Helwan 920
Maadi Company for Engineering Industries (Factory 54) · Pistol · Discontinued · 1982
Also known as: Maadi Helwan 920, Helwan Arsenal 920
Overview
The Helwan 920 is an Egyptian semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, a licensed copy of the Beretta 92 (92S) produced by the Maadi Company for Engineering Industries. Like its Italian parent it uses a short-recoil, falling locking-block action with an open-top slide and a double-action/single-action trigger fed from a 15-round magazine. Distinguished from the Beretta by its Helwan grips, frame-mounted safety/decocker, lack of ambidextrous controls and a heel-mounted magazine release, it was widely imported into the United States as an inexpensive Beretta 92 alternative in the 1990s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 970 g (34.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 217 mm (8.54") |
| Barrel Length | 125 mm (4.92") |
| Height | 137 mm (5.39") |
| Width | 38 mm (1.50") |
| Action Type | Short Recoil |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 15 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 360 m/s (1181 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 481 J (355 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 250 mm (9.84") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Aluminum |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Decocker, Firing Pin Block
- Features: Falling Locking Block, Open Slide, Frame Mounted Safety Decocker, Heel Magazine Release, Fixed Sights
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Egyptian Armed Forces
Production
Production years: 1982-2000s
Licensed Beretta 92 copy built by the Maadi Company; many were imported into the US through the 1990s, notably by Intrac around 1997.
Origin
Country of origin: Egypt
Designer: Tullio Marengoni
Notes
The 920 (a Beretta 92 copy) succeeded the earlier Helwan/Brigadier, which copied the Beretta M1951. US imports were typically supplied with 10-round magazines; the military pattern uses 15-round magazines. Some imports were marked 'Helwan' or 'Maadi'.
Background
Egypt's Maadi arsenal turned out a near-exact Beretta 92 under licence as the Helwan 920, which flooded the 1990s US market as a budget alternative to the genuine Italian pistol that had just become the US military's M9.