Beretta M1917
When the Kingdom of Italy marched to war in 1915 they carried the black powder Bodeo revolver in their holsters. Over the course of the conflict development of a reliable autoloader would prove problematic until later in the war.
The History
Although they had not joined their Austrian and German allies in going to war against the Entente in 1914, a year later the Kingdom of Italy concluded a secret agreement and declared war on the side of the Entente. As Italian troops began the bitter campaign in the Dolomites (the mountain range forming the edge of the Italian Alps) their officers carried a mix of the problematic Glisenti autoloading pistol and the black powder Bodeo revolvers. As the war progressed in a bloody stalemate along the Isonzo it quickly became apparent that a new design was needed for this war, the trench warfare of which also demonstrated the dire need for a reliable, effective handgun.
Much like their allies, the Italians would turn to various foreign sources for readily available .32ACP handguns, but one domestic manufacturer was ready to step up to the plate. Beretta of Gardone val Trompia was the world’s oldest continuously operating firearms firm, although they were primarily known for their excellent sporting arms when the Great War began.
The rear of the pistol, showing its concealed hammer design as well as its open topped slide and simple sights
When Italy entered the war, however, the company found itself in the converse of the crisis facing the Regio Esercito. With the civilian market having been effectively closed, the company found itself trying to break into various military arms contracts, mainly producing parts for existing rifle and machine gun types. The firm would need a domestic design to retain its dominant position in the Italian and global markets after the war.
The result was the design of engineer Tullio Marengoni, who created a simple, blowback operated pistol chambered in the same 9x19mm Glisenti cartridge of the currently issued M1910 Glisenti pistol. As the weapon was being designed, the forward-thinking Marengoni would also work on a smaller variant in the popular .32ACP cartridge for civilian sales post war. This would prove most prescient, as the need for handguns as well as the increasing use of .32 caliber handguns in Italian service, led to a request for an even simpler handgun.
The pistol’s slide markings are visible above the safety. The safety also serves as a takedown lever, locking the slide to the rear for disassembly
As a result, the M1915 in 9mm Glisenti was supplanted in September of 1917 with that very same downsized model, commonly designated as the M1917 (although sources differ as to if that is truly what it is called as opposed to M1915/17 or even just M1915 in .32). This was again a blowback autloading pistol with the same general shape, although it does not feature its secondary hammer block safety at the rear of the frame, as well as the deletion of the ejector, the firing pin taking up that role.
Production of the M1917 would be significantly higher that of the M1915, with almost 50,000 delivered between late 1917 and the end of the war, followed by continued commercial production after the war. The M1915/M1917 would lead to the beginning of Beretta’s modern reputation as a premier manufacturer of both commercial and martial handguns. The standard service pistol of Italy in the Second World War, the Beretta M1934 is a direct descendant, and its lineage continues to this day.
The grips are of slatted wood,with the P.B. of “Pietro Beretta: monogramed on them
The Design
The M1917 is a very simple handgun, using a hammerless design and a direct blowback mechanism. As with other designs, such as the contemporary French Ruby pistols, the design is not truly “hammerless”, but instead has its hammer concealed within the weapon’s slide, actuated exclusively by the operation of that component. The weapon features the open-topped slide that would become a trademark feature of Beretta pistols, although on this early design it is actually open at the muzzle end, with the rear sight attached to the barrel by a conventional collar. The ejection port is likewise different, being separated from the open slide rather than a component of it as on later designs.
With the slide removed, the hammer is revealed, seen here in its discharged position
As opposed to the 9mm M1915, the most obvious difference is of course the smaller size of the weapon. In addition, the secondary hammer block safety located at the rear of the frame was deleted, leaving only the large combination safety/takedown lever on the left side of the frame. This blocks the trigger when engaged, and also serves to lock the slide rearward for field strip. With the slide locked thus, the barrel can be removed by drawing it upward, with a subsequent controlled release of the slide allowing its removal as well. An additional change was the deletion of the separate ejector, with the firing pin now serving this purpose. The magazine is a conventional box, with a large viewing window to count rounds on both sides. The follower also features a hold-open for the slide, which serves only to alert the user to an empty magazine, as it has no internal mechanism, causing the slide to drop when the magazine is removed.
This Example
The example of the M1917 in the author’s collection is a fairly good condition piece manufactured in 1918 (estimating by serial number). The finish of the metal components is in very good condition, and the wooden grips are likewise in good condition. The grips exhibit a high-gloss varnish that is likely a post-military application, although other examples have been observed with an identical finish. The pistol is functional, although its magazine hold open is unreliable and the author has experienced poor accuracy from the weapon despite a good bore condition, although this may be due to ammunition used as well.
The pistol disassembled. Note that while the now iconic open-topped Beretta slide is visible, on this early model the front is open, with the front sight attached to a collar on the barrel, similar to a rifle
Opinions
The M1917 Beretta is an important piece of history, having been one of the most common handguns in the hands of the Regio Esercito during the Great War. The pistol later remained in use through the Second World War, and its descendants remain in production and in service to this day. Although the Beretta M1917 was but one among a large number of .32 caliber pocket pistols to see service in the Great War from all major belligerents, the weapon is one with probably the strongest legacy, and is in and of itself a finely made piece even under wartime conditions.
An Italian Arditi trench assault trooper demonstrates his knife, with a Beretta holstered on his belt
Observed Values and Frequency
Updated: February, 2024
AVERAGE VALUE (USD): $600 - $1,000
FREQUENCY: Rare
COLLECTOR’S NOTES: Serial number is the only way to look up the date on these handguns, and resources are scarce in that regard.