Fun fact: in the early 1970s, Italy was in the throes of renewed Civil Rights protests, and there was a debate raging about whether or not women should be drafted into military service.
Beretta's lead engineer, Giuseppe Mazzetti, was tasked with modernizing their flagship M1951 pistol for a new generation. He was given a list of 10 common demands - "I Dieci Comandamenti" - and worked his manufacturing team 7 days a week for over two years to produce the new handgun.
In those two years, the team created 40 functional prototypes, and Mazzetti would reject each design as imperfect, until his team finally delivered the 41st iteration - the Beretta 92.
Finally satisfied, Mazzetti brought the pistol to
Piercarlo Beretta, President of the company, who checked down the list of the "Ten Commandments". One by one, Piercarlo checked down the list. One by one, he found that the gun perfectly met all of the demands.
It was beautiful, worthy of the 400-year-old family name.
It was robust, fit to serve in any environment
It was intuitive, for easy adoption
It made the most of its 9mm caliber, with the highest magazine capacity in its class.
It fired smoothly even after tens of thousands of rounds
The widened feed-ramp and ejection port made jams nearly impossible.
It could be disassembled and reassembled in under 60 seconds
The DA/SA mechanism ensured that it was ready to fire, even when the hammer was down
The 9mm caliber ensured that it would be suitable for all NATO militaries.
Finally, Piercarlo came to Commandment 10:
The grip would be small enough so that it could be comfortably fired by any solder - man or woman.
Holding the pistol in his hand, he noticed that the grip was much wider than the 1911 or the Makarov. He asked Mazzetti how he had managed to make a pistol grip this wide and still managed to achieve the 10th requirement.
In response, Mazzetti called to Beretta's niece, Maria, who was working as his personal accountant in the next room. She came in, and Mazzetti asked her to aim the pistol.
Maria was hesitant, but at Piercarlo's urging, the took the pistol and held it up. Unable to get a proper grip on its wide frame, she handed it back to her uncle.
Confused, Piercarlo asked Mazzetti how he could bring such a perfect weapon into his office if a woman could not hold it on the battlefield.
Mazzetti responded: "Sir, I will take this pistol to my grave before I ever watch a young woman like Maria fire it in battle."
Piercarlo later brought Maria with him to demonstrate the 92 to military officers around the world. After each demonstration, officers would ask about its use by women, and Piercarlo would repeat Mazzetti's now-famous reply.
The Beretta 92 went on to become the most popular military handgun in use. In later studies, Beretta found that indeed, the pistol was admired by soldiers and law enforcement across the globe, with only one complaint:
The pistol was notoriously difficult for women, and was universally hated by men with small hands.
And I fucking hate Beretta's.
Fun fact: in the early 1970s, Italy was in the throes of renewed Civil Rights protests, and there was a debate raging about whether or not women should be drafted into military service.
Beretta's lead engineer, Giuseppe Mazzetti, was tasked with modernizing their flagship M1951 pistol for a new generation. He was given a list of 10 common demands - "I Dieci Comandamenti" - and worked his manufacturing team 7 days a week for over two years to produce the new handgun.
In those two years, the team created 40 functional prototypes, and Mazzetti would reject each design as imperfect, until his team finally delivered the 41st iteration - the Beretta 92.
Finally satisfied, Mazzetti brought the pistol to Piercarlo Beretta, President of the company, who checked down the list of the "Ten Commandments". One by one, Piercarlo checked down the list. One by one, he found that the gun perfectly met all of the demands.
Finally, Piercarlo came to Commandment 10:
Holding the pistol in his hand, he noticed that the grip was much wider than the 1911 or the Makarov. He asked Mazzetti how he had managed to make a pistol grip this wide and still managed to achieve the 10th requirement.
In response, Mazzetti called to Beretta's niece, Maria, who was working as his personal accountant in the next room. She came in, and Mazzetti asked her to aim the pistol.
Maria was hesitant, but at Piercarlo's urging, the took the pistol and held it up. Unable to get a proper grip on its wide frame, she handed it back to her uncle.
Confused, Piercarlo asked Mazzetti how he could bring such a perfect weapon into his office if a woman could not hold it on the battlefield.
Mazzetti responded: "Sir, I will take this pistol to my grave before I ever watch a young woman like Maria fire it in battle."
Piercarlo later brought Maria with him to demonstrate the 92 to military officers around the world. After each demonstration, officers would ask about its use by women, and Piercarlo would repeat Mazzetti's now-famous reply.
The Beretta 92 went on to become the most popular military handgun in use. In later studies, Beretta found that indeed, the pistol was admired by soldiers and law enforcement across the globe, with only one complaint:
The pistol was notoriously difficult for women, and was universally hated by men with small hands.
That last line tho. Lol.
Fuckin had to write 500 words just to get to that last line.
Fucking spicy. It was well worth it for the reader.