Beretta M12
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 200 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.00 kg
- Introduced
- 1959
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Beretta M12 is a 9x19mm Parabellum select-fire submachine gun developed by Beretta and first produced in 1959. It uses a telescoping bolt that wraps around the rear of the barrel to keep the weapon compact, paired with a side-folding metal stock and twin pistol grips for controllable two-handed automatic fire. Adopted by the Italian armed forces and police and widely exported and license-produced abroad, the improved Model 12S remains in production.
The M12 saw its combat debut during the 1968 Tet Offensive, when U.S. Marines guarding the American embassy in Saigon used Italian Beretta M12s to repel a Viet Cong assault.
Made under license in Brazil by Taurus and in Indonesia by Pindad; the French PM12S was assembled under license at the MAS factory in Saint-Etienne. The telescoping (overhung) bolt design allows a full-length barrel within a very short overall package.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Beretta
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Italy
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1959
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 200 mm
- Overall length
- 660 mm
- Height
- 178 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.00 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 3.82 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 32
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Steel
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 379 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 481 J
- Effective range
- 200 m
- Rate of fire
- 550 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Telescoping bolt
Folding metal stock
Front and rear grip
Two position aperture rear sight
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 201 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 3.00 kg | 3.18 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 660 mm | 723 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 200 mm | 213 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 32 | 32 | Holds more rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Beretta M12
How much does the Beretta M12 weigh?
The Beretta M12 weighs 3.00 kg (6.61 lb) empty and 3.82 kg (8.42 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Beretta M12?
The Beretta M12 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Beretta M12 hold?
The Beretta M12 holds 32 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Beretta M12?
The Beretta M12 is 660 mm (26.0 in) long overall, with a 200 mm (7.87 in) barrel.
Who makes the Beretta M12?
The Beretta M12 is made by Beretta (Italy). It was designed by Domenico Salva.
When was the Beretta M12 introduced?
The Beretta M12 was introduced in 1959.
How does the Beretta M12 operate?
The Beretta M12 uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Italian Carabinieri
- 1973
- Italian Army
- 1992
- French Gendarmerie Nationale
- France
- Brazilian Armed Forces
- Brazil
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/beretta-m12' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "beretta-m12", "name": "Beretta M12", "manufacturer": { "id": "beretta", "name": "Beretta", "countryCode": "IT", "foundedYear": 1526, "website": "https://www.beretta.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:40", "version": "8b9fe1893419c995aa99c862828f03dd5729ecd351a2fed53e95d04b9a47918f" }, "category": { "id": "submachine-gun", "name": "Submachine Gun", "description": "Automatic firearms chambered in pistol calibers" }, "country_of_origin": "IT", "year_introduced": 1959, "barrel_length_mm": 200, "weight_empty_g": 3000, "action_type": "blowback"}