Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries.
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11 Facts About Beretta
2.
In 1526 its inaugural product was arquebus barrels; by all accounts Beretta-made barrels equipped the Venetian fleet at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
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3.
Beretta has supplied weapons for every major European war since 1650.
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4.
Beretta has been owned by the same family for almost five hundred years and is a founding member of Les Henokiens, an association of bicentenary companies that are family owned and operated.
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5.
Beretta manufactured rifles and pistols for the Italian military until the 1943 Armistice between Italy and the Allied forces during World War II.
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6.
Beretta acquired several domestic competitors and some foreign companies in the late 1980s.
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7.
Beretta's sons are now direct descendants through their mother's side of the family.
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8.
Beretta is known for its broad range of firearms: side-by-side shotguns, over-and-under shotguns, semi-automatic shotguns, hunting rifles, express rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, lever- and bolt-action rifles, single- and double-action revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.
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9.
The parent company, Beretta Holding, owns Beretta USA, Benelli, Franchi, SAKO, Stoeger, Tikka, Uberti, and the Burris Optics company.
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10.
Model Beretta 92FS was the primary side arm of the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force, designated the M9 pistol.
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11.
In 1985, Beretta was chosen after a controversial competition to produce the M9, winning a contract for 500,000 pistols.
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