So that gun is infamous. I read back in the day the .25 couldn't reliably penetrate a 1950s trash can lid! I am old enough to remember the James Bond movie with it in it.
.25 Auto is ballistically equivalent to .22 Long Rifle, it's just that ammo manufacturers don't have any common .25 rifles to chrono with, unlike with .22
@@HarbingerOfDeath10-67 In price maybe. It's virtually the same speed and mass as .22LR, only it's much more reliable and cleaner. What kind of guns were you buying in .25?
I was shot in the leg by a .25 acp beretta identical to that .32, it had lemon squeezer , firing pin indicator, and a flip lever safety . A female I was seeing at the time had picked it up and as I walked into the room no sooner than I said “that’s loaded” it went off and hit my just above the knee
I had a buddy who wasn’t too bright. He had a cheap .25 probably a Jennings or something similar. He dropped it loaded and it fired a round that went through the bottom of the inside of his left knee and out the top. He wouldn’t go to the hospital because the gun was stolen.🙄 He was picking denim out of the wound for months and it got infected pretty badly. For some reason your story reminded me of that.🤣🤣🤣🤣👍🥃
That is fantastic! I have Beretta 950 pistols. The frame for the 22 short Minx is identical to the 25 Jetfire. By changing the slide, barrel and magazine I can now shoot both cartridges and I even made a barrel and mag for 22 long rifle! Try it! Cheers.
Kind of, at the end of the day Boothroyd wrote to Fleming saying the Beretta was “A lady’s gun and not a very nice lady at that” and recommended the more powerful PPK because of the ubiquity of ammo. Fleming then wrote in a “Major Boothroyd” and included a scene upgrading Bond’s armament.
I agree with Boothroyd, the 7.65mm PPK is a better pistol for 007, in large part because the specific Beretta 418 described by Fleming is kinda bubba, with a 'sawed off' barrel and the grip panels removed. Also, Ian Fleming's personally owned Ruger Mk.1 pistol, complete with provenance papers, went up for auction some years back.
@0neDoomedSpaceMarine kinda Bubba - Bond did the whole shebang. Removed the grip, taped down the grip safety, removed the front sight, threaded for a suppressor- and he carried it with the can in a chamois holster which nearly got him perforated by a Russian death shoe. 😂 (I still cheered when Dalton grabbed a Beretta Jetfire in License to K1ll.)
Mark...this is gold. GOLD! "Mark buys a gun he doesn't know about and fixes it/takes it apart/talks about it". I'd pay $50 a month on Patreon for 3 or 4 of these a month. GOLD!
Hi Mark, great video about the forgotten baby Beretta. Quick story about the reason why the Beretta 418 was used as the original James Bond gun. Ian Fleming lived (part-time) In Estoril, Portugal during WW2 when worked as a Royal Navy intelligence officer. Gun laws in Portugal have evolved through the decades but one thing that seems to remain the same is that the concealed carry license for the general public only allows .25acp self loading pistols or (any) .32 revolvers. Hence pistols chambered in .25acp were always and remain to this day very popular and readily available. Ian Fleming himself carried an FN baby Browning .25acp during this time, and most likely the agents (spies) he met and worked with would carry .25acp rather that bigger frame and calibre pistols to avoid suspicion. Beretta, FN and Walther being the most popular brands in the Portuguese market to this day, so it would be no surprise that Ian Fleming would choose one these little guns.
Fleming was issued a Colt 1908, .25 , he kept it and it is listed in his estate with serial number. The British estate listed Browning but the serial number matches a Colt 1908.
@@bhartley868 Thank you, that's very interesting, I never knew that. It makes sense because it is believed (although not proven due to it's covert nature) that the SOE used the Colt 1908. Also the Colt does look like a FN baby Browning, maybe it is why they listed as a Browning rather than Colt.
Jennings and Bryco pistols have a rear take down button that moves inwards. I was going to suggest new Wolf Springs, but you beat me to it. I read Mr. Stephenson's comments about Ian Fleming, calling him a mere file clerk, and I have heard the tale about how he let friends recommend what weapons James Bond would have. That is so strange to me. File Clerk? He was one of the first folk ashore in the Commando raid on the Nazi radar installations at Dieppe. He was also one of the planners of the military courier corpse that washed up on the coast of Spain and fooled the Nazis into believing the Allies would land at Greece and not Sicily. I suspect Mr. Fleming knew a lot more about firearms than his books suggest. Neat gun. You should also get a Baby Browning for comparison.
Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, served in the British Navy during World War II from 1939 to 1952. During his time in service, he was involved in various intelligence operations, including the planning of the famous Operation Goldeneye. As a naval intelligence officer, Fleming was not a frontline combatant and did not carry a personal firearm as part of his duties. Instead, he primarily used intelligence-gathering techniques, including gathering information from agents and intercepting enemy communications. However, it is worth noting that Fleming was known to be interested in firearms and was an experienced marksman. He owned several guns, including a Beretta 418 pistol, which was later famously used by James Bond in the novel "From Russia with Love." It's unclear whether he owned or used any firearms during his military service, but it's possible he had some exposure to them as part of his training and intelligence work.
@@Kaboomf exactly. If your spies are doing a lot of shooting and it isn't planned, you're already losing the spy game. OSS and early Cold War spooks loved pocket pistols and hideaway zip gun type deals, they weren't all carrying full sized pistols around.
You're missing the striker spring guide. It's a little hollow brass tube that fits into the rear striker spring retainer. It keeps the spring straight so the pin on the back of the striker doesn't damage the spring.
Clearing the 418 and having the barrel come back with the slide is just due to wear. I snagged one at auction a few years ago, when taking it down the barrel requires a little force to press it out of the slot it sits in. The Beretta 1938 is the same takedown design but is a larger .380 and hammer fired. Very neat gun as well that you might like to check out. Great video as always mark!
@@jediknight1294 The model number was never given, but the 418 is the only possible candidate, due to time frames given in the novels. Some argue that it could have been the 318 (which is basically the same gun anyway) but that is exceedingly unlikely, since they only made 1,000 of them, and production ended in 1937. M gives Bond a brand-new replacement pistol at the end of Moonraker, which was set in 1953, so that could only be a 418.
@@stay_at_home_astronaut No, you never read the books. In From Russia With Love the suppressor of his Beretta got caught in the waistband of his pants while fighting someone in a cramped space. Something that is noted could happen to any pistol. It did not fail him.
A 418 has been on my wish list for ages. Just haven't jumped yet. Now I need the 3d printed stand for it if I get one. It would go well on my book shelf in front of my Bond books!
My great grandpa bought one of these for my great grandma to carry in her purse! i don't think she fired it a single time. he also left behind an unfired bobcat with a bunch of vintage .22 ammo. its crazy that the G43X is almost the same size as the bobcat was and it jumps from .22LR up to full size 9x19mm
I like it, clicked immediately when I seen that old style Beretta! I've been visiting Legacy Collectibles in their miscellaneous pistol page and the older style foreign pistols are really intriguing.
I once read a book on espionage in enemy territory during WW2, and one of the veteran spies was quoted saying that when meeting a contact, you kept your hand in the coat pocket and the finger on the trigger until you knew that the guy in front of you was your contact. For that kind of work, looks like the ideal gun.
Just bought mine a week ago and tried it on a 50m range on a swiss rifle target (about 1m wide), managed to hold the 7 circle with S&B ammo woth a quiet Hand
I inherited this pistol from my grandpa. Mine has 1953 is the only difference. I’ve never been able to find the model number or any information about it. I GREATLY appreciate your video. Can I get the information on what specific springs you ordered? And can I purchase one of those stands? Thanks much
Just a heads up when reassembling, with the slide pulled back, after inserting the barrel you need to pull the barrel forward to lock it into place. Also you are missing a small housing around the firing pin. There are a few videos on disassembling. This is a great gun. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Nice little gun. Reminds me a little of the Bernardelly .22 models. It's larger, but looks similar IMO. I love pocket guns. They're my favorite kind of CCW. I really hope that .25acp makes a comeback. It's an excellent self defense round and pocket guns are now making a comeback... so I hope and expect .25acp popularity to follow also. The number one way I've been able to get people to consider carrying and/or to carry every single day is to show them the smaller pocket guns (Like the Baby Browning, Bernardelli, Astra Cub, Auto Nine, Walther Model 9, NAA Revolvers and other similar guns). Surprisingly most people that don't carry have never heard about any of these and had no idea that such small firearms existed... and that's true for very many gun owners and people that CCW. I hear people all the time say things like "If I had a gun like that I would start carrying"... and "If I had one of these I would carry every single day".
I've been doing a deep dive on the Bond guns, then this video comes out. I can understand if the algorithm tied me in to my favorite tinkerer AND the Beretta. But brand new... As for the. 25, he kept a .38 Colt under his pillow, and a .45 New Service in his glove box. Edited to correct the name of the. 45.
I just rebuilt one for my son with a wolff spring kit. Unfortunately we haven't been able to source a factory mag. The wolff service pack really brings them back from the dead.
Mark growing up in Detroit I actually saw a couple of these Pistols. I KNEW right away it was both the striker and mainspring that were gone. I actually fixed an old Brescia .25 by simply replacing a spring. They are actually pretty good .25,s.
I love mouse pistols. They often have the tip of the striker missing from dry firing. For an even smaller .25 the Bernardelli vest pocket pistols are great.
Elegant and beautiful the open slide Betetta pistols. 8:36. Walther ppk is hammer fired not a striker gun. A gun that comes apart as you were describing would be a Raven 25 for example.
Tulio Marengoni designed all the Beretta pistols up to a certain time. The 418 is almost the same as the 1934 in 380. I have wanted a 418 for so long. Can I have yours? I love your videos and products. I construct both cartridge and air pistols from scratch and you are a great inspiration! I definitely stay away from the Royal Nonesuch construction methods. Cheers.
A friend of mine (he passed away in 94’ at age 65) had a Walther PP made in Thuringia in .25 acp. I tried to get him to sell it to me and he said he’d will it to me. Needless to say, I never got it. They’re pretty rare now. We used to have a sporting goods store, here in Seattle, named Warshal’s and their guns sales rep argued that Walther never built the PP in a .25 so I brought in one of my books that listed them.
So many cool things in one video. But Mark, there's a sound throughout that sounds like someone hitting a bong behind the camera. Some kind of camera rattle?
I had a little Beretta 32 auto that was made in 57. Looked just like this one just a little bigger. Couldn't hit a refrigerator across the kitchen if you tried. You could see the bullet tumbling out of it lol.
That creaking noise is just TITS! As long as it’s not your chair. Wish I lived in Florida so I could apply to work for you. Great vid as always Mark. Thank you for great content.
You might have to file the ends of the replacement springs flat in order to lock the slide back. I have a P64 that had clearance issues with factory Wolf springs. I filed the spring ends flat to match the original and now it works fine.
A tighter version allows the barrel to wedge into position and stay put. To remove the barrel you lock the slide back and drive the barrel back by plastic hammer or by driving the muzzle backward against a table or other wooden object...freeing the barrel from the frame. Have one made in 57 and enjoy it for its quirkyness.
Did you know that Buffalo Bore actually sells 'Heavy' .25 ACP ammo? It's a 60 grain hard cast flat nose bullet @ 851 fps from a 2.4 inch barrel / 822 fps from a 2 inch barrel. The 2.4 inch barrel would generate 96 foot lbs of energy. It seems like a pretty significant step up from the regular 50 grain FMJ.
Nice, i happen to have a couple of old Berettas a 948 in 22lr and a 70 in 32 and both hammer fire ,they lock the barrel in same fashion but its retained by the axis pin of the safety that has a pourpose cut to free it in the 948 and a dedicated lever in the 70 model (safety is a push side to side button in the grips) . in your pistol the firing pin doubles as the ejector is clear in the video as it protrudes as the slide is held back and also has a grip safety ,all berettas blow backs lock the barrels in similar mode exept for the tomcat that has a tiping barrel .your pistol seems well worn and quite loose fit in the frame that is aluminum , it would be nice to do a restoration or at least a coating to the gun to make it shine again ,,maybe a two tone ?? cheers!!
I once met an inspiring person who encouraged me to set my goals high. He would always say, “Shoot at the moon. If you miss, you’ll land amongst the inmates at the federal penitentiary.”
Great video. For $100.00 + a couple of springs I think you'll have enough fun with it to justify that cost. The collectors value is low since its both worn and a little beat up at the rear of the frame. If it were me I'd fix the damage, refinish the slide and instead of anodizing the frame I'd polish it bright as its just an aluminum alloy. This would make it far more attactive and also increase the value.
Fleming was aware of the limitations of the pistol, but his rationale for this choice is explained several times in the first novels. Nash looked apologetic. `Fraid not. Got a Luger at home, but it's too bulky for this sort of job.' `Oh, well,' said Bond reluctantly. `You'd better take mine. Come on in.' They went in and Bond shut the door. He took out the Beretta and handed it over. `Eight shots,' he said softly. `Semi-automatic. It's on safe.' Nash took the gun and weighed it professionally in his hand. He clicked the safe on and off. Bond hated someone else touching his gun. He felt naked without it. He said gruffly, `Bit on the light side, but it'll kill if you put the bullets in the right places.' (From Russia with love)
With these, you never want to dry fire them as it will damage the firing pin. I have a 1953 version in immaculate shape that I carry as a backup. Replacing the springs will most likely fix your problem, but stop dry firing ;-)
Fun fact: when Bond receives his PPK in _Dr. No_ , the prop used for the Beretta he hands in is actually a M1934 in (I think) .380, not the 418 his character carried.
I own and carry one of these and I love this gun. It's basically the same as the model 1934 which is a 380. I was going to say though that the barrel moving back with the mag out shouldn't happen. Yes it will wiggle a bit but depending on if you have the safety on or off that is what unlocks the barrel. I was freaked out too slightly with mine thinking it was broke. But I forgot that safety levers on simple old guns like these usually just 1. Stopped the trigger. And 2. Usually had a feature in the takedown process. Mine is always off and just a takedown lever for me.
That's pretty cool! Many moons ago I worked for a company that made Browning "Baby" .25 ACP pistols under both the Browning and PSP, Inc. names. After having made, assembled and tested thousands of them, I have a great affection and respect for not only the round, but for the Browning pistol. Also, what's making the odd clicking sounds- something with the camera?
Ian Fleming was a member of British Naval Intelligence during World War II and carried a .25 ACP Baby Browning. During his service, Commander Fleming was tasked with capturing enemy documents and analyzing them for actionable intelligence. James Bond’s choice of sidearm was due to Fleming’s familiarity with the .25 ACP, but he settled on the Beretta 418 due to the higher capacity and the grip safety, which allowed Bond to carry with the manual safety disengaged. Bond also carried it without grip panels, which is a terrible idea considering the fact that the sear would be exposed and create an additional snagging hazard.
Hey Mark I was wondering which 3D printer do you recommend, I was thinking about getting one cause I am always finding things that it would be Bitchin if a part to do something but it would be a pain in the ASS to try to machine it BUT to print it 😮
Cool mouse gun Mark, the LW Seecamp, is similar in that you must have a mag inserted to clear it, try just dropping it far enough that it won't pick up the next round.
The writer was Ian Fleming who was in British intelligence during World War II. What did he know about guns? He carried them; and he also knew that during World War II, this was the gun most commonly issued to agents of British intelligence. However, he does not specify the gun Bond had used. It's merely inferred. It's referred to as "that Beretta" in the book and 1962's Dr. No. It could have also been a Beretta 318 or Beretta M1934 although that's unlikely. If you're having issues with it, it's almost certainly a matter of lost or damaged springs in the slide. Fleming was alerted to an interest in guns for films by a man named Geoffrey Boothroyd who becomes Major Boothroyd in the film. That character becomes Q.
So that gun is infamous. I read back in the day the .25 couldn't reliably penetrate a 1950s trash can lid! I am old enough to remember the James Bond movie with it in it.
Dr. No?
They dont make trash cans like they used to...
.25 Auto is ballistically equivalent to .22 Long Rifle, it's just that ammo manufacturers don't have any common .25 rifles to chrono with, unlike with .22
@0neDoomedSpaceMarine .25acp is worse than .22lr. I've bought several of them over the years and traded every one of them for either .22lr or .32acp.
@@HarbingerOfDeath10-67 In price maybe. It's virtually the same speed and mass as .22LR, only it's much more reliable and cleaner.
What kind of guns were you buying in .25?
I was shot in the leg by a .25 acp beretta identical to that .32, it had lemon squeezer , firing pin indicator, and a flip lever safety . A female I was seeing at the time had picked it up and as I walked into the room no sooner than I said “that’s loaded” it went off and hit my just above the knee
I had a buddy who wasn’t too bright.
He had a cheap .25 probably a Jennings or something similar.
He dropped it loaded and it fired a round that went through the bottom of the inside of his left knee and out the top.
He wouldn’t go to the hospital because the gun was stolen.🙄
He was picking denim out of the wound for months and it got infected pretty badly.
For some reason your story reminded me of that.🤣🤣🤣🤣👍🥃
Stay safe, date dudes
@@Leaked_Dudes not with such an username
I love little pistols like this. I just ordered a Beretta 21a parts kit off of gunbroker and I 3d printed a frame. Cant wait to build it!
That is fantastic! I have Beretta 950 pistols. The frame for the 22 short Minx is identical to the 25 Jetfire. By changing the slide, barrel and magazine I can now shoot both cartridges and I even made a barrel and mag for 22 long rifle! Try it! Cheers.
I have a 950 BS jetfire and I never knew I could swap it to run .22 shorts .
I think Fleming might be an exception to the "writers don't know about guns" bit. Lol
I have always wanted one of these tiny little pocket pieces.
Thank you
Kind of, at the end of the day Boothroyd wrote to Fleming saying the Beretta was “A lady’s gun and not a very nice lady at that” and recommended the more powerful PPK because of the ubiquity of ammo. Fleming then wrote in a “Major Boothroyd” and included a scene upgrading Bond’s armament.
Stephen Hunter too
I agree with Boothroyd, the 7.65mm PPK is a better pistol for 007, in large part because the specific Beretta 418 described by Fleming is kinda bubba, with a 'sawed off' barrel and the grip panels removed.
Also, Ian Fleming's personally owned Ruger Mk.1 pistol, complete with provenance papers, went up for auction some years back.
@0neDoomedSpaceMarine kinda Bubba - Bond did the whole shebang. Removed the grip, taped down the grip safety, removed the front sight, threaded for a suppressor- and he carried it with the can in a chamois holster which nearly got him perforated by a Russian death shoe. 😂 (I still cheered when Dalton grabbed a Beretta Jetfire in License to K1ll.)
Mark...this is gold. GOLD!
"Mark buys a gun he doesn't know about and fixes it/takes it apart/talks about it".
I'd pay $50 a month on Patreon for 3 or 4 of these a month.
GOLD!
Hi Mark, great video about the forgotten baby Beretta.
Quick story about the reason why the Beretta 418 was used as the original James Bond gun. Ian Fleming lived (part-time) In Estoril, Portugal during WW2 when worked as a Royal Navy intelligence officer. Gun laws in Portugal have evolved through the decades but one thing that seems to remain the same is that the concealed carry license for the general public only allows .25acp self loading pistols or (any) .32 revolvers. Hence pistols chambered in .25acp were always and remain to this day very popular and readily available. Ian Fleming himself carried an FN baby Browning .25acp during this time, and most likely the agents (spies) he met and worked with would carry .25acp rather that bigger frame and calibre pistols to avoid suspicion. Beretta, FN and Walther being the most popular brands in the Portuguese market to this day, so it would be no surprise that Ian Fleming would choose one these little guns.
Very interesting.
Fleming was issued a Colt 1908, .25 , he kept it and it is listed in his estate with serial number. The British estate listed Browning but the serial number matches a Colt 1908.
@@bhartley868 Thank you, that's very interesting, I never knew that. It makes sense because it is believed (although not proven due to it's covert nature) that the SOE used the Colt 1908. Also the Colt does look like a FN baby Browning, maybe it is why they listed as a Browning rather than Colt.
Jennings and Bryco pistols have a rear take down button that moves inwards. I was going to suggest new Wolf Springs, but you beat me to it.
I read Mr. Stephenson's comments about Ian Fleming, calling him a mere file clerk, and I have heard the tale about how he let friends recommend what weapons James Bond would have. That is so strange to me. File Clerk? He was one of the first folk ashore in the Commando raid on the Nazi radar installations at Dieppe. He was also one of the planners of the military courier corpse that washed up on the coast of Spain and fooled the Nazis into believing the Allies would land at Greece and not Sicily. I suspect Mr. Fleming knew a lot more about firearms than his books suggest.
Neat gun. You should also get a Baby Browning for comparison.
Eye-ties and their eye for design 👌
That slide has all the stylings of every Beretta since!
Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, served in the British Navy during World War II from 1939 to 1952. During his time in service, he was involved in various intelligence operations, including the planning of the famous Operation Goldeneye.
As a naval intelligence officer, Fleming was not a frontline combatant and did not carry a personal firearm as part of his duties. Instead, he primarily used intelligence-gathering techniques, including gathering information from agents and intercepting enemy communications.
However, it is worth noting that Fleming was known to be interested in firearms and was an experienced marksman. He owned several guns, including a Beretta 418 pistol, which was later famously used by James Bond in the novel "From Russia with Love." It's unclear whether he owned or used any firearms during his military service, but it's possible he had some exposure to them as part of his training and intelligence work.
So, I guess this writer knew a thing or two 😂
You do know that the "writer", Ian Fleming, was part of British naval intelligence and 30 Commando, a specialist combined operations unit.
Yes. Thats why I was looking for your comment.
I’ve read that Fleming carried a .25 ACP Baby Browning during the war.
Tiny pocket guns are perfect for secret agent sneaky stuff, easy to conceal. They're not supposed to do much shooting.
@@Kaboomf exactly. If your spies are doing a lot of shooting and it isn't planned, you're already losing the spy game. OSS and early Cold War spooks loved pocket pistols and hideaway zip gun type deals, they weren't all carrying full sized pistols around.
Bond was based on Christopher Lee, Dracula and Dooku are Bond!
You're missing the striker spring guide. It's a little hollow brass tube that fits into the rear striker spring retainer. It keeps the spring straight so the pin on the back of the striker doesn't damage the spring.
Clearing the 418 and having the barrel come back with the slide is just due to wear. I snagged one at auction a few years ago, when taking it down the barrel requires a little force to press it out of the slot it sits in.
The Beretta 1938 is the same takedown design but is a larger .380 and hammer fired.
Very neat gun as well that you might like to check out.
Great video as always mark!
Reminds me a little of the AMT 380 I carried back in the 90s.
I had one too
Before the PPK, this was the OG James Bond gun.
Fun fact, the model was never given, all we were told was it was a beretta 25acp mag fed. Until Major Boothroyd took it off him
@@jediknight1294 The model number was never given, but the 418 is the only possible candidate, due to time frames given in the novels.
Some argue that it could have been the 318 (which is basically the same gun anyway) but that is exceedingly unlikely, since they only made 1,000 of them, and production ended in 1937.
M gives Bond a brand-new replacement pistol at the end of Moonraker, which was set in 1953, so that could only be a 418.
@@jediknight1294 wasn't the gun taken from 007 because it failed to fire on the previous assignment?
@@stay_at_home_astronaut No, you never read the books. In From Russia With Love the suppressor of his Beretta got caught in the waistband of his pants while fighting someone in a cramped space. Something that is noted could happen to any pistol. It did not fail him.
man, youre recycling or upcycling a firearm. thats super green of you. thanks for saving the environment mark!
Mark your always showing us something interesting, I love it!
A 418 has been on my wish list for ages. Just haven't jumped yet. Now I need the 3d printed stand for it if I get one. It would go well on my book shelf in front of my Bond books!
12:22 - I think brass expanded in chamber and fit so thigly in there also dragging the barrel via extractor. Barrel should be attached to receiver.
My great grandpa bought one of these for my great grandma to carry in her purse! i don't think she fired it a single time. he also left behind an unfired bobcat with a bunch of vintage .22 ammo. its crazy that the G43X is almost the same size as the bobcat was and it jumps from .22LR up to full size 9x19mm
Imagine your selling a shitty worn out gun and when you meet up to sell it to the guy the guy turns out to be mark serbu haha
WG is what got me into building my own weapons. I was able to find help when taking on the daunting task of an HK91
No, I can’t come to bed…
Mark just uploaded!
What is my wife doing there?!
I have bought many springs from Wolff. They make quality products.
I like it, clicked immediately when I seen that old style Beretta! I've been visiting Legacy Collectibles in their miscellaneous pistol page and the older style foreign pistols are really intriguing.
There’s something about little pocket pistols that I really enjoy! Very cool piece!
Was kinda hoping for some slowmo but that’s alright.
I once read a book on espionage in enemy territory during WW2, and one of the veteran spies was quoted saying that when meeting a contact, you kept your hand in the coat pocket and the finger on the trigger until you knew that the guy in front of you was your contact. For that kind of work, looks like the ideal gun.
Another great video Mark. Thanks for the information about the guild.
I have that same pistol, the way I clear it is with the safety off. The safety lever is what actually holds the barrel in place not the magazine.
Just bought mine a week ago and tried it on a 50m range on a swiss rifle target (about 1m wide), managed to hold the 7 circle with S&B ammo woth a quiet Hand
Observing your mind in action is fascinating.
I have a Beretta 950. Tiny pistols in .25 acp are fun.
I inherited this pistol from my grandpa. Mine has 1953 is the only difference. I’ve never been able to find the model number or any information about it. I GREATLY appreciate your video. Can I get the information on what specific springs you ordered? And can I purchase one of those stands? Thanks much
Just a heads up when reassembling, with the slide pulled back, after inserting the barrel you need to pull the barrel forward to lock it into place. Also you are missing a small housing around the firing pin. There are a few videos on disassembling. This is a great gun. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Such a cool little pocket pistol
Nice little gun. Reminds me a little of the Bernardelly .22 models. It's larger, but looks similar IMO. I love pocket guns. They're my favorite kind of CCW. I really hope that .25acp makes a comeback. It's an excellent self defense round and pocket guns are now making a comeback... so I hope and expect .25acp popularity to follow also. The number one way I've been able to get people to consider carrying and/or to carry every single day is to show them the smaller pocket guns (Like the Baby Browning, Bernardelli, Astra Cub, Auto Nine, Walther Model 9, NAA Revolvers and other similar guns). Surprisingly most people that don't carry have never heard about any of these and had no idea that such small firearms existed... and that's true for very many gun owners and people that CCW. I hear people all the time say things like "If I had a gun like that I would start carrying"... and "If I had one of these I would carry every single day".
I've been doing a deep dive on the Bond guns, then this video comes out. I can understand if the algorithm tied me in to my favorite tinkerer AND the Beretta. But brand new...
As for the. 25, he kept a .38 Colt under his pillow, and a .45 New Service in his glove box.
Edited to correct the name of the. 45.
I just rebuilt one for my son with a wolff spring kit. Unfortunately we haven't been able to source a factory mag. The wolff service pack really brings them back from the dead.
Really enjoy your videos Mark thanks dude
Mark growing up in Detroit I actually saw a couple of these Pistols. I KNEW right away it was both the striker and mainspring that were gone. I actually fixed an old Brescia .25 by simply replacing a spring. They are actually pretty good .25,s.
I love mouse pistols. They often have the tip of the striker missing from dry firing.
For an even smaller .25 the Bernardelli vest pocket pistols are great.
This was entertaining and it’s a neat little gun. Guess you’ve got to do whatever it takes to keep the Wolff from the door! 👍🏻😁
Wolff makes z spring also for little 32 5 shot breaktops also. they work great with some fitting
It seems to be an adaptation of the Mauser Model 1914. I've got one that's around 100 years old, and with a $15 spring kit it still functions great.
Appreciate your cool videos Mark.
Thank you Mark and yes it is a good little gut gun six stars brother
Elegant and beautiful the open slide Betetta pistols. 8:36. Walther ppk is hammer fired not a striker gun. A gun that comes apart as you were describing would be a Raven 25 for example.
Thanks, Mark 👍
Tulio Marengoni designed all the Beretta pistols up to a certain time. The 418 is almost the same as the 1934 in 380. I have wanted a 418 for so long. Can I have yours? I love your videos and products. I construct both cartridge and air pistols from scratch and you are a great inspiration! I definitely stay away from the Royal Nonesuch construction methods. Cheers.
Cool gun Mark! Great video as always brother!!!
A friend of mine (he passed away in 94’ at age 65) had a Walther PP made in Thuringia in .25 acp. I tried to get him to sell it to me and he said he’d will it to me. Needless to say, I never got it. They’re pretty rare now. We used to have a sporting goods store, here in Seattle, named Warshal’s and their guns sales rep argued that Walther never built the PP in a .25 so I brought in one of my books that listed them.
So many cool things in one video.
But Mark, there's a sound throughout that sounds like someone hitting a bong behind the camera. Some kind of camera rattle?
Some kind of rattle every time he bumped the bench.
I had a little Beretta 32 auto that was made in 57. Looked just like this one just a little bigger. Couldn't hit a refrigerator across the kitchen if you tried. You could see the bullet tumbling out of it lol.
print an extra dummy mag thats solid, for clearing and display
I. Really enjoyed watching this thanks 😊mark
Great video! Really enjoyed watching you take it apart and talk through all the poor design decisions on the gun
What do you think about doing some brush on brass electroplating on the rails of that barrel, to add some thickness to help it stay in place better?
That creaking noise is just TITS! As long as it’s not your chair. Wish I lived in Florida so I could apply to work for you. Great vid as always Mark. Thank you for great content.
You might have to file the ends of the replacement springs flat in order to lock the slide back. I have a P64 that had clearance issues with factory Wolf springs. I filed the spring ends flat to match the original and now it works fine.
Morning brother
Really cool little plinker reminds of the pk and ppk
Hope you have a good one
God bless
Just saying 🇨🇦😁👍🏻
A tighter version allows the barrel to wedge into position and stay put. To remove the barrel you lock the slide back and drive the barrel back by plastic hammer or by driving the muzzle backward against a table or other wooden object...freeing the barrel from the frame.
Have one made in 57 and enjoy it for its quirkyness.
Did you know that Buffalo Bore actually sells 'Heavy' .25 ACP ammo? It's a 60 grain hard cast flat nose bullet @ 851 fps from a 2.4 inch barrel / 822 fps from a 2 inch barrel. The 2.4 inch barrel would generate 96 foot lbs of energy. It seems like a pretty significant step up from the regular 50 grain FMJ.
Love your videos, but for this one could you put the Geiger counter away before you hit record?
Neat little piece!
"I disagree, Sir. I've never missed with the Jet." "Nice and light - in a lady's handbag. No stopping power."
"Double O-Seven!? ... Just leave the Beretta."
Walther PPK, 7.65 mil with a delivery like a brick through a plate-glass window. The American CIA swear by them.
Nice, i happen to have a couple of old Berettas a 948 in 22lr and a 70 in 32 and both hammer fire ,they lock the barrel in same fashion but its retained by the axis pin of the safety that has a pourpose cut to free it in the 948 and a dedicated lever in the 70 model (safety is a push side to side button in the grips) . in your pistol the firing pin doubles as the ejector is clear in the video as it protrudes as the slide is held back and also has a grip safety ,all berettas blow backs lock the barrels in similar mode exept for the tomcat that has a tiping barrel .your pistol seems well worn and quite loose fit in the frame that is aluminum , it would be nice to do a restoration or at least a coating to the gun to make it shine again ,,maybe a two tone ?? cheers!!
Way cool!!! I inherited a 1970s, unfired colt, 25acp. Pocket pistols 😂
On this gun and similar use, the striker spring and the recoil spring in tandem......like a duel or nested recoil spring???
Looks like $100 well spent!
I once met an inspiring person who encouraged me to set my goals high. He would always say, “Shoot at the moon. If you miss, you’ll land amongst the inmates at the federal penitentiary.”
The "Baby Browning" is also a cute little gun !!!
The GT27 resembles your gun a lot. The Tanfoglio was hammer fired, had no grip safety, and the barrel was fixed.
Replacement strikers are usually injection molded abs so don't be surprised if you order one and get a plastic piece
There was one on gunbroker a few years ago and the last three digits of the serial number were 007. It went for a decent price.
Great video. For $100.00 + a couple of springs I think you'll have enough fun with it to justify that cost. The collectors value is low since its both worn and a little beat up at the rear of the frame. If it were me I'd fix the damage, refinish the slide and instead of anodizing the frame I'd polish it bright as its just an aluminum alloy. This would make it far more attactive and also increase the value.
Fleming was aware of the limitations of the pistol, but his rationale for this choice is explained several times in the first novels.
Nash looked apologetic. `Fraid not. Got a Luger at home, but it's too bulky
for this sort of job.'
`Oh, well,' said Bond reluctantly. `You'd better take mine. Come on in.'
They went in and Bond shut the door. He took out the Beretta and handed it
over. `Eight shots,' he said softly. `Semi-automatic. It's on safe.'
Nash took the gun and weighed it professionally in his hand. He clicked the
safe on and off.
Bond hated someone else touching his gun. He felt naked without it. He said
gruffly, `Bit on the light side, but it'll kill if you put the bullets in the right
places.' (From Russia with love)
Love this guy!!😅
With these, you never want to dry fire them as it will damage the firing pin. I have a 1953 version in immaculate shape that I carry as a backup. Replacing the springs will most likely fix your problem, but stop dry firing ;-)
Fun fact: when Bond receives his PPK in _Dr. No_ , the prop used for the Beretta he hands in is actually a M1934 in (I think) .380, not the 418 his character carried.
Awesome video Mark, mouse guns are great
the original bond gun. also ian Fleming was a little more than just a writer lol
I’ve got one and man I must need to replace the magazine spring because it can’t hold the number of bullets I was told it could.
I would love to hang out with you in the shop. Cool ass dude.
I own and carry one of these and I love this gun. It's basically the same as the model 1934 which is a 380. I was going to say though that the barrel moving back with the mag out shouldn't happen. Yes it will wiggle a bit but depending on if you have the safety on or off that is what unlocks the barrel. I was freaked out too slightly with mine thinking it was broke. But I forgot that safety levers on simple old guns like these usually just 1. Stopped the trigger. And 2. Usually had a feature in the takedown process. Mine is always off and just a takedown lever for me.
That's pretty cool! Many moons ago I worked for a company that made Browning "Baby" .25 ACP pistols under both the Browning and PSP, Inc. names. After having made, assembled and tested thousands of them, I have a great affection and respect for not only the round, but for the Browning pistol.
Also, what's making the odd clicking sounds- something with the camera?
thank you mark.. like to see you experiment with scaling that up.
Ian Fleming was a member of British Naval Intelligence during World War II and carried a .25 ACP Baby Browning. During his service, Commander Fleming was tasked with capturing enemy documents and analyzing them for actionable intelligence.
James Bond’s choice of sidearm was due to Fleming’s familiarity with the .25 ACP, but he settled on the Beretta 418 due to the higher capacity and the grip safety, which allowed Bond to carry with the manual safety disengaged. Bond also carried it without grip panels, which is a terrible idea considering the fact that the sear would be exposed and create an additional snagging hazard.
I must say it looks like it could be fun to go plinking with thanks for being fun
Thats one sweet little mouse gun
Similar to how an Astra Cub and a Colt Junior come apart. Their barrels spin, then come out the front.
Print a 3d mag with no spring just to use to clear it ?
Hey Mark I was wondering which 3D printer do you recommend, I was thinking about getting one cause I am always finding things that it would be Bitchin if a part to do something but it would be a pain in the ASS to try to machine it BUT to print it 😮
They are cool pistols
didn't Tanfoglio also make copies of this in .32acp & .380?
Beretta means quality and reliability and style.
Oh my goodness Serbu has a youtube channel!
Cool mouse gun Mark, the LW Seecamp, is similar in that you must have a mag inserted to clear it, try just dropping it far enough that it won't pick up the next round.
The writer was Ian Fleming who was in British intelligence during World War II. What did he know about guns? He carried them; and he also knew that during World War II, this was the gun most commonly issued to agents of British intelligence. However, he does not specify the gun Bond had used. It's merely inferred. It's referred to as "that Beretta" in the book and 1962's Dr. No. It could have also been a Beretta 318 or Beretta M1934 although that's unlikely. If you're having issues with it, it's almost certainly a matter of lost or damaged springs in the slide.
Fleming was alerted to an interest in guns for films by a man named Geoffrey Boothroyd who becomes Major Boothroyd in the film. That character becomes Q.
Numrich gun parts theyre amazing for old gun parts, wolf is great as well
Weapons guild is awesome
That is a cool little gun!