Beretta M1935
The
Beretta M1935 is a compact
.32 ACP caliber, blowback
pistol that was manufactured by
Beretta.
In the early 1930s, the
Italian army was impressed by the
Walther PP pistol, Beretta did not want to lose a big Italian military contract and designed the compact
M1934 for the Italian
army which accepted it in 1937. The M1935 is simply a M1934 modified to fire .32ACP ammunition.
The M1935 is a single-action
semi-automatic blowback pistol that fires the .32 ACP
ammunition. It is made out of carbon
steel with
plastic grips. It is fitted with a manual
safety and when the last shot has been fired the
slide is retained open by the empty
magazine. The magazine capacity is 8
rounds. As this pistol was built for the Italian army, all parts were interchangeable, which simplified maintenance and manufacturing: a first at the time.
It was purpose built and designed for the Italian armed forces, however it was also sold to the civilian market and issued to the German forces in 1944 and 1945.
Fitted with the Beretta style open slide, the M1935 has a very reliable feeding and extraction cycle. It was made with few parts and is very simple to maintain. The M1935 is a very robust construction with long service life if properly maintained.
The .32 ACP ammunition is somewhat
anemic. The magazine capacity of only 8 rounds reduces the M1935 to a last resort self defense pistol. When the empty magazine is removed, the slide moves back forward as the magazine holds it back, this slows down the reloading of the pistol.
From 1935 to 1967, about 525,000 units.
The Beretta M1935 had been captured in huge numbers during
WW 2 from Italian and German armed forces by allied soldiers who liked it because of its small size, rugged design and good construction. Many of these captured pistols are operational to this day and widespread in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France and in the United Kingdom. The M1935 is compact and easy to hide, with ammunition available for it.
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Beretta M1934*
Beretta 1935 pictures and information
