Beretta Model 1934 (.380 ACP)
Kim du Toit
December 6, 2005
1:12 PM CDT
Introduced in 1936(!), Beretta’s Model 1934 was the standard Army officer’s sidearm for WWII (Navy and Air Force got the Model 1935, in .32 ACP), and, despite the wussy cartridge, the Model 34 was an excellent, reliable little pistol—and was much sought after as a “war prize” by Allied soldiers.
Just to get some perspective, here, it should be noted that Beretta finally stopped making the Model 34 in 1980, after just over a million were made. (There was also, as I recall, a “special run” made in 1991, with a completely different numbering convention: A28530Y and up.)
I’ve fired the Model 34 several times, and it was a fine experience each time. The little pistol was reliable, accurate and in short, a joy to shoot. The recoil was sharp but very controllable. The mag release is the old European-style heel-release. Disassembly is ridiculously easy: the Model 34 has only about 40 parts in total.
If you want one of these, I’ve found that the earlier models are somehow better—at least, they “feel” better in the hand. How to tell an “earlier” Model 34? Check this pic below:
The serial number is in the 700,000 range. As a rule of thumb, any number lower than 999,999 means a manufacture date earlier than 1942 (the numbers start at about 500,000), so the 736xxx number means it was probably made around 1939.
Any alphanumeric serial number (as opposed to plain numeric) means it was made after 1942—not that this is a bad thing, but just so you know. Caveat: serial numbers in the following ranges were late-war production, and sometimes the quality of these pistols is kinda iffy:
F00001 - F99997
G00001 - G57486
0001AA - 9997AA
0001BB - 9971BB
Prices for the Model 34 range from $250 (stay away) to about $400 for the almost-unused ones. The biggest problem is not parts (MarStar and Numrich carry extensive quantities), but the seven-round magazines. These can run anywhere from $30 to $50, so if you can snag a couple spares as part of the deal, that’s why the asking price may be a little higher than what I quoted for the gun itself.
If you see a Model 34 at a nosebleed price ($800 and up), check to see if it has a hammer safety (on the slide ahead of the hammer, instead of on the frame as in the pic), because those are extremely rare. It’s not an indicator of quality, by the way—the frame safety works better than the slide safety—but just of collector appeal.
Anyway, to hold one of the earlier Model 34s is to hold a piece of history in your hand—and that’s always a good thing. The fact that the Model 34 works well is just an excellent bonus.
Gratuitous Gun Pics
