Beretta M1951

Beretta M1951
Egyptian Contract M1951 Pistol
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Italy
Service history
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designer	Tullio Marengoni
Manufacturer	Beretta
Produced	1949–1980
Variants	Helwan, M951 "Brigadier", M951R, M952, M952 "Special", M952 "Target"
Specifications
Weight	870 grams (31 oz) (M1951) 1,350 g (48 oz) (M951R)
Length	203 millimetres (8.0 in) (M1951) Approx. 215 mm (8.5 in) (M951R)
Barrel length	114.2 mm (4.5 in) (M1951) 125 mm (4.9 in) (M951R)
Cartridge	9×19mm Parabellum (M1951, M951 "Brigadier", M951R) 7.65×21mm Parabellum (M952, M952 "Sport", M952 "Target")
Action	Short recoil, locked breech
Muzzle velocity	360 m/s (1,181 ft/s) (M1951) 375 m/s (1,230.3 ft/s) (M951R)
Effective firing range	Sights fixed for 50 m
Feed system	8-round detachable box magazine 10-round magazine (M951R)
Sights	Fixed iron sights, front–blade, rear–notch

The Beretta M1951 is a 9×19mm semi-automatic pistol, developed during the late 1940s and early 1950s by Pietro Beretta S.p.A. of Italy. The pistol was produced strictly for military use and was introduced into service with the Italian Armed Forces and security forces as the Modello 1951 (M1951), replacing the Modello 1934 pistol, chambered for the 9×17mm Short (.380 ACP) cartridge.

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 9×19mm 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 9×19mm 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. The Italian Army instead opted to keep the .380 ACP Beretta M1934 in service until the adoption of the 9×19mm Beretta 92; the M1951 was instead adopted by the Italian Navy, the Carabinieri and the Italian national Traffic Police, but has since been replaced in all services with 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.