Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	Fabbrica D' Armi Pietro Beretta SpA More Info

About the Gun

Compact single-action blowback pistol with Beretta’s open-top slide, an exposed ring hammer, and a single-stack magazine. The steel frame and slide were finished blued or parkerized. Factory grips were steel-backed Bakelite panels with the PB monogram; many later guns wear replacement rubber. A heel magazine release and a left-side frame lever that doubles as both manual safety and takedown lock define the controls. Fixed blade-and-notch sights and a lanyard loop complete a straightforward service pocket pistol.

Production

Production ran from 1934 through 1991.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $150. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $350–$550.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	.380 Automatic
Alias:	9mm Browning Short
More Info

Analysis

Beretta introduced the 1934 as the 9 mm Corto culmination of the open-slide line that began with the 1915 and passed through the 1923 and 1931. A short 1932 transitional pistol in the same cartridge preceded official adoption. Italian police took the first contract in 1935. The army followed after dropping a request for a Walther-style extra safety, then ordered 150,000 pistols delivered in 1937–1938. It became the standard Italian Army sidearm of the Second World War and was also issued to other services as production allowed. Romania received on the order of 40,000 guns; Finland took a small Civil Guard lot. After the 1943 armistice the factory continued under German control. Assembly of leftover 1934 parts ran in the AA and BB serial blocks—about 19,000 pistols, some accepted as Pistole 671(i)—while new work shifted to the 1935. Late-war finish is often crude; function generally is not. Postwar production resumed with the C serial block in 1946 and continued for Italian police and the Guardia di Finanza, the last T-prefix military guns dating to 1980. Regular Italian civilian sale of the .380 Auto pistol was approved in 1990, and leftover assembly ran into 1991. About 1,080,000 were built. The army later replaced it with the 92. The 1935 is the parallel .32 Auto service pistol, not this model. Used-market supply is large. Ordinary mix-marked or refinished guns stay inexpensive; original-finish wartime examples with intact service marks bring the premium.