Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	Fabbrica D' Armi Pietro Beretta SpA More Info

About the Gun

Vest-pocket blowback pistol with an open-top slide and a rounded grip frame. Striker-fired, no hammer. Blued steel, black plastic panels, a contoured backstrap grip safety, and a manual safety on the frame. A cocked-indicator pin protrudes from the rear of the slide. Single-stack magazine with a heel release. Fixed sights.

Production

Production ran from 1947 through 1958.

Market value

No MSRP in the modern sense. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $300–$650.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	.25 Automatic
Alias:	6.35mm Browning
More Info

Analysis

The 418 is the postwar continuation of the .25 Auto 318. The grip safety lost the hump and follows the frame, and the firing pin sticks out of the slide when cocked. That hole is the tell. A 318 has none. Serials restarted at 00001A, then a C-suffix block. Proofs run from about 1949 to 1958, and the total is on the order of 140,000. Early panels are plastic over a steel back. All-plastic panels with the Beretta mark arrived around 1952. An alloy frame was added late in the run. In the United States the same gun was sold as the Bantam, then the Panther. The Model 20 is the later tip-up and is a separate model. Magazines and the plastic panels are the usual missing pieces.