Beretta 12s

The Beretta 12S is an offering of the Italian firearms giant 'Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta'. This is among the world's oldest corporations, and has been under the same family for nearly 500 years. The gunsmith Mastro Bartolomeo Beretta, of Gardone Val Trompia Brescia, Italy, established it in 1526. The owner of the company today is Ugo Gussalli Beretta, a direct descendant of the original Bartolomeo; he runs it along with his sons Franco and Pietro.

The Italians were the first to design and manufacture the traditional submachine guns. One of the first guns manufactured was 'Villar Perosa', but was not considered very usable. The Beretta 1918 was one of the first to be effective in combat.

The Beretta 12S or Beretta PM 12S, as it is also known, was developed as an improvement on the Model 12 in the 1970s. The gun was made much easier and safer to use, and also to confirm to NATO standards. The Model 12 was first used by the Italian military in 1961, and still is standard issue in some South American and African countries. It is made under license in Brazil and Indonesia.

The Beretta 12S can fire either semi or full automatic fire, it fires NATO standard Parabellum cartridge rounds on the blowback principle, and the cyclic rate of fire is 550/650 RPM. The length when the metal stock folded is 418 mm and when extended it is 660 mm. The barrel length is 200 mms. It weighs about 0.570 kilograms when loaded. The gun is very good looking with epoxy resins finish that keeps away rust and corrosion; it has black glossy plastic grips.

As the construction is light and simple and operating is so much safer, the military and even the police consider it is suitable for use in populated areas or even in jungle combat operations. The police sometimes use it as an anti-riot weapon. It is also used by special units or even in armored and mechanized troop operation The Berretta12 S unique barrel is placed within the bolt, this adds to compactness of the gun, and ease of use during automatic firing. It is fired in an open bolt position; the forward movement sends the cartridge from the magazine into the chamber. The powder inside the cartridge case combusts as soon as it is fired and the pressure fires the bullet, as the bolt pushes backwards. The fixed firing pin, which protrudes from the bolt head, fires the bullet by striking the primer. There is a fixed firing pin projecting from the bolt head; the primer is hit and the bullet is fired. Now the bolt moves backwards with the empty cartridge case, and this is forced through it is forced through the ejector opening.

One of its most unique features is the safety grip, which safeguards against unintentional firing. This locks the trigger and the bolt in the closed position, incase the gun is dropped or is not held firmly. The firing pin fixed on the face of the bolt hits the primer only when the cartridge is chambered fully. It is this design that ensures that there are no accidental firings. The Beretta 12S is quite a design achievement in the series of submachine guns.