The Beretta 93R is an Italian selective-fire machine pistol, designed and manufactured by Beretta in the late 1970s.

Designation

The "R" stands for Raffica, which is Italian for "volley", "flurry", or "burst" (sometimes spoken "R" as "Rapid" in English).

History

The 93R was designed to be used by the Italian counterterrorism forces of the Polizia di Stato, Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza, and the Carabinieri Gruppo di Intervento Speciale (both formed in the late 1970s during the turbulent Years of Lead) but was also adopted by other police and military forces who required a concealable weapon with rapid fire capabilities.

Unlike other Berettas in the 90 series it is single-action only, does not have a decocker, and very few are around today.

Later on, a small number of Beretta 92SB semi-automatic carbines fitted with 93R stocks were made for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The BATFE removed these short-barrel rifles from the purview of the National Firearms Act.

Design

The Beretta 93R is mechanically similar to the Beretta 92.

It can be selected to fire either a three round burst or single fire. A selector switch enables the operator to alternate between the two firing modes.

The pistol is fitted with a collapsible angled foregrip at the front end of the trigger guard to provide better stability when firing.

The Beretta 93R is much more controllable compared to other machine pistols because it was designed with only a three-round burst mode as well as a ported barrel.

  • The 93R was featured in many popular Hollywood films. Notable examples include Natural Born Killers (1994); The Big Hit (1998); Virtuosity (1995); Desperado (1995); and Broken Arrow (1996).

In video games

The gun appears in Parasite Eve 2 (1999), Jagged Alliance 2 (1999), Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012), Resident Evil Code: Veronica (2000), Resident Evil 5 (2009), Battlefield 3 (2011), The Finals (2023), Delta Force (2025 video game) (2025) and Alliance of Valiant Arms (2007).

In anime

The gun appears in Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement

In Fiction Books

:The Beretta 93R was one of the main sidearms of the fictional character known as Mack Bolan

:The Beretta 93R is used by the bad guys in John Sandford's Revenge Prey.

See also

  • HK VP70
  • Glock 18
  • Machine pistol
  • Personal defence weapon

References

Bibliography

  • on Forgotten Weapons
  • on TFB TV