The Beretta 950 is a

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol is a type of repeating single-chamber handgun ( pistol) that automatically cycles its action to insert the subsequent cartridge into the chamber (self-loading), but requires manual actuation of the trigger to actuall ...

designed and manufactured by

Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapon Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and militar ...

since 1952. It builds on a long line of small and compact pocket pistols manufactured by Beretta for

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

. It was intended to be a very simple and reliable pocket pistol. It appears in several James Bond films

Specifications

The Beretta 950 is a simple blowback pistol with a

single action A trigger is a mechanism that actuates the function of a ranged weapon such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow, or speargun. The word may also be used to describe a switch that initiates the operation of other non-shooting devices such as a trap ...

trigger Trigger may refer to: Notable animals and people ;Mononym * Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers ;Nickname * Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist * "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster ;Surname * Bru ...

mechanism and

tip-up barrel A tip-up barrel is a type of semi-automatic pistol design in which the barrel can be swung up and away from the firing pin, pivoting around a hinge set into the frame near the muzzle. Such a design allows a round to be inserted directly into th ...

. The

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

is made out of

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...

, the

slide Slide or Slides may refer to: Places * Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998 * ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018 *''Slide'', by Patrick Glees ...

and

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

are

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with o ...

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

. Early models (*950* and *950B* Pre-1968) do not have a safety lever, employing an inertial

firing pin A firing pin or striker is a part of the firing mechanism of a firearm that impacts the primer in the base of a cartridge and causes it to fire. In firearms terminology, a striker is a particular type of firing pin where a compressed spring ...

for safe hammer-down carry instead (the half cock notch is not for carry and could cause the gun to fire if dropped on the hammer). Later models (*950BS* Post-1968) are provided with an external safety lever.

Intended market

The Beretta 950 Jetfire chambered in .25 ACP is a backup, self-defense pistol that is intended for undercover agents, police officers or individuals licensed to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense. The Minx version in .22 Short is not advised for such a role due to the caliber.

Advantages

Being light weight, low profile and easily concealable makes it ideal for concealed carry. The tip-up barrel makes it easy to make safe and at the same time, easy to make ready to fire, and being chambered in .25 ACP means it is more reliable than similar pocket pistols chambered in .22 LR.

Limitations

The .25 ACP round allows it to be a very compact, lightweight gun, but the cartridge is relatively short ranged and low powered, putting it in the same class as the .22 LR rimfire cartridge. The accuracy of the pistol is adequate, but the small grip and short sight radius may limit some shooters to being effective only at short ranges, which, of course, is the range the gun was designed for. Users being timid about recoil can make it prone to bite (the slide can cut the top of the shooter's hand when fired) due to them holding the firearm too tightly. As the pistol lacks a shell extractor, relying instead on blowback pressure to clear the shells, misfires are removed manually by tipping up the barrel and pulling the shell out. This is usually viewed as a limitation but can also be seen as an advantage.

Technical data

* Type: Beretta 950 Jetfire * Trigger system: Single-action only * Caliber:

.25 ACP The .25 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol) (6.35×16mmSR) is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled centerfire pistol cartridge introduced by John Browning John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926) was an American firearm designe ...

* Capacity: 9 total including an 8 rounds magazine and 1 round in the tip-up barrel. * Frame material: Aluminium light alloy * Slide and barrel material: Carbon steel * Grip material: Plastic * Barrel length: 60 mm * Length: 120 mm * Height: 87 mm * Width: 23 mm * Mass: 280 g * Safeties: none (950B) or left-side thumb switch (950BS) * Magazine release: Lower left grip heel pushbutton. * Production years: 1952–2003. * Production locations: Beretta Italy (pre 1968), Beretta do Brasil (late 1960s - 1980), Beretta USA (1970s to 2003)

References

External links

Details on the Beretta 950 Jetfire

User Manual
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Beretta firearms 950 Jetfire .25 ACP semi-automatic pistols Semi-automatic pistols of Brazil Semi-automatic pistols of Italy Semi-automatic pistols of the United States