Beretta M1918
| Beretta Model 1918 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Submachine gun |
| Place of origin | Kingdom of Italy |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Variants | Model 1918 Model 1918/30 Hafdasa C-1 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 7 lb 3 oz (3.3 kg) |
| Length | 43 in (1092 mm) |
| Barrel length | 12 in (305 mm) |
| Cartridge | 9mm Glisenti .22LR |
| Caliber | 9mm .22 calibre |
| Action | Blowback, automatic only |
| Rate of fire | 900 round/min |
| Feed system | 25 round detachable box |
The Beretta Model 1918 was a submachine gun that entered service in 1918 with the Italian armed forces. Designed initially as a semi-automatic rifle, the weapon came with an overhead inserted magazine, an unconventional design based on the simplicity of allowing a spent round to be replaced using only gravity. The gun was a spiritual successor to the Villar Perosa Submachine gun, and as such it can be considered the first submachine gun issued to and used by the Italian armed forces, and is possibly the first SMG used as a general-issue combat weapon.
Another variant was the Model 1918/30 with the magazine inserted underneath and came with a bayonet.[1] The Model 1918/30 was also manufactured in Argentina by Hafdasa as the C-1, which formed the basis of the Ballester-Riguard submachine gun.
Design
- Barrel rifling: 6 grooves with a right hand twist (6-right)
- Automatic carbine, cal. 9mm, having a barrel length of 12.5" and a magazine capacity of 25 rounds.
Users
See also
- Hafdasa C-4, an Argentine derivative of the Beretta Model 1918.
- Italian submachine guns
References
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