Beretta M1934
A Beretta M1934 produced in 1941 with Fascist date XIX indicated on the slide.
Type:	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin:	Italy
Service history
In service:	1937
Used by:	Italy
Wars:	World War II
Production history
Manufacturer:	Beretta
Produced:	1934 – 1991
Number built:	1,080,000
Specifications
Weight:	750 g (26.4 oz)
Length:	150 mm (5.91 in)
Barrel length:	88 mm (3.46 in)
Cartridge:	.380 ACP (9 mm Short)
Feed system:	7-round detachable box magazine

The Beretta model 1934 is a compact, semi-automatic (or self-loading) pistol which was issued as a standard service firearm to the Italian armed forces beginning in 1934. Its caliber is 9 mm Corto (also known as 9 x 17 mm, and .380 ACP). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 684 KB)Picture taken by user RevolverOcelot of Wikipedia, from collection of the user. ... A Semi-automatic (also known as Self-loading) pistol is a type of handheld firearm, a kind of pistol. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... Logo of Pietro Beretta This article is about a firearm manufacturer; for the car, see Chevrolet Beretta. ... The barrel of a gun or other firearm is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed. ... It has been suggested that Firearm brass and Casing (ammunition) be merged into this article or section. ... The . ... An M16 magazine. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... An assortment of modern handheld firearms using fixed ammunition, including military assault rifles, a sporting shotgun (fourth from bottom), and a tactical shotgun (third from bottom). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... The . ...

History

Armi Beretta SpA of Gardone Val Trompia (about 20 km north of Brescia, Italy) has a history in firearms manufacturing reaching back to 1526, when they were established as a maker of barrels. But it was not until 1915 that, responding to the needs of the military during World War I, they produced their first pistol, the model 1915. Beretta has become one of the world's largest pistol makers and the model 1934 (M1934) was their most numerous product in the pre-WWII era. Logo of Pietro Beretta This article is about a firearm manufacturer; for the car, see Chevrolet Beretta. ... Gardone Val Trompia is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. ... Country Italy Region Lombardy Province Brescia (BS) Mayor Paolo Corsini (since June 10, 2003) Elevation 150 m Area 90 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 192,165  - Density 2,087/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Bresciani Dialing code 030 Postal code 25100 Frazioni Fornaci, Sant... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russian Empire United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Oskar Potiorek Ä°smail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties Military dead: 5,520... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ...

In the early 1930s, the Italian army was impressed by the Walther PP pistol. Beretta did not want to lose a big military contract to their German competitor and designed the M1934 for the Italian army which accepted it in 1937. This model was followed by the M1935, which was similar to the M1934 in most respects, except that it fired a .32 ACP (7.65 mm Browning) cartridge. The Walther PP is a pistol made in Germany, France and the United States (PPK only) at various times. ... Ariete Tanks of the Italian Ariete Tank Brigade on exercise Three Bersaglieri ride in a Dardo The Italian Army has recently become a professional all-volunteer force of 112,000 active duty personnel. ... The Beretta M1935 is a compact . ... The . ...

Pistols made during the Fascist Era are marked with their year of manufacture in two forms: the conventional Julian date in Arabic numerals and the date in the Fascist calendar in Roman numerals. The Fascist calendar commenced in 1922, but the date does not seem to have changed on January 1, with the Julian calendar; for example, a pistol from 1937 may carry either "XV" or "XVI" as its Fascist date.

Nathuram Godse used an M1934 to assassinate Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi, in New Delhi on 30th January 1948. Nathuram Vinayak Godse (May 19, 1910 – November 15, 1949) born at Baramati, Poona District, is best known as the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, the principal leader of the Indian Independence Movement. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी, Gujarati મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી), called Mahatma Gandhi, was the charismatic leader who brought the cause of Indias independence from British colonial rule to world attention. ... The Humayuns Tomb, situated in New Delhi, has an architectural design similar to the Taj Mahal. ...

Specifications

The M1934 is 5.91 inches (150 mm) long overall and weighs 26.4 oz (750 g) unloaded. The barrel is 3.46 inches (88 mm) long. The gun is made of carbon steel except for its plastic grip panels. It is .380 ACP (9x17 mm. Browning Short ("Corto" in Italian, or "Kurz" in German)) in chambering, a cartridge of modest power, allowing a simple blowback design as opposed to the locked-breech necessary with higher-powered cartridges like the 9 mm. Parabellum. Carbon steel is a metal alloy, a combination of two elements, iron and carbon, where other elements are present in quantities too small to affect the properties. ... Plastic covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. ... The . ... The word caliber (American English) or calibre (British English) comes from the Italian calibro, itself from the Arabic quâlib, meaning mould. ... Ball and hollowpoint 9 mm Luger rounds The 9 mm Parabellum pistol cartridge (9 x 19 mm Parabellum, 9 x 19 mm NATO) was introduced by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) for their Pistole Parabellum. ...

It is fitted with a manual safety and, when in the "Safe" position, the safety holds the slide in a rearward, open position. When the last shot has been fired, the slide is retained open by the empty magazine. The seven-round, detachable, box magazine is equipped with a spur-like extension that helps to ensure a firm grip even for a shooter with large hands, and assists with its extraction; the magazine is retained by a "heel catch" at the bottom of the grip. Warning signs, such as this one, can improve safety awareness. ... In firearms the slide is the upper half of a semi-automatic pistol. ... An M16 magazine. ...

As this pistol was intended for the Italian army, it was made with parts interchangeability in view, simplifying both manufacturing and maintenance, a first at the time.

Intended market

It was designed and purpose-built for the Italian armed forces, but was also sold on the civilian market. Pistols taken by the armed forces usually exhibit acceptance marks stamped into the frame on the left just above the grip: "RE" (Regio Esercito) for the army, "RM" (Regia Marina) for the navy, or "RA" (Regia Aeronautica) for the air force. Police pistols may be marked "PS" (Pubblica Sicurezza).

Design advantages

Fitted with the characteristic Beretta open slide, the M1934 has a very reliable feeding and extraction cycle; the elongated slot in the top of the slide acts as the ejection port. It is made with relatively few parts and very simple to maintain. The M1934 is very robust in construction with a service life believed to be over 100 years if properly maintained.

Limitations

The .380 ACP ammunition is somewhat anemic and the magazine capacity is only 7 rounds. When the empty magazine is removed it no longer holds the slide back. The slide will come forward and close the gun unless it is held open by application of the safety, a separate operation, and this slows down the reloading of the pistol. In most countries (though not in the U.S.) in this era, the carrying of a pistol was primarily an indicator of rank rather than having a serious defensive purpose.

Service

The weapon saw extensive use in World War II in the hands of Italian Fascist forces, and quite a few were captured by Allied officers in the hope that they would fire the 9 mm Parabellum cartridge used in the British Sten submachine guns, but they soon found to their dismay that the pistol was chambered for a shorter, less powerful cartridge. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... When spelt with a capital A, Allies usually denotes the countries supporting the Triple Entente who fought together against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis Powers in World War II. For more information, see the related articles: Allies of World War I and Allies of... The Sten (or Sten gun) was a family of British, 9 mm submachine guns used extensively by the British Empire and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. ... An MP5A4 (fixed stock and 3-round burst trigger group) A submachine gun is a firearm that combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the ammunition of a pistol, and is usually between the two in weight and size. ...

Production

From 1934 to 1991, about 1 080 000 units.

Infamous use

Beretta M1934, serial number 606824, was used by Nathuram Godse to kill Mohandas K. Gandhi, in New Delhi, India, on 30 January 1948. Nathuram Vinayak Godse (May 19, 1910 – November 15, 1949) born at Baramati, Poona District, is best known as the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, the principal leader of the Indian Independence Movement. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी), called Mahatma Gandhi, was the charismatic leader who brought the cause of Indias independence from British colonial rule to world attention. ... The Humayuns Tomb, situated in New Delhi, has an architectural design similar to the Taj Mahal. ...

In media

• In the PC game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Breakthrough, this weapon can be used during campaign mode or when playing as an Axis soldier in multiplayer.
• In the Noir series, this is the sidearm of Kirika Yuumura, one of the two protagonists.
• In the Mobile Suit Gundam series.
• In Lupin III Pycal uses it.

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (MoH:AA) is a first-person shooter (FPS) computer game by Electronic Arts. ... Noir, a 26-episode anime series from 2001,it takes place in 2010 or 2009 is a story of two young female assassins who are seeking answers about their past and why kirika is doing the job she is. ... Mobile Suit Gundam ) is a televised anime series written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino and made up of 43 episodes aired in 1979. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• Beretta M1935

The Beretta M1935 is a compact . ...

External links

• Homepage of Beretta
• Beretta 1934 pictures and information in Italian