92FS Brigadier ***Beretta 92#92FS, Beretta 92FS Brigadier Inox **Beretta 92#92F (92SB-F)/92G, Beretta 92G Elite 1A ***Beretta 92#92F (92SB-F)/92G, Beretta 92G Elite II **Beretta 92#92S, Beretta 92S ***Beretta 92#92SB (92S-1), Beretta 92SB ****Beretta 92#92SB (92S-1), Beretta 92SB-C **Beretta 92#92A1 and 96A1, Beretta 92A1 **M9 pistol **Beretta 92X *Beretta 96 **Beretta 92#92A1 and 96A1, Beretta 96A1 *Beretta Px4 Storm **Beretta Px4 Storm#Px4 Compact, Beretta Px4 Storm Compact **Beretta Px4 Storm#Px4 Subcompact, Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact *Beretta U22 Neos *Beretta APX *Beretta 21 Bobcat **Beretta 21A Bobcat *Beretta 3032 Tomcat *Beretta 950 Jetfire *Beretta Nano *Beretta Pico

Revolvers

*Beretta Stampede *Beretta Laramie

Shotguns

*Beretta 1200 *Beretta 1200 FP *Beretta 1201 *Beretta 1201FP *Beretta AL390 *Beretta AL391, Beretta AL391 Urika and Teknys *Beretta Tx4 **Beretta Tx4 Storm *Beretta 1301 **Beretta 1301 Comp **Beretta 1301 Tactical *Beretta A400 **Beretta A400 Xcel **Beretta A400 Xtreme Unico **Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus **Beretta A400 Xplor Action *Beretta A 300 Outlander *Beretta A 350 Outlander *Beretta SO4, SO5 and SO6 *Beretta Xtrema *Beretta Xtrema 2 *Beretta Model A series *Beretta UGB25 Xcel *Beretta Folder *Beretta Ultraleggero *Beretta Urika *Beretta Urika 2 *Beretta RS 202-M2 *Beretta LTLX7000 *Beretta 470 Silver Hawk *Beretta 682 *Beretta 692 *Beretta DT-10 *Beretta DT-11 *Beretta Silver Pigeon *Beretta bellmonte due

Rifles and carbines

*Beretta 501 (sporting rifle) *Beretta Rx4 Storm *Beretta Cx4 Storm *Beretta BRX1 straight-pull rifle, straight-pull bolt-action rifleBeretta introduces the BRX1 hunting straight-pull repeater
/ref>

Assault rifles

*Beretta AR70/90 *Beretta AS70/90 *Beretta AR-70/223 *Beretta ARX 160 *Beretta ARX 160#ARX200 derivative, Beretta ARX 200

Submachine guns

*Beretta Model 38 **Beretta Model 38#Variants, Beretta Model 38A **Beretta Model 38#Variants, Beretta Model 38/42 **Beretta Model 38#Variants, Beretta Model 38/44 *Beretta Model 3 – a postwar modification of the 38/42 *Beretta M12 series *Beretta PMX *Beretta Mx4 Storm

Machine pistols

*Beretta M951R *Beretta 93R

Grenade launchers

*Beretta GLX-160 (underbarrel grenade launcher for the Beretta ARX160)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Beretta, 1526 establishments in Italy Companies established in the 16th century Defence companies of Italy Firearm manufacturers of Italy Henokiens companies Italian brands Multinational companies headquartered in Italy Organizations established in the 1520s