The Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (Pietro Beretta Arms
Factory) traces its origins to 1526, when an arms manufacturer
from Gardone Val Trompia in the province of
Brescia, Mastro Bartolomeo Beretta, received 296
ducats in payment for 185 harquebuses sold to the
Arsenal of Venice.
The product range of Beretta is very wide, taking in
over-and-under and side-by-side shotguns for hunting
and firing ranges, automatic and pump-action rifles, as
well as semi-automatic handguns, submachine guns,
assault rifles and light machine-guns. All its weapons
are offered in various calibers and many different levels
of finish. Beretta is the designer of the famous Beretta
92, which replaced the Colt 1911 in the American Army
as the M9. It is also found in the French Gendarmerie,
where it is called the MAS G1. The Brazilians have produced
a replica under license called the PT92.