POTD: Better Than The Walther PP? The Beretta Model 1935
Sam.S 02.17.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a slightly bigger Beretta pocket pistol if you can even call it that. This is the Beretta Model 1935 or Beretta M1935 depending on what source you look at. The Beretta Model 1935 was Beretta trying to gain back some engineering and competitive ground with Walther who had come out with their PP pistol and was a real competitor for Italian military contracts. Beretta took an existing 1934 design in 380 ACP and tuned it and modified it for 32 ACP. By today’s standards that seems sort of backward but they were playing it really smart since the popular Walther PP was also in 32 ACP. These would be produced all the way up until 1967.
“This is an example of Beretta’s experimental attempt to lighten the Model 1935 semi-automatic pistol by cutting wide annular grooves in the barrel. The barrel cuts resulted in a weight reduction of only about one ounce. The factory called the pistol the Tipo Alleggerito (“lightened type”), and because of the limited amount of weight reduction, the pistol was never produced in any large quantity. In fact, the pistol was never made in regular production and the number of pistols manufactured with the grooved barrel is unknown. The left side of the slide is marked “P. BERETTA-CAL 7.65-BREVETTATA / GARDONE V.T. 1937-XV”. The left grip tang is marked with 1938 dated Italian commercial proofs. The left side of the frame is marked “TIPO ALLEGGERITO”. Fitted with metal backed black plastic grips with “PB” emblem.”
Lot 3382: Beretta Pietro 1935 Pistol 7.65 mm auto – Rare Beretta Model 1935 Tipo Alleggerito Marked Semi-Automatic Pistol. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/50/3382/beretta-pietro-1935-pistol-765-mm-auto.
