Giat PAMAS G1

The PAMAS G1 is a semiautomatic pistol also known as the GIAT BM92. It was manufactured by GIAT for French Army service in 1929, incorporates either single action or double action trigger systems, and has a magazine capacity of 10, 15 or 17 rounds. The magazine release is situated in the lower trigger guard and is reversible. It fires 9x19mm-Parabellum/NATO rounds. It has an effective range of about 50 meters. The French adapted this handgun from the Beretta 2G, though there are subtle differences between the two.

The PAMAS G1 does not have a manual safety, and incorporates a manual cocking device. The slides are made from a hard but brittle alloy containing tellurium. This fact has been fodder for much controversy and even bodily damage, since the inferior alloy used drastically reduces the slide's life expectancy. It has been found that it needs to be replaced after every 6000 shots or so (apparently tellurium, which is a form of earth, was employed in order to save on the cost of steel). This particular economy measure has caused some serious facial injuries to people who are unaware of the slide's short lifespan.

The French military has realized that this is not something to save money on, and steel ones are replacing the inferior slides now. GIAT, meanwhile, had suffered huge losses. Unable to recall and modify all the defective weapons, they were bordering on the verge of bankruptcy for a while. Presently, there is an opinion making the rounds that the defect lies not only in the material used for the slide, but the Beretta slide model itself. Open-top slides combined with a tilting latch locking system, these detractors say, are suitable only for standard ammunition and the safety margins are compromised to begin. Other opinions state that the French are given to saving on such fronts and that Beretta should not be blamed for something like this.

The PAMAS G1 does not incorporate the slide retention device that was used in the Beretta 2F later on. The frame is made of aluminum alloy and it weighs and overall 945 grams. It measures 217 mm in length, 137 mm in height, 39 mm in width and has a barrel length of 125 mm. It has a modified safety system in which the safety lever automatically returns to 'ready-to-fire' position after has it has been lowered to de-cock the hammer.

The PAMAS G1 was issued to the French army and counter-terrorist units. PAMAS is an acronym for Pistolet Automatique de la Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Ãtienne, or Automatic Pistol of the Saint Etienne Manufacture. The name has a pleasing ring to it. However, though it has a certain collector's value, the technological problems with the slide exclude it from the list of professional weapons meant for long-term use. However, it did see some Glory Days on the commercial market. They are still procurable from certain French dealerships at prices that can peak at $248 for a new piece.

The French Gendarmerie adopted the PAMAS G1 in 1989 to replace the Manhurin MR-73 that they were using until then. They, as well as the French air force unit RAPAS still use the PAMAS G1 and approximately 103,000 units have been manufactured for them so far. However, the rumor mill now has it that the PAMAS G1 will soon be phased out of use by the French Gendarmerie, to be replaced by the more reliable SIG SP2022.

Other pistols that have been designed on the lines of the Beretta M92FS/PAMAS G1 model are the Llama M82 (an unlicensed adaptation), the Z88 by the South African company Vektor, and the Taurus PT-92/PT-99 by the Brazilian company Taurus.