Beretta's first machine pistol was actually a full-auto variant of the Model 1923, complete with shoulder stock - but that did not sell well. They tried again in the 1950s with an automatic model of the new Beretta Model 51 (aka M951). This was a 9x19mm pistol using a P38 style locking wedge, and...

The Beretta 93R ("Raffica") was developed in the 1970s by Beretta engineer Paolo Parola at the request of Italian military special forces. It took the basic Beretta 92 pistol design and added a well-thought-out burst mechanism under the right-side grip panel. It does not have a plain full-auto se...

Franchi introduced the Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun (SPAS-12) for Italian military and police agencies in 1979 and it quickly because popular worldwide. Based originally on the gas-operated Franchi 500, that SPAS-12 was robust, reliable, and designed as a semiautomatic action with a backup p...

Today I'm taking the SPAS-12 out to the range, to try a variety of ammunition and see what runs in it. The SPAS is a gas-operated shotgun that can be switched to manual pump operation for use with underpowered ammunition. This was originally intended as a way to allow things like beanbag and othe...

If you had to pick one, would you take an early Beretta 38A (with bayonet), or a Finnish kp/31 Suomi? Both have semiauto selectors, although the Beretta's its easier to use. The Suomi has a higher rate of fire and larger magazine capacity, but is slower to use. Both have roughly equivalent sights...

The initial model of the Beretta 38A had a number of features that were dropped rather quickly once wartime production became a priority. Specifically, they included a lockout safety switch for just the rear full-auto trigger. This was in place primarily for police use, in which the guns were int...

The Strike One pistol originated around 2011 as a collaboration between Nicola Bandini and Dimitry Streshinskiy as a pistol to replace the Makarov in Russian police use. By 2014 is was progressing very successfully through testing and trials, and had gained some international interest, and that's...

In 2023 Beretta introduced their 'New Assault Rifle Platform' - the NARP. At SHOT Show 2024 I had the chance to examine the initial 5.56x45mm variant of the NARP. The rifle was developed with input from Italy's Special Forces and it represents a step away from the extensive use of polymer in Bere...

Armi Jager was an Italian arms-making company that was created in the early 1950s by Armando Piscetta. He initially made .22 rimfire sporting rifles, then transitioned into making Old West style revolvers, and in the 1970s began offering a series of military lookalikes (he was also heavily involv...

The Breda Model 37 was Italy's standard heavy machine gun (which meant a rifle-caliber gun fired only from a tripod) during World War Two. It was chambered for the 8x59mm cartridge, as Italy used a two-cartridge system at the time, with 6.5mm for rifles and the heavier 8mm for machine guns to ex...

Watch latest videos, sometimes even early releases! Sign up for the newsletter 🗞️https://tinyurl.com/9HoleReviews or https://tinyurl.com/SlateBlack The Beretta ARX160 series of rifles replaced the AR70/90 as the next generation rifle going into the 2000's. The ultra-lightweight polymer receiver r...

Watch latest videos, sometimes even early releases! Sign up for the newsletter 🗞️https://tinyurl.com/9HoleReviews or https://tinyurl.com/SlateBlack The Beretta AR70/90 draws lineage to the SIG SG530, which was a joint project between SIG (not Sig Sauer) and Beratta to create a next-generation 5.5...

The Mateba 6 Unica is the culmination of a series of revolver development by Italian designer Emilio Ghisoni (1937-2008). The Unica 6 is one of only a few self-cocking revolvers to see commercial production and sales (the other two being the Union and the Webley-Fosbery). It was available in .357...

While the Italian military did adopt the AR-70, it did not actually issue them to all troops. Most continued to use the 7.62mm BM-59 until 1990 when the Beretta AR-70/90 was adopted. This rifle was a substantial rework and improvement of the AR-70, using AR-pattern magazines and a 1:7" twist barr...

Developed in Italy as a take on the Light Machine Gun, the British Villar Perosa was chambered in .455 Webley and was considered to be mounted on an unusual form of transport.

As the war began to turn against Mussollini's Italy in the Second World War, they turned to the cheap, easy to produce TZ45.

Why would you want a pair of pistols joined by a single barrel? The answer is a nuanced legal workaround to avoid restrictions on concealed weapons in 19th century Italy.

This remarkably well made weapon was purchased by Henry VIII from Italy to arm his forces 500 years ago. The arquebus is similar to examples found on the Mary Rose and can trace its roots back to a gun making region of Italy with high repute.

Please support us at: https://www.patreon.com/capandball I had a chance to visit the Sabatti factory in Gardone, Italy. This company is one of the very few who manufacture barrels with cold forging method. This method is capable for manufacturing extremely durable barrels with very accurate dimen...

The Italian military went into WWI having already adopted a semiautomatic sidearm - the Model 1910 Glisenti (and its somewhat simplified Brixia cousin). However, the 1910 Glisenti was a very complex design, and much too expensive to be practical for the needs of the global cataclysm that was the ...

The Scotti Model X (the X standing for the 10th year of the Italian Fascist era, or 1932) was one of several semiauto rifles tested by the Italian military during the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Scotti entry into these competitions was chambered for the 6.5mm Carcano cartridge and used standa...

Note: This video was filmed over a year ago, but I have been holding it in anticipation of the rifle going to auction. That doesn't seem to be happening, so I'm posting the video now.

Only three example of this 1925 prototype rifle from MBT (Metallurgica Brescia gia Tempini) were ever made, an...

The Italian army actually adopted a semiautomatic rifle in 1939: this Armaguerra Model 1939. It was intended to supplant the M38 Carcano bolt actions, but ultimately never managed to get into mass production.

The rifle was adopted initially in the new 7.35mm cartridge, and then quickly cancelled...

The Villar Perosa is one of the first small machine guns developed and used by a military force. It was designed in Italy and introduced in 1915 as an aircraft weapon, to be used in a flexible mount by an airplane's observer. The gun consists of two independent firing actions mounted together. Ea...