Beretta M1934 The Beretta Model 1934 is a compact , semi - automatic pistol which was issued as a standard service firearm to the Italian armed forces beginning in 1934 . It is chambered for the 9 mm Corto , more commonly known as the . 380 ACP . History . Armi Beretta SpA of Gardone Val Trompia has a history in firearms manufacturing reaching back to 1526 , when they were established as a maker of barrels . But it was not until 1915 that , responding to the needs of the military during World War I , they produced their first pistol , the model 1915 . Beretta has become one of the world ' s largest pistol makers and the model 1934 ( M1934 ) was their most numerous product in the pre - World War II era . In the early 1930s , the Italian army was impressed by the Walther PP pistol . Beretta did not want to lose a big military contract to their German competitor and designed the M1934 for the Italian Army which accepted it in 1937 . This model was followed by the M1935 , which was similar to the M1934 in most respects , except that it fired a . 32 ACP ( 7 . 65 mm Browning ) cartridge . Pistols made during the Fascist Era are marked with their year of manufacture in two forms : the conventional Julian date in Arabic numerals and the date in the Fascist Era in Roman numerals . The Fascist calendar commenced on 28 October 1922 , so a pistol from 1937 may carry either " XV " or " XVI " as its Fascist year . Intended market . It was designed and purpose - built for the Italian armed forces , but was also sold on the black market . Pistols taken by the armed forces usually exhibit acceptance marks stamped into the frame on the left just above the grip : " RE " ( Regio Esercito ) for the army , " RM " ( Regia Marina ) for the navy , or " RA " ( Regia Aeronautica ) for the Air Force , always in the form of an Eagle wearing a Royal Crown for the Royal air force . Police pistols may be marked " PS " ( Pubblica Sicurezza ) . The Romanian military , at the time an Axis power , also purchased model 1934 ( and 1935 ) pistols . The calibre marking appears as 9 mm Scurt ( short in Romanian ) rather than 9 mm Corto . Romanian Army M1934 ' s differ from Italian M1934 ' s in that the Romanian pistols use the Russian sight picture , where the Italian pistols use the standard sight picture used by Western armies . Design advantages . Fitted with the characteristic Beretta open slide , the M1934 has a very reliable feeding and extraction cycle ; the elongated slot in the top of the slide acts as the ejection port . It is made with relatively few parts and very simple to maintain . The M1934 is very robust in construction with a service life believed to be over 100 years if properly maintained . Limitations . 9mm Corto ( . 380 ACP ) is less powerful than most other military service pistol cartridges , such as 9mm Parabellum or . 45 ACP . The magazine capacity is only 7 rounds . When the empty magazine is removed it no longer holds the slide back . The slide will come forward and close the gun unless it is held open by application of the safety , a separate operation , and this slows down the reloading of the pistol . In most countries ( though not in the US or Germany , for example ) in this era , the carrying of a pistol was primarily an indicator of rank rather than having a serious defensive purpose . Service . The weapon saw extensive use in World War II in the hands of Italian , German , and Romanian forces , and quite a few were captured by Allied forces during the war . Production . From 1934 to 1991 , about 1 , 080 , 000 units . V . T . CAL765 - PAT NO 793748