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HomeItaly

Italy

Semiauto pistol

Beretta Model 1934: Italy’s Unassuming Workhorse Service Pistol

May 16, 2025 Ian McCollum 23

The Beretta Model 34 was basically the final iteration of a design by Tullio Marengoni that began all the way back in 1915. That pistol was updated in the early 1920s, and that one was […]

Machine pistol

Beretta Tries a Machine Pistol: the Model 951A

March 10, 2025 Ian McCollum 9

Beretta’s first machine pistol was actually a full-auto variant of the Model 1923, complete with shoulder stock – but that did not sell well. They tried again in the 1950s with an automatic model of […]

Machine pistol

Beretta 93R: The Best Machine Pistol?

December 13, 2024 Ian McCollum 14

The Beretta 93R (“Raffica”) was developed in the 1970s by Beretta engineer Paolo Parola at the request of Italian military special forces. It took the basic Beretta 92 pistol design and added a well-thought-out burst […]

Submachine Guns

Berettas With Bayonets: The Very Early Model 38A SMG

November 29, 2024 Ian McCollum 1

The initial model of the Beretta 38A had a number of features that were dropped rather quickly once wartime production became a priority. Specifically, they included a lockout safety switch for just the rear full-auto […]

Shotgun

Franchi SPAS-12 at the Range

November 16, 2024 Ian McCollum 29

Today I’m taking the SPAS-12 out to the range, to try a variety of ammunition and see what runs in it. The SPAS is a gas-operated shotgun that can be switched to manual pump operation […]

Shotgun

SPAS-12: Franchi’s Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun

November 6, 2024 Ian McCollum 10

Enter to win this iconic SPAS-12! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons Deadline to enter is 11/22/24 @11:59 PM PST Franchi introduced the Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun (SPAS-12) for Italian military and police agencies in 1979 and it quickly because […]

Commentary

Beretta M38A vs Suomi kp/31 (w/ John Keene)

November 4, 2024 Ian McCollum 64

If you had to pick one, would you take an early Beretta 38A (with bayonet), or a Finnish kp/31 Suomi? Both have semiauto selectors, although the Beretta’s its easier to use. The Suomi has a […]

Semiauto pistol

Arsenal Strike One: Russian Police Pistol Comes to the West

May 27, 2024 Ian McCollum 21

The Strike One pistol originated around 2011 as a collaboration between Nicola Bandini and Dimitry Streshinskiy as a pistol to replace the Makarov in Russian police use. By 2014 is was progressing very successfully through […]

Reproduction

Armi Jager AP85: An Italian .22 Rimfire Faux-MAS

February 16, 2024 Ian McCollum 28

Armi Jager was an Italian arms-making company that was created in the early 1950s by Armando Piscetta. He initially made .22 rimfire sporting rifles, then transitioned into making Old West style revolvers, and in the […]

Medium MGs

Breda 37: Italy’s Forgotten Heavy Machine Gun

November 11, 2023 Ian McCollum 40

The Breda Model 37 was Italy’s standard heavy machine gun (which meant a rifle-caliber gun fired only from a tripod) during World War Two. It was chambered for the 8x59mm cartridge, as Italy used a […]

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