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At least 20 manufacturers have shifted operations to states with friendlier attitudes toward firearmsSmith & Wesson CEO Mark Smith was fed up. He was running the largest firearms manufacturer in America, based in Springfield, Mass., where it had been making weapons since 1860, and yet state lawmakers were considering a bill to ban the manufacture of AR-15-style rifles for the civilian market. The proposed law would cripple Smith’s company. Sixty percent of Smith & Wesson’s revenue came from AR-15-style guns.So after years of flirting with the idea, Smith announced last September that Smith & Wesson was pulling up stakes and...

Autumn's Armory latest video LTT Beretta trying out different ammo https://youtu.be/rHEc664P848

Though not all the wartime military equipment made by Italy was top-notch, the Beretta Model 38 submachine gun was highly regarded by both the Axis and Allies. The Back Story Students of military history are no doubt familiar with the wide range of weaponry that made their combat debut during that conflict. Not only were new firearms seen for the first time, but new classes of firearms also proved their worth on austere, far-flung battlefields.

During the military MHS (Modular Handgun System) competition to replace the U.S. Armed Forces service pistol. Beretta came out with its own striker fire pistol – the Beretta APX. This pistol has been around since 2015, initially was only available to the military and law enforcement. By now you may have seen it at gun shows and is available to the public. Modular Design This Beretta APX is a full size service pistol with a 4.24 inch barrel. Competing for that coveted MHS service pistol is no joke. With all the modification that went into the design its no wonder...

The full-sized M17 vs. the more compact M18. The guns use the same interchangeable fire control unit and magazines– either flush-fit 17-round or 21-round extended mags. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)A report says the nation’s seagoing branch will go with the smaller version of the Army’s Modular Handgun System, the Sig M18, to replace legacy 9mm pistols.The Navy currently uses the M9, a variant of the Beretta 92F shown above, and the M11, a more compact pistol based on the Sig Sauer P228. The new M18 will replace both. (Photo: U.S. Navy) The Navy will phase out its current M9 and M11...

When the U.S. Army changes guns, it’s a big deal. You may have read about the Army replacing the Beretta M9 with the Sig Sauer P320 all over the internet. It is a huge deal for Sig as they earned a whopping $580 million dollar. When something of this magnitude changes, it makes waves in the gun world. What's so special about this gun, and what's the differences from the Beretta M9? This infographic from Tactical Gear breaks it down with fantastic clarity. Sure you can read about why Beretta failed in their testing, so why not just view an...

Word (from The Firearm Blog) has it that Glocks cannot get over losing the XM17 Modular Handgun System contract to Sig Sauer. More rumors are getting around stating that Sig Sauer was basically handed the contract. The XM17 tests were a huge differences to the M9 tests of the 1980s. The M9 tests were very in-depth,and the results were talked about for years by various gun publications. From reading everything we can tell the 1980s about the M9 project, there seem to be several major fallacies with the M17 test. If we look at the fallacies, the chances of Glock...

The October 2016 edition of Maxim celebrates Beretta’s 500th year of firearm manufacturing. Known among twenty-first century hunters for its shotguns and among concealed carry permit holders for its compact, potent pistols like the PX4 Storm, the Italian gun maker has a rich heritage that includes “crafting guns for everyone from Napoleon and Winston Churchill to Ernest Hemingway and James Bond.”

Gun maker Beretta USA is opening a new factory on Friday, the culmination of generous land and tax offers in Tennessee and restrictive gun laws at its old Maryland location. Beretta USA is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony at the recently built facility in Gallatin, Tennessee, on April 15, having moved all manufacturing from Maryland. The new factory is 160,000 square feet, compared to 115,000 square feet if left behind, said Gabriele de Plano, vice president of defense marketing and operations for Beretta USA. "We've got plenty of space to expand as well," he said.

After about 30 years of using the Beretta as the primary sidearm pistol for the U.S. military, the Pentagon is seeking a new gun contract. For gun manufacturers, this kind of a contract is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While the Beretta lasted three decades, the U.S. military's first semiautomatic standard-issue sidearm, the M1911 from Colt, lasted nearly 90 years. It was issued during the U.S. war in the Philippines through the World Wars to Vietnam and beyond.

Dumping Beretta Last month, the Army announced plans for an "industry day" at which gun manufacturers such as Smith & Wesson , Sturm, Ruger , Colt, and Glock would be invited to show their wares and compete for a new contract. Its objective: to replace the M9 Beretta semiautomatic pistol. The U.S. Army holds more than 200,000 M9 Berettas in its inventory. If it proceeds with plans to use a new handgun, tentatively monikered the "Modular Handgun System," all of these M9s could soon be replaced. In fact, Military.com reported that if other armed services follow the Army's lead, one...

Citing Maryland’s recently enacted firearm laws and the prospect of more restrictions, the U.S. arm of legendary Italian gunmaker Beretta announced Tuesday that it would move its manufacturing operations to Tennessee next year. The move makes Beretta the latest maker of guns or ammunition to move all or part of its operations to another state because of tightened gun control laws. General Manager Jeff Cooper said an early version of a statute passed last year by the Maryland state Senate would have prohibited the company from manufacturing or storing products in the state. “While we were able in the Maryland...

Beretta U.S.A. announced Tuesday that company concerns over a strict gun-control law enacted in Maryland last year have made it necessary to move its weapons making out of the state to Tennessee. The well-known gun maker said it will move to a new production facility it is building in the Nashville suburb of Gallatin that is set to open in mid-2015. Beretta general manager Jeff Cooper said that a sweeping gun-control measure that was passed last year initially contained provisions that would have prohibited the Italian gun maker from being able to produce, store or even import into Maryland the...

Beretta U.S.A. Corp., located in Accokeek, Maryland, announced today that it has decided to move its manufacturing capabilities from its existing location to a new production facility that it is building in Gallatin, Tennessee. The Gallatin facility is scheduled to be opened in mid-2015. Beretta U.S.A. had previously planned to use the new Gallatin, Tennessee facility for new machinery and production of new products only.

The U.S. Army is moving forward to replace the Cold War-era M9 9mm pistol with a more powerful handgun that also meets the needs of the other services. As the lead agent for small arms, the Army will hold an industry day July 29 to talk to gun makers about the joint, Modular Handgun System or MHS. The MHS would replace the Army's inventory of more than 200,000 outdated M9 pistols and several thousand M11 9mm pistols with one that has greater accuracy, lethality, reliability and durability, according to Daryl Easlick, a project officer with the Army's Maneuver Center of...

Even if you are not shopping for a Glock 42, this is still an excellent comparison of many single stack pistols on the market. There are almost an overwhelming number of options for a .380 or 9mm concealed carry weapon. Hopefully this video helped you glean some information.

My family has operated our business from the same small town in northern Italy for 500 years. This means that when we make a commitment to a local community, our hope is to do so for decades, if not centuries, to come. We apply this same philosophy to all of our factories and locations throughout the world. Such a commitment is not a one-way street, though. In return for our investment in jobs, facilities and assistance to the local economy, we ask for respect and a supportive business climate. We deserve such respect. We make the standard sidearm for the...

My family has operated our business from the same small town in northern Italy for 500 years. This means that when we make a commitment to a local community, our hope is to do so for decades, if not centuries, to come. We apply this same philosophy to all of our factories and locations throughout the world. Such a commitment is not a one-way street, though.

On January 29th, Beretta USA officials joined with Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R) to announce the firearm manufacturer will be opening its new plant in Gallatin, TN. Beretta had been looking for a location for its new facility after deciding to leave Maryland over the draconian gun laws that state implemented in spring 2013.

Beretta doesn’t bluff: Moving production to Tennessee Beretta told Maryland’s state legislature that passage of anti-gun bills early last year would force the company to re-think their plans for growth and expansion in Governor Martin O’Malley’s state. “Berettas don’t bluff,” the Old Line State lawmakers were told. The legislature passed a whole new raft of gun restrictions anyway. Well, not only did Beretta cancel plans for growth and expansion in anti-gun Maryland, they announced their intention to move the whole kit and caboodle to Tennessee later this year. (The Tennesseean) – Beretta, one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers, will...