| Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is a major Italian | | | | reputation for being well made, durable and reliable. |
| firearm manufacturing company. Its firearms are | | | | Beretta is famous for the 92FS 9 mm Para pistol, |
| used extensively by civilians, police and militaries | | | | which has seen much exposure in action movies, |
| around the world. Beretta is among the world's | | | | such as the Lethal Weapon and Die Hard series. |
| oldest corporations, and has been owned by the | | | | That gun has at various times been the official |
| same family for nearly 500 years. The Beretta | | | | sidearm of several first world armies. The 92FS |
| company was established historically in 1526, when | | | | has been adopted as the official sidearm of the |
| gunsmith Mastro Bartolomeo Beretta, of Gardone | | | | United States military, designated the M9 Pistol. |
| Val Trompia (Brescia, Lombardy, Italy), received | | | | The 92FS was featured in both the original and |
| 296 ducats as payment for 185 arquebus barrels | | | | remake of the video game Resident Evil as the |
| sold to the Arsenal of Venice. The paperwork for | | | | preferred firearm of the S.T.A.R.S. police force. |
| that order still exists in the company's | | | | In 1918, the Beretta Model 1918 was the second |
| archives.Beretta manufactured rifles and pistols | | | | submachinegun to be fielded by the Italian army. |
| for the Italian military until the 1943 surrender of | | | | In 1985, Beretta was chosen during a |
| Italy to Allied forces. With Germany firmly in | | | | controversial selection process to produce the M9 |
| control of northern Italy Beretta was seized by | | | | 9 mm Parabellum sidearm for the United States |
| the Germans and production continued until the | | | | military, winning a contract for 500,000 units. |
| German surrender in Italy in 1945. Exterior finish | | | | There have been many follow-up orders. A |
| was much inferior to pre-war and mid-war | | | | condition of the original agreement was that U.S. |
| weapons but the operation of the Beretta | | | | military pistols be manufactured domestically. The |
| weapons remained excellent. In 1938 officers of | | | | Beretta USA plant in Accokeek, Maryland, makes |
| the Japanese Navy's Special Landing Forces came | | | | finished pistols from raw materials for the military, |
| to Italy to obtain arms. The Japanese small arms | | | | law enforcement, and civilian markets. |
| production at that time was almost exclusively for | | | | Models of Pistol: |
| the Japanese Army. Beretta was one of three | | | | * Beretta M1915 |
| Italian arms makers who produced 60,000 to | | | | * Beretta M1934 / 1935 |
| 120,000 rifles for the Special Landing Forces. The | | | | * Beretta M1951 |
| rifle, called the "Type "I" by the Japanese, was a | | | | * Beretta Mini Pistols |
| Carcano action set in a two-piece Japanese-style | | | | * Beretta 70 |
| wood stock and chambered for the 6.5mm X | | | | * Beretta 80 Models |
| 50mm Japanese rifle cartridge. According to the | | | | * Beretta 90 |
| Beretta International web site the last shipment of | | | | * Beretta M92 Models |
| Type "I" rifles left Venice for Japan in a U-Boat in | | | | * Beretta 96 Models |
| 1942. After WW2 Beretta became actively | | | | * Beretta 8000 Models |
| involved in the repair of US M-1 Garand rifles, | | | | * Beretta 9000 Models |
| given to Italy by the US. Beretta devised its own | | | | * Beretta Px4 Storm |
| modification of the M-1, the Beretta BM-59, which | | | | * Beretta 90-TWO Models |
| is similar to the M-14. Many weapons experts | | | | * Beretta M9A1 |
| consider the BM-59 to be superior to the M-14, | | | | * Beretta 93R |
| especially in accuracy. Today, the company is | | | | * M9 Pistol |
| owned by Ugo Gussalli Beretta, a direct | | | | Beretta Shot guns: |
| descendant of the original Bartolomeo, and is run | | | | * Beretta 1201FP |
| by him and his sons, Franco and Pietro. (The | | | | * Beretta DT-10 |
| traditional Beretta dynasty — father to son | | | | * Beretta 682 |
| — was broken when Ugo Gussalli Beretta took | | | | * Beretta 686 |
| over. His uncles Carlo and Giuseppe Beretta had | | | | * Beretta Silver Pigeon Series |
| no children. Carlo adopted Ugo, the son of sister | | | | * Beretta AL391 Urika and Teknys (Semi-Auto) |
| Giuseppina Gussalli, to give him the Beretta name.) | | | | * Beretta SO7 and SO5 |
| Beretta is known for its broad product range that | | | | * Beretta Xtrema |
| includes side-by-side shotguns, over-and-under | | | | * Beretta Xtrema 2 |
| shotguns, self-loading shotguns, hunting rifles, | | | | * Beretta 687 |
| express rifles, assault rifles, sub-machine guns, | | | | * Beretta Model A series |
| lever-action rifles, single-action revolvers, | | | | Beretta machine guns |
| double-action revolvers and pistols. Parent | | | | * FN Minimi, under Fabrique Nationale de Herstal |
| company Beretta Holding also owns Beretta USA, | | | | license, for the sole purpose of Italian Armed |
| Benelli, Franchi, SAKO, Stoeger, Tikka, Uberti, and | | | | Forces issue. |
| 20% of Browning. Beretta products have a | | | | |