Beretta M951



Overview


M952

A M952 pistol chambered in 7.65mm Para. It is similar to the more common M951 which fires the 9x19mm round.
Source: www.collezionare-armi.it - © copyright lies with original owner

Origin
Italy
Type
Pistol
Entered service
Early 1950's
Status
Limited service
Development
1951
Developer
Italy - Beretta
Tullio Marengoni
Production
1953 - 1980
Producer
Italy - Beretta
Iraq - Al-Qadisiyyah Establishments
Egypt - Helwan
Designations
Modello 1951
MOD.51
Tariq (Iraqi production)
Helwan (Egyptian production)

Description


Introduction

The M951 is an early Cold War era pistol of Italian origin. It was developed by Beretta in the early 1950's. The name is derived from the year it was designed. It has been produced under license in Egypt and Iraq. The M951 was replaced by the successful M92, which is an improved M951 with larger magazine size. The M951 has been named after its year of development, with the full name being Modello 1951.

Design

The M951 is a short recoil operated pistol. The pistol is fully made out of metal but the grip plates are plastic. The barrel is visible through the open slide and a single stack magazine is used. A locking mechanism similar to the Walther P38 is used. The later M92 is an updated double stack version of the M951.

Firepower

The M951 fires the 9x19mm round from an 8 round single stack magazine. The M951 is semi-automatic, but the M951R is a fully automatic model produced in small quantities. The M951R uses a 10 round magazine and fires at 1.000 rpm, which makes it difficult to control.

Users

The M951 has been adopted by various nations for law enforcement and military use. Additionally it has been widely sold on the civilian market. Italy was the major user and many have been exported to nations in North Africa. Nowadays the M951 is considered old and many have been replaced by newer designs.

Variants


M951

The M951 is the standard production model. It is semi-automatic, has an 8 round magazine and fires the 9x19mm round. M951: Standard production model. The Egyptian Helwan and Iraqi Tariq are similar to the standard M951. The M951 is called the M951 Brigadier when sold on the civilian market. M952: Civilian model chambered in 7.62x22mm Parabellum. Also Target and Special model were developed.

M951R

The M951R is a select fire version developed for Italian special forces. The R stands for Raffica, which is Italian for 'automatic'. It is a select fire weapon that is capable of semi-automatic or fully automatic fire. A slightly larger 10 round magazine is used and a wooden forward grip is added. Due to its limited usefulness only a small number was produced.

Details


Facts M951 M951R
General
Origin
Italy
Type
Pistol
Caliber
Caliber
9x19mm Parabellum
Feed system
8 round detachable box
Barrel length
114 mm
Rifling
6 grooves, 254 mm right hand twist
Muzzle velocity
360 m/s
Operation
Action
Short recoil, locked breech
Fire selector
0 - 1
Rate of fire
Semi-automatic
Dimensions
Length
203 mm
Weight
0.87 kg empty
Sights
Mechanical
Iron sights, fixed, blade front and notch rear

Media


Related articles


Beretta 93R

The Beretta 93R is a sort of successor for the M951R. The three round burst mode on the 93R makes it more controllable. The increased magazine size makes it more suitable as a machine pistol.