Beretta 38/42 at the Range

The pre-war Beretta Model 38A was a magnificent SMG, but it included a fair number of fancy elements that would prove to costly to justify once wartime production needs grew. Beretta would simplify the design progressively over the course of the war. What we have today is a Model 38/42 with a much simpler fixed-firing-pin bolt and a smooth barrel without jacket.

Is the 38/42 as nice to use as the original 38A? In my opinion, no – but it’s pretty close. The Beretta 38 family in all its iterations are excellent guns.

28 Comments

  1. https://youtu.be/kxBQNmCzcb8

    If someone was firing at you, with the M38a; or Mp40 I think firing back with the Ppsh in the link, would…

    Terminate the non Ppsh users. In the heat of battle, conscripts or otherwise on both sides. Regardless of equal numbers, or not. A dying person with a Ppsh could still deliver accurate death, spray.

    So in my opinion the Ppsh is the far better gun; they may have just stumbled across, as oppose intended it entirely.

    • I once read U.S folk in Korea said the Ppsh was a major “Bitch” now, I doubt the same would have been said of an Mp40 or similar with it’s “controllable” rpm.

      So. Why is that; It is because of the Russian stuffs very high rate of fire.

      • The way to look at these guns is, say someone shot you in thigh with a Mp40.

        Well the revenge burst with the Ppsh is going to count more than vice versa.

        And they were shot in the thigh by the hundreds of thousands. And thus…

      • “(…)major “Bitch” now(…)”
        I do not know if that is 1950s U.S. way of expressing appreciation, but I suggest to be careful regarding assessment of enemy weapon, as it might be below or above reality.

        “(…)doubt the same would have been said of an Mp40(…)”
        Said or not, captured MP 40 were used by Workers’ Peasants’ Red Army see
        https://pzkpfw3485.tistory.com/2247238

  2. I see these modern warfare ad’s for computer games on telly; with small arms, and really feel like saying.

    But your going to be shelled the fuck out of by the Russians. Artillery. Your shitty game, leaves far to much room for hero’s instead of you all just being mincemeat to heavy guns.

    But meh, and so it goes on; young men, young fat men nowadays on screens… Who one day, doubtless will get there chance to be a hero, in front of Russian artillery.

  3. Was that aimed at me; charming, I must say.

    7.62x25mm is a better round, in an smg; and overweight game players are due to be slaughtered by Russian heavy guns.

    Tell me where I am going wrong; in Japanese. He he.

    • “(…)Russian heavy guns.(…)”
      How do you define that exactly? Also why not rocket, free-fall bomb or other weapon?

      • Historically, artillery (guns, howitzers and mortars) was the greatest killer on the battlefield in the 20th century. Bill Mauldin wrote in his book, Up Front, that the infantry hated indirect fire because it was so random. You could be the platoon dud, standing around in the open and live while the enemy scores a direct hit on the guy who is in a superbly camouflaged, built exactly the way the manual says fighting position. It’s called dispersion and doesn’t care whether you are an Olympic athlete or Mister Four by Four.

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