General Facts
- TYPE
Pistol - ORIGIN
Italy - NICKNAMES
Modello 1951
MOD.51 - DESIGNED
1951 - DESIGNER
Tullio Marengoni for Beretta - PRODUCTION
1953 - 1980 - PRODUCERS
Egypt - Helwan
Iraq - Al-Qadisiyyah Establishments
Italy - Beretta - QUANTITY
Unknown - UNIT COST
Unknown - CHARACTERISTICS
Rugged and reliable
Limited magazine size
Large and heavy
Introduction
The M951 is a 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 very 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 Nowadays the M951 is considered old and many have been replaced by newer designs.
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.
- Specifications:
- M951
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 9x19mm Parabellum |
| Magazine | 8 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech |
| Fire selector | 0-1 |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Barrel length | 114 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | 6 grooves, 254 mm right hand twist |
| Muzzle velocity | 360 m/s |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 203 mm |
| Width | ? |
| Height | ? |
|---|---|
| Weight | 0.87 kg empty |
| Sights | Iron sights, fixed, blade front and notch rear |
| Remarks | - |
M951R
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.
- Specifications:
- M951R
| Type | Pistol |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 9x19mm Parabellum |
| Magazine | 10 rounds |
| Operation | Short recoil, locked breech |
| Fire selector | 0-1-F |
| Rate of fire | 1.000 rpm |
| Barrel length | 125 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | 6 grooves, 254 mm right hand twist |
| Muzzle velocity | 375 m/s |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 215 mm |
| Width | ? |
| Height | ? |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.25 kg empty, 2.08 kg loaded with vertical grip |
| Sights | Iron sights, fixed, blade front and notch rear |
| Remarks | - |
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