Beretta
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Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (Italian pronunciation:
History
Val Trompia, a northern Italian river valley in the Province of Brescia, Lombardy, has been mined for iron ore since the time of the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, Val Trompia was known for its ironworks; after the Renaissance it came to be a center for the manufacture of weapons.[4] 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 and lower valley).[1]
The Beretta forge was in operation from about 1500,
Under the guild system, the knowledge of gun barrel fabrication that had been bequeathed to Jacopo (1520/25 – …) by his father Bartolomeo (1490 – 1565/68)[7] was then passed down to Jacopo’s own son, Giovannino (1550 – post 1577), and then to his grandson Giovan Antonio (1577 – post 1649),[8] and it continued to be passed down in this manner until guilds were abolished by Napoleon after his conquest of the Venetian Republic in 1797.[1]
Beretta has been owned by the same family for almost five hundred years;[9] it is a founding member of Les Henokiens, an association of bicentenary companies that are family owned and operated.[10]
In 1918, the
After World War II, Beretta was actively involved in repairing the American
After the war, Beretta continued to develop firearms for the Italian army and police force, as well as the civilian market.[14]
In the 1970s, Beretta also started a manufacturing plant in
In the late 1980s, Beretta acquired several domestic competitors (notably
Also in the 1980s, Beretta enjoyed a renewal of popularity in North America, after its Beretta 92 pistol was selected as the service handgun for the United States Army (as the "M9 pistol").[2] 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.[17]
Overview
Today, Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (Beretta S.p.A.) is run by Franco Gussalli Beretta, President and CEO.[18]
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
, and the Burris Optics company.The model
Product lines
Semi-automatic pistols
- Beretta Model 1915
- Beretta M1923
- Beretta 418
- Beretta M1934 / Beretta M1935
- Beretta M1951
- Beretta 70 series
- Beretta Cheetah
- Beretta 8000
- Beretta 90
- Beretta 9000
- Beretta 9000S
- Beretta 92
- Beretta 96
- Beretta Px4 Storm
- Beretta U22 Neos
- Beretta APX
- Beretta 21 Bobcat
- Beretta 3032 Tomcat
- Beretta 950 Jetfire
- Beretta Nano
- Beretta Pico
Revolvers
- Beretta Stampede
- Beretta Laramie
- Manurhin MR73
Shotguns
- Beretta 1200
- Beretta 1200 FP
- Beretta 1201
- Beretta 1201FP
- Beretta AL390
- Beretta AL391 Urika and Teknys
- Beretta Tx4
- 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 BM-59
- Beretta 501(sporting rifle)
- Beretta Rx4 Storm
- Beretta Cx4 Storm
- Beretta BRX1 straight-pull bolt-action rifle[26]
Assault rifles
- Beretta AR70/90
- Beretta AS70/90
- Beretta AR-70/223
- Beretta ARX 160
- Beretta ARX 200
- Beretta NARP
Submachine guns
- Beretta Model 1918
- Beretta Model 38
- 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)
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 9781558624443– via FundingUniverse.
- ^ a b Suro, Roberto (7 June 1987). "ITALY: HOST FOR THE ECONOMIC SUMMIT - A LAND OF FAMILY BUSINESSES; The Careful Aim of the Beretta Clan". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
The Pentagon's 1984 decision to buy 320,000 Beretta 92SB-F 9-millimeter pistols for use as a standard sidearm produced a pile of exceptional publicity for Beretta (which also supplies the Texas Rangers.)
- ^ Anderson, Lisa (30 October 1990). "Still The Big Guns Of Weaponry". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
Since 1526, The Beretta Family Has Been The World's Most Fashionable Arms Supplier
- ^ a b c Alderson, Keanon (20 December 2011). "ADVICE: Longevity teaches family business lessons". The Press Enterprise. Riverside, CA. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Learn from a company that weathered bubonic plague, political intrigue, assassination attempts and World War II to become a premier manufacturer in its industry segment
- ^ "FABBRICA D'ARMI PIETRO BERETTA S.p.A. Today". Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
Passed down through 15 generations of the Beretta family, the company was already active in Gardone Valtrompia in the 1400s and its work has been documented since 1526.
- ^ "Private Museum". Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ "Bartolomeo Beretta" Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ "Beretta Since 1526". Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ Thomson, Candus (30 March 2001). "Same aim, for nearly 500 years". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "Press Room : Gallery". Les Hénokiens - Association internationale d'entreprises familiales au moins bicentenaires. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "Beretta International". Beretta.com. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
- ^ "Beretta's BM59: The Ultimate Garand" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ "Beretta BM 59 Semi Automatic Rifle". National Firearms Museum. National Rifle Association of America. Archived from the original on 21 December 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- ^ McClellan, Angus (12 November 2009). "The Beretta M9: 25 Years of Service". American Rifleman. National Rifle Association of America. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^
Humphries, Michael (27 February 2012). "Taurus PT 92". Shooting Illustrated. National Rifle Association of America. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
Although that first pistol would look very different to anyone familiar with the current PT 92, it was quite similar in appearance to the existent Beretta Model 92.
- ^ "Switching targets". The Economist. 16 November 2006. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Beretta has reinvented itself in the past decade, a change as dramatic as the reinvention of its most famous customer in 'Casino Royale', the latest Bond film.
- ISBN 9781595588302. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Roberts, Hannah (2016-06-09). "Franco Gussalli Beretta defends the family-run gunmaking company". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
- ^
"Beretta Announces Limited Edition 92 Centennial Pistol". American Rifleman. National Rifle Association of America. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
The original Beretta Model 1915 was adopted by the Italian forces one month after Italy entered World War I.
- ^
"Beretta and the M9A3: Update". American Rifleman. National Rifle Association of America. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
…Beretta submitted an Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) to its current contract the company calls the M9A3, which fulfilled many of the requirements set out for the looming Modular Handgun project.
- ^
"U.S. Army Acquires Additional Beretta M9 9mm Pistols". Shooting Illustrated. National Rifle Association of America. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
To date, Beretta has delivered over 600,000 M9 pistols, with 18,000 already scheduled for delivery under the new 5 year contract.
- ^ "Italian designed, American made, Iraq deployed". American Machinist. Penton. 13 Dec 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2005.
Its pistols have been used in every major U.S. military engagement since the late 1980s, including both Iraq campaigns, in Bosnia, Panama and Afghanistan.
- ^ Valsecchi, Piero (10 March 1985). "Italy-Based Beretta Has Made Weapons Since 1526 : Army Opts for James Bond's Handgun". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
Beretta will begin production of the model for the U.S. military in its ancient factory in this northern region that has been the stronghold of Italy's arms industry since Roman slaves began working on metals and arms.
- ^ Kennedy, Harold (October 2000). "Beretta 9 mm Finds Niche In 'Low-Intensity' Missions". National Defense. NDIA. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ Mizokami, Kyle (23 January 2017). "The Sig P320 is the U.S. Army's New Sidearm". Yahoo News. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
After a two-year, $17 million dollar search involving 12 contestants, the U.S. Army has finally picked its first new handgun in 32 years.
- ^ "+++ World premiere +++ Beretta introduces the BRX1 hunting straight-pull repeater: product presentation with exclusive video". all4shooters. October 19, 2021.
Further reading
Wilson, R. L. (2000). The world of Beretta : an international legend. New York: Random House.