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
Weight 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

Users

See also

References