Beretta M1951 - History

History

The pistol was Beretta's first locked breech design on the market, (previous semi-automatic pistols were all blowback-operated) and was in limited production circa 1953 and in full-scale production in 1956 until 1980. The initial production batch featured a lightweight alloy frame which proved to be unable to withstand the shock of the relatively high-powered 9mm Parabellum round in the long run. This was replaced by the 'second series' model with a steel frame that proved to be totally adequate in endurance. The steel-framed version was nearly 250 grams heavier than the alloy version, but the balance was improved. A special version of this second series (the "Egyptian Contract" model 951) was modified according to the wishes of the military of the Egyptian Arab Republic. Approximately 50,000 Egyptian Contract 951s were produced. Its particular modifications included larger sights, a simplified, narrower grip and external "thumb-spring" magazine release, rather than the push-button release in the lower-right grip of all other 951 versions. Beretta was in competition with Tokarev to become the primary supplier of sidearms to the new Egyptian republic. Despite intense pressure and incentives from the Soviet bloc, the Egyptians appreciated the 9mm Beretta's accuracy, power and uncanny reliability in desert conditions, and consequently, the Hungarian "Tokagypt" was produced in comparatively small quantities.

The "third series" of the model 951 was the definitive production version. Its lengthened slide further improved the pistol's balance. The relatively large sights of the Egyptian Contract version were replaced - even on the Maadi-made Helwan 951 - by the original smaller, unobtrusive sights which were less likely to snag on a holster. Serial production of this definitive version initiated in Italy 1955, and in Egypt in the early 1960s. The M1951 is no longer produced in Italy, and was never adopted by the Italian Army, which kept the .380 ACP Beretta M 1934 in service until the adoption of the 9 mm Beretta 92; the M1951 was instead adopted by the Italian Navy, the Carabinieri and the Italian national Traffic Police; it has been replaced in all services with the adoption of the above-mentioned Beretta 92, in 1977. Other military forces to have adopted the M1951 include Egypt (where it has been produced by the local firm Maadi as the "Helwan"), Israel, Iraq (license-built as the "Tariq"), Nigeria, Libya and Tunisia; in most of these countries, the pistol is now out of service. The pistol is known as the M951 "Brigadier" on the civilian market. After 1968, in the United States, it was briefly referred to as the 104 in promotional literature.