In Fiction[]
Appearance[]
Beretta-Chan has blonde hair put into two pony-tails with bright blue eyes and freckles speckling her face. She also is of similar height to all of her classmates and wears the regular elementary school uniform of Thompson's class. Her main defining feature is the her peach Gatsby Hat, a popular hat from the 1960's. This hat may be referencing the year the M12 started production, 1962 and also referencing the large integrated front grip on the M12.
Personality[]
Beretta M12S, or Reta-Chan as she is nicknamed by Empi, seems to be great friends with MP5A2. She is always one of the first ones to notice when something is wrong with Empi, like before her duel with TMP. She is also there to help her out whenever she needs it, like in the race for student council.
Reta is also usually calm and collected when dealing with some of the more rough personalities, such as MAT's group. She also seems to be very knowledgeable about the elementary students and knows a fair deal about the happenings of the elementary school.
In Real Life[]
History[]
After World War 2 Italy needed a new SMG for their armed forces since the Beretta Modello 38 that had been redesigned several times but was still a firearm from the late 30s.
Two main companies produced designs for the replacement of the Beretta 38/49, which was also named the Model 2 as Beretta had changed the naming scheme from naming the gun after the year it was designed to naming it as Model number sequentially starting with the Model 38/44 Special as the Model 1. These two companies were Luigi Franchi and Beretta.
Luigi Franchi designed the Franchi LF-57 for trails with the Italian Army and Italian Navy in competition with Beretta's offering for the trials. The LF-57 lost the trails as the main replacement for the aging 38/49 but was picked up in small numbers by the Italian Navy where is saw service.
The winner of the trials was the Beretta Model 12, designed by Domenico Salza after he had taken inspiration from the Armaguerra Cermona OG44. The first iteration of the Model 12 only saw limited use with the Polizia di Stato and the Carabinieri in 1962.
Beretta went back to the drawing board to make some design changes and improvements to the weapon. The new variant introduced was the Beretta Model 12S (1978). This version featured a grip safety, locking the bolt in the forward position to prevent accidental discharge from being dropped or mishandled. M12S also featured a different safety selector than the previous version, with the original push button safety with a selector switch for easier operation. The new and improved Beretta M12S was well received and adopted by the Italian forces as a mass replacement for their Model 38/49 SMGs. Other countries began buying them in quantity as well or bought licensing to produce them locally, such as Indonesia and Brazil.
The final iteration of the M12 was introduced in the mid 1980s after a horrific misfire accident in the Italian Carabinieri. A new safety mechanism was introduced that acted as an interceptor to prevent discharge if the bolt or firing pin disengaged, and was designated the M12-S2. This gun still sees service today with the Italian Military and Police forces as well as seeing action with the Brazilian Army as the M972.
Performance[]
The Beretta M12 and all subsequent variants are considered to be a controllable and reliable SMG by the troops and officers that carry it. A lot of the M12/S control comes from the fact that it uses a telescoping bolt, similar to the Uzi SMG. Having the extra weight up front helps to control the recoil of the gun, and when combined with its relatively low cyclic rate and integrated forward grip, there is no problem staying on target either in semi-automatic or fully automatic fire.
The only real draw backs, performance wise, for the Beretta M12 series are early version safeties and the wire stock on the folding stock versions of the firearm. The earlier versions, while having two separate safeties, still had misfires and was fixed with another safety in the PM12-S2 in current use. The wire stock is disliked by left-handed shooters as the angling on it favors right handed shooters, and is also generally considered uncomfortable to use while firing.
Users[]
Algeria
Bahrain
Belgium
Brazil:
- Brazilian Army [As the M972]
Chile
Costa Rica
Cuba:
- Policía Nacional Revolucionaria [Cuban State Police]
Egypt
France:
- Gendarmerie nationale
Gabon
Guatemala
Guyana
Indonesia:
- Indonesian Armed Forces [ As the PM1 and PM1A]
Iran
Italy:
- Gruppo di Intervento Speciale
- Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza
- Polizia di Stato
- Guardia di Finanza
- Polizia Penitenziaria
- Corpo forestale dello Stato
- Navy, Air Force, and Army
Libya
Malta
Nigeria
Portugal
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
United States:
- C.I.A.
- SWAT Forces
Tunisia
Vatican City
Venezuela
IRA:
- Local IRA [Provided by Libya]
Availability[]
As far as civilian usage goes there are very few way to acquire one as there were not a good amount of guns or parts kits were imported into the States. There are a number of Post-86 and Pre-86 samples out there but they require a Class III license and are in the 8-10 thousand dollar range. Some parts kits are floating around as well for several hundred dollars, which include torch cut receivers. The for a semi-auto conversion will need to be sourced and smithed, which could run a person upwards of 1000 USD and require at least 10-20 hours worth of work.
If you live in Switzerland, one can be picked up from second hand auctions or from store for 2250 fancs or lower.