Beretta MAB 38
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Barrel
- 315 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.20 kg
- Introduced
- 1938
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Beretta MAB 38 (Moschetto Automatico Beretta Modello 1938) is an Italian blowback submachine gun designed by Tullio Marengoni and adopted by the Royal Italian Army in 1938. Chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, it is widely regarded as the most effective Italian small arm of the Second World War, prized for its accuracy, reliability, and solid wooden stock. Its distinctive dual-trigger arrangement allowed the operator to select semi-automatic fire with the front trigger and full-automatic fire with the rear trigger, and a perforated barrel jacket aided cooling during sustained fire.
Italian paratroopers and assault troops favoured the MAB 38 for its hard-hitting accuracy, and captured examples were eagerly used by German and Allied soldiers alike, who often rated it superior to their own issue submachine guns.
The MAB 38 spawned a long family of simplified wartime and postwar derivatives (38/42, 38/43, 38/44, 38/49) that progressively replaced milled parts with stamped sheet steel to ease mass production.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Beretta
- Category
- Submachine Gun
- Country
- Italy
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1938 to 1961
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 315 mm
- Overall length
- 946 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.20 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.97 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Double trigger
- Capacity
- 40
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 420 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 657 J
- Effective range
- 200 m
- Maximum range
- 800 m
- Rate of fire
- 600 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.
Dual trigger select fire
Perforated barrel jacket
Wooden stock
Fixed firing pin
Bayonet lug
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 | 4.20 kg | 3.18 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 200 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 946 mm | 723 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 202 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 315 mm | 213 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 204 9x19mm Parabellum submachine guns | 40 | 32 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Beretta MAB 38
How much does the Beretta MAB 38 weigh?
The Beretta MAB 38 weighs 4.20 kg (9.26 lb) empty and 4.97 kg (10.96 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Beretta MAB 38?
The Beretta MAB 38 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Beretta MAB 38 hold?
The Beretta MAB 38 holds 40 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Beretta MAB 38?
The Beretta MAB 38 is 946 mm (37.2 in) long overall, with a 315 mm (12.4 in) barrel.
Who makes the Beretta MAB 38?
The Beretta MAB 38 is made by Beretta (Italy). It was designed by Tullio Marengoni.
When was the Beretta MAB 38 introduced?
The Beretta MAB 38 was introduced in 1938 and discontinued in 1961.
How does the Beretta MAB 38 operate?
The Beretta MAB 38 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
- Royal Italian Army
- 1938
- Wehrmacht
- 1943
- Romanian Army
- Romania
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
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/mab-38' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "mab-38", "name": "Beretta MAB 38", "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": 1938, "barrel_length_mm": 315, "weight_empty_g": 4200, "action_type": "blowback"}