Beretta M1934

The standard service pistol of Mussolini’s armies during the Second World War was a simple blowback automatic, and would serve on for decades in Italian service as well as helping to build the global brand of Beretta.

The History

Pietro Beretta is the oldest continually operating firearms manufacturer in the world, with a lineage dating back to sixteenth century. Located in the village of Gardone in Italy, it was mainly known for its sporting firearms until the Italian entry into the First World War. With the end of demand for anything but martial designs, Beretta set about manufacturing parts for various weapons issued by the Regio Esercito, and within months submitted a new handgun design.

A simple automatic chambered in the same 9mm cartridge as the current Glisenti M1910, the Beretta was far simpler, and correspondingly both cheaper and more reliable than the current issue Glisenti. This design quickly supplanted the Glisenti in service, and by the end of the war the Royal Italian Navy, the Regia Marina, had adopted a scaled down variant in .32 ACP as the M1917. These would remain in service during the interwar period, but as the 1930s began the need for a new handgun was becoming apparent.

The slide is marked “P. Beretta - Cal.9 Corto Mo.1934-Brevettato Gardone V.T. 1937-XVI”, with the caliber 9mm Corto meaning 9mm Short (.380 ACP) and the Roman numeral XVI (16) standing for the 16th year of Fascism

The market for military handguns was crowded in the late 1930s, with various types coming out of Germany, Czechoslovakia and Belgium, among others. Beretta would submit a new design in the 9mm short (corto) cartridge, also known as 9x17mm or .380 ACP, with the final contest within Italian military trials coming down to the Beretta and the Walther PP from Germany. After an abortive attempt to integrate the Walther’s slide mounted safety and decocker the Beretta was selected for issue, with deliveries to the Royal Italian Army beginning in 1936.

The first contracts were almost exclusively issued to the Regio Esercito (Royal Army), with only small numbers being issued to the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) and Regia Marina (Royal Navy). The pistol would gain a reputation for being robust and reliable in service, and later a variant in 7.65mm (.32 ACP) would enter service with the Regia Marina as the M1935. The pistol would be purchased and issued by the Romanians as well, and would become popular with German officers during the war.

The Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito) RE and crown proof mark on the tang of the pistol, also note the metal reinforcing plate on the grips

The pistol remained in production even after the Kingdom of Italy was torn asunder in 1943, with the Germans taking control of production along with Northern Italy, with production continuing until the end of the war, with some examples outsourced to other plants within the ever-shrinking Italian Social Republic. Following the conflict the M1934 would remain in Italian Army service until the M1951, a larger handgun chambering the full size 9x19mm parabellum cartridge, was adopted. The lineage of this pistol continues to this day with the popular M92. The last Italian issuance of the M1934, to the Carabinieri (Italian national gendarmerie) using it as a standard sidearm until the 1980s.

An angle shot of the M1934, showing the simple sights and the trademark Beretta open-top slide

The Design

The M1934 is an extremely simple single action automatic handgun, using a direct blowback mechanism. The weapon features the open top slide that has remained a trademark of Beretta pistols to this day, serving both to lighten the weapon and functioning as an ejection port. The safety is also extrememly simple, being a small switch on the frame above the trigger on the left hand side, rotating 180 degrees forward for fire and rearward for safe, with the safety preventing the trigger from functioning but not impeding slide operations. The hammer also features a half cock notch.

The pistol’s grips are made of hardened rubber and embossed with the Beretta logo, and notably have thin metal plates beneath them to provide extra strength. The pistol does not have an integral slide stop, although the slide will lock open on the magazine follower after the last cartridge is expended. When the magazine is removed, the slide will be released, and thus must be manually cycled upon reloading. The magazine itself holds seven cartridges, and has large openings in the sides to view the cartridges loaded within. It is retained by a heel catch and has a prominent finger rest attached.

The pistol fieldstripped

This Example

The Beretta Model 1934 in the author’s collection was produced in late 1937, as indicated by the Fascist year XVI on the slide. The Fascist calendar begins on October 29, 1922, thus the 1937 date stamp and the Fascist year stamp clearing that the pistol was made in November or December of that year. The pistol bears the crown and RE marking of the Regio Esercito, as is typical for the M1934s produced before the Second World War began. The weapon also bears matching serial numbers on all parts, as well as a bright, high polish blue finish.

The magazine fully loaded with seven 9x17mm cartridges

Opinions

The Beretta M1934 is an iconic sidearm of the Second World War, seeing service on all fronts of the European Theater with the Italians, Germans, Romanians and others. It is a lightweight and pleasant shooting weapon, with a compact frame. The main problems plaguing the design are the relatively low power of the 9x17mm cartridge compared to most contemporary military handguns, and in the author’s experience they tend to be less accurate than might be hoped, although certainly it is still workable.

Indeed, that sentiment is a good overall view of the weapon. The M1934 is workable, with its simplicity and ruggedness endearing it to Italian soldiers, and a aesthetically pleasing design also have some points, even if irrelevant to the practical use of the pistol. The M1934 is comfortable in the hand, and recoil is very manageable and not at all unpleasant, as one would expect from such a mild cartridge. The weapon also has proven to be reliable even after decades of use. With a generally lower price point than other standard service pistols of the Axis Powers, the Beretta is an excellent addition to any firearms collection.

An Italian Alpini armed with an M1934

Observed Values and Frequency

Updated: February, 2024

AVERAGE VALUE (USD): $600 - $800

FREQUENCY: Uncommon

COLLECTOR’S NOTES: Values here are for wartime prodution and earlier.
Owning organization can be observed on the rear of the frame: RE for Army, RA for Air Force, RM for Navy, or police and commercial proofs.