Beretta Model 38

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Beretta MAB 1938
Type	sub-machine gun
Place of origin	Kingdom of Italy
Service history
Used by	Italy, Germany, Romania, Argentina
Production history
Variants	1938/42, 1938/44, 1938/49 (MP1)
Specifications
Weight	3.3 kg
Length	800 mm
Barrel length	315 mm
Cartridge	9x19mm Parabellum
Rate of fire	600 round/min
Muzzle velocity	429 m/s
Feed system	10, 20, 30 or 40 round

The MAB 38 and its variants were the official submachine guns of the Italian Army during World War II. The MAB (Moschetto Automatico Beretta) 1938A was introduced in 1938. The Beretta was also used by the German, Romanian, and Argentine armies.

Originally designed by Tullio Marengoni in 1935, the Model 38 was developed from the Beretta Model 18, itself derived from the Villar Perosa light-machine gun of World War I fame.

The 1938 series was extremely robust and were very popular weapons. They used an italian powerful version of the widely distributed 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge, the cartridge Modelo 38. Fully-automatic or single-shot fire was selectable by the use of two triggers. The weapons had a wooden stock, were about 800 millimeters in length, and weighed about 3.3 kilograms when loaded. They had a range of about 200 meters.

The Model 1938A can be recognized by the perforated cooling sleeve over the barrel. It was produced from 1938 to 1950. It had 10, 20, 30 or 40-round magazines and fired at a rate of 600 rounds per minute.

The cooling sleeve was eliminated for the 38/42 model, which was produced from late 1942 to 1975. It fired at a rate of 550 rounds per minute. The MAB 38/42 was adopted by the German army as the MP.738.

The 38/44 Model, which was produced from 1944 to 1955, was a drastically simplified model for production during the limitations of the end of the war. The MAB 38/44 was adopted by the German army as the MP.739.

These simplifications were incorporated in the postwar redesign of the Beretta Model 3, which was the last model of the series prior to the introduction of the Beretta Model 12.

[edit] See also

• List of Italian submachine guns

Italian firearms and light weapons of World War II
Side arms
Beretta M1934 | Beretta M1935 | Glisente M1910
Rifles & carbines
Fucile di Fanteria Mo.1891 Moschetto Mo.91 da Cavalleria | Moschetto per Truppe Speciali Mo.91 | Mo. 1938
Submachine guns
Beretta 1918 | MAB 38 | OVP | FNAB-43 | TZ-45
Machine guns & other larger weapons
Fiat-Revelli M1914 | Fiat Revelli M1935 | Breda M1930 | Breda M1937 Breda M1938 | Brixia M1935
Cartridges used by the Italian Army during World War II
.32 ACP | .380 ACP | 6.5 x 52 Mannlicher-Carcano | 7.92x57 mm Mauser | 9 mm