ForgottenWeapons
patreon
Beretta 93R: The Best Machine Pistol? (Ad-free)
🕑 Added 2024-12-13 12:00:12 +0000 UTCThe Beretta 93R ("Raffica") was developed in the 1970s by Beretta engineer Paolo Parola at the request of Italian military special forces. It took the basic Beretta 92 pistol design and added a well-thought-out burst mechanism under the right-side grip panel. It does not have a plain full-auto setting, but only semiauto and 3-round burst. To help keep the gun controllable, it has a heavier slide to reduce cyclic rate, a detachable shoulder stock, and a folding front grip to help control the muzzle. It uses extended 20-round magazines and is actually remarkably controllable (or so I am told; I have not had a chance to shoot one myself).
For a look at a 93R on the range, I suggest this video from James Reeves on TFBTV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M_1r3rHiFk
Many thanks to the Royal Armouries for allowing me to film and disassemble this very famous machine pistol! The NFC collection there - perhaps the best military small arms collection in Western Europe - is available by appointment to researchers:
https://royalarmouries.org/research/national-firearms-centre/
You can browse the various Armouries collections online here:
https://royalarmouries.org/collection/
Comments
Matthew Doye
We've finally reached a time where this machine pistol can be appreciated. Early in ts career there were a lot of oohs and ahs mostly because of its looks and features, this was followed by years of claims it was a piece of junk based on assumption about this class of weapon in general. Personally I've always wanted to get my hands one but a video is the next best thing.
Guido Schriewer
don't like the 92 myself. the burst but full makes the 93 kind of more practical than i.e. a g18 though. SLOW rate sounds always good.
Sonny Hughes
Great review! I got acquainted with the 93R as a kid in the early 80s reading The Executioner series. The 93R was Mack Bolan's (the main character) go-to secondary side arm. His primary being an Automag.
David T Klein
So really, its target market is groups that need an SMG, but also need it to fit in a holster or pocket (not on a strap across their back or under their arm), and who want something cool-looking? Nonetheless, thank you for showing and explaining this. The resetting burst mechanism is neat. The AR15's burst mechanism that is "up to 3" is annoying. I haven't fired a burst-capable MP5, so I don't know how it bursts. For me, I will stick with my MP5k. Other than the trigger-press, I have absolutely no complaints I can find about it. Ok, not true; my complaint is that the gunsmith Cerakoating the handle (which also encloses the fire control group) and the forward handle and the shoulder stock has now had it over a month, and I want the parts to put it back together.
David T Klein
My same question applies to the Glock 18 or the Glock with the "switch" backplate, and similar fully-automatic or burst-firing handguns.
Forgotten Weapons
Just compactness. And I think it's worth considering that even commandos are influenced by ideas of what is cool, and don't always make the most rational objective choices.
David T Klein
You mentioned police commando units (like SWAT) like this. What is the advantage over an SMG like the MP5 (or especially its smaller brother, MP5k) or Colt's CAR15-based SMG, particularly the department-of-energy extra-small one? Surely the drum-sight on an MP5 or the carry-handle-sight on a Colt SMG would be easier to use than the pistol-sight from an M9. Honestly, this has always looked like a bunch of afterthoughts connected together.
Fiachra Molloy
John Woo approves...
