Beretta M1918
Italian semi-automatic carbine derived from the Villar-Perosa aircraft gun.
The Beretta Model 1918, officially the Moschetto Automatico Revelli-Beretta Mod. 1915, is a semi-automatic carbine adopted by the Italian Royal Army in 1918. Its most distinctive feature is a magazine that loads from the top, an unusual arrangement chosen because gravity helps seat each new round after the previous one is fired. The weapon was built by taking one half of a Villar-Perosa aircraft submachine gun and converting it into a shoulder-fired arm.
It fires a special high-velocity version of the 9mm Glisenti cartridge, designated Glisenti M.915 "Per Mitragliatrici" ("For Machine-Guns"). This round uses an over-powder wad to boost penetration from the otherwise weak standard Glisenti cartridge. The barrel has six grooves with a right-hand twist, is 12.5 inches long, and the top-mounted magazine holds 25 rounds.
In the 1930s, an updated variant called the Mod.1918/30 appeared. It completely reworked the action, swapping the original delayed-blowback system for a closed bolt with a loose firing pin. The cocking mechanism uses a guided rod protruding from the rear of the receiver, topped with a ring-shaped piece, which earned the gun the nickname "Il Siringone" ("The Syringe"). The magazine feed was also changed to a straight box magazine inserted from underneath. Most examples kept the folding bayonet. Because the Mod.1918/30 was made by converting existing Model 1918s, few original Model 1918s survive.
Several experimental selective-fire versions were developed, mostly not by Beretta but by Manifattura Italiana d'Armi (MIDA) in Brescia, possibly designed by Alfredo Scotti. These MIDA variants used a twin-trigger setup—the rear trigger fired automatically, the forward trigger fired single shots—a system later used on Beretta’s Model 38 submachine guns. Beyond the triggers, MIDA guns differed in stocks, sights, magazine catches, ejection chutes, and bayonet mounts (taking a detachable Carcano TS bayonet instead of the folding cavalry type). One MIDA experimental model had a magazine canted to the right, for unknown reasons. A small batch of these twin-trigger MIDA submachine guns was produced, but they were probably never officially adopted, likely intended for a special military contract requiring automatic fire.
Quick Facts
- Is Ranged
- yes
- Origin
- Kingdom of Italy
- Manufacturer
- Beretta
- Developed From
- Villar Perosa submachine gun
- Design Date
- 1917-1918
- Wars
- World War I / Second Italo-Ethiopian War / Spanish Civil War / World War II
- Caliber
- 9mm
- Part Length
- 12 in (305 mm)
- Cartridge
- Glisenti M.915 Per Mitragliatrici / 9mm Parabellum
- Feed
- 25 round detachable box. 12 or 25 round detachable box magazine (1918/30)
- Action
- Blowback, semiautomatic only.
- Velocity
- 1275 ft/s
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Beretta Model 1918 was originally intended to fire a variant of the 9mm Glisenti cartridge, known as Glisenti M.915 'Per Mitragliatrici' ('For Machine-Guns'), a higher-velocity version with an over-powder wad designed to improve penetration. In the 1930s, the semi-automatic Mod.1918/30 model was developed, completely revamping the action with a new closed-bolt system and a guided rod with a ring-shaped cocking piece, earning the nickname 'Il Siringone' ('The Syringe'). The magazine feed was changed to take straight box magazines from the underside, while the folding bayonet was retained on most models. Few examples of the Model 1918 survive, as the Mod.1918/30 was produced by converting existing Mod.1918s.
Several experimental variants with selective-fire capability were developed at Manifattura Italiana d'Armi (MIDA) in Brescia, possibly designed by Alfredo Scotti. These included twin-trigger 'bigrillo' models giving automatic fire on the rear trigger and single fire from the forward trigger, a trigger group that became standard on later Beretta submachine guns. MIDA variants differed in stocks, sights, magazine release catches, ejection chutes, and bayonet mounts taking the detachable Carcano TS bayonet. One MIDA experimental model incorporated a right-canted magazine feed for unknown reasons. Although a small lot of twin-trigger MIDA submachine guns were produced, they were probably never taken into service; the exact reason for their development is not entirely known, but it was probably for a special military contract.
Reader's Guide
The Beretta Model 1918 and its Mod.1918/30 variant saw use with Italy, Albania, Argentina (adopted in 1933 by the Federal Police and Buenos Aires Provincial Police in 9mm Parabellum), Ethiopia (surplus models issued to the Kebur Zabagna), and Saudi Arabia (purchased surplus carbines around 1938). Non-state entity La Cagoule also obtained a number of Mod.1918/30 carbines smuggled by OVRA in exchange for favors to the Italian government. The weapon's significance lies in its unusual top-loading magazine design derived from the Villar-Perosa aircraft gun, and its evolution into the Mod.1918/30 with a completely revised action. The MIDA experimental variants introduced the twin-trigger system that later became standard on Beretta submachine guns like the Model 38 series. The Argentine Hafdasa C-4 is a derivative of the Beretta Model 1918/30. The OVP 1918, another Italian submachine gun made from half of a Villar-Perosa, was produced at the same time.
Did You Know?
- The Mod.1918/30 was nicknamed 'Il Siringone' ('The Syringe') due to its ring-shaped cocking piece.
- Experimental MIDA variants used a twin-trigger 'bigrillo' system that later became standard on Beretta Model 38 submachine guns.
More in Submachine Guns, Part 2 1-24
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