Beretta MAB 38/44 Special Model 1
Beretta · Submachine Gun · Discontinued
Also known as: MAB 38/44 Special, MP 38/44 Special, Beretta Model 38/44 Special, Moschetto Automatico Beretta Modello 1938/44 Speciale
Overview
The Beretta MAB 38/44 Special Model 1 is an Italian 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, a post-war special-pattern development of the wartime Moschetto Automatico Beretta 38/44 built on the same simplified closed-bolt, blowback, hammer-fired mechanism. Unlike the standard 38/44's fixed wooden stock, the 'Special' pattern was fitted with an MP 40-style under-folding metal stock and an extended magazine well, producing a more compact weapon aimed at export and vehicle/paratroop-style use while retaining the family's hallmark twin-trigger arrangement in which the forward trigger fires semi-automatically and the rear trigger fires fully automatically. It feeds from the same detachable box magazines of up to 40 rounds and preserves the accuracy and reliability that made the Beretta MAB 38 series one of the most respected submachine guns of the era.
Specifications
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 40 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 380 m/s (1247 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 538 J (397 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 300 m (328 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 550 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Dust Cover
- Features: Under Folding Stock, Mp40 Style Folding Stock, Extended Magazine Well, Dual Trigger System, Closed Bolt Firing, Hammer Fired, Stamped Steel Receiver, Detachable Box Magazine
Variants
- MAB 38 (Modello 1938A) - Original Production
- MAB 38/42 - Simplified Wartime
- MAB 38/44 - Simplified Wartime
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Italian Armed Forces · as MAB 38/44 Special
Production
A post-war special/export pattern of the 38/44 with a folding stock; production figures are not separately reported and are usually folded into the totals for the wider Beretta MAB 38 family (over 500,000 units across all variants).
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Tullio Marengoni
Notes
The '38/44 Special' pattern is distinguished from the standard fixed-stock 38/44 mainly by its MP 40-style under-folding stock and extended magazine well; it belongs to Beretta's post-war special/export developments of the 38/44 line that also included telescoping wire-stock and standard rifle-stock models. Model-specific dimensions and weights for the folding-stock Special are poorly documented in accessible sources, so overall length, barrel length, and weight are left null rather than carrying over the fixed-stock 38/44 figures; caliber, action, twin-trigger mechanism, feed, and rate of fire follow the shared 38/44 family design.
Background
Where the wartime 38/44 kept the elegant fixed walnut stock of the MAB 38 line, the post-war 'Special' bolted on a stamped MP 40-style under-folding stock lifted straight from the German playbook - turning Tullio Marengoni's refined Italian submachine gun into a compact, export-friendly folder for a Cold War market that wanted its firepower to travel light.