I served in the Carabinieri, and I shot the M12s at the time. the bolt is REALLY heavy, in single shot you definitely feel the bolt traveling forward before the shot. Having said that, it's quite possible with very little practice to fire single shots with the selector on full auto, and usually 2-3 round short bursts are used. Like Ian, I am left handed, which made all issued material awkward, but of all things the worst actually was the holster for the model 92 pistol (M9 for the us vets). Standard procedure as in all open bolt sub machine guns was to have the weapon on safe with the bolt full forward. One small peeve is that the magazine can be accidentally inserted arsy versy: it won't lock but a (bulky and muscular) colleague of mine "forced" it, and had an M12 sent to the armory for repairs.
@@TheHardCore89 in realtà, no. Alla Cernaia venne in uno scambio culturale un reparto Inglese. Alla scuola ero in ufficio, e mi chiesero di trovare altri allievi che parlassero inglese, fu assolutamente semplice trovarne tre o quattro che lo parlavano meglio di me. Ma era ancora la leva.
Tarik360 You must mean, 80's special forces enthusiasts, because they watched too many war movies about the SEALs in the 80's but don't know anything about SF or SOC units, will love this.
It was also used a lot by terrorists in Italy and during the OPEC terrorists and used against them by the Italian Special Forces in NOCS. It was also used by American embassy personnel during the Tet Offensive during the embassy attack. There is footage of an American guard running around with this gun. He's noticeable because he's not wearing a uniform - a shirt and tie - whereas other personnel are Marine guards. As I understand it he was a former New York State Trooper.
It's beautiful. Italians really do have a knack at designing stuff and making them look stylish, even when it comes to firearms. Their exterior just sticks in your head.
Oh yeah. I remember the 1st time I saw & fell deeply in "like" with it, I said to myself "Ah, Italian style, of course". Really like everything about the mechanics of it's design, too.
Italian stuff is generally sexy. Guns, cars, motorcycles, boats, ... They often seem to choose form over function, but Berettas are generally well made.
Saw it in the film, THE CASSANDA CROSSING, but somehow the wrong size magazine clip was being used, 25 rounds when they are blazing away at each other inside train carriages,which obviously this isn't, 32 rounds.
A gun you don't see represented in video games too often, so it always brings a smile to my face when it is. It tends to lose out in favor of more famous guns like the MP5, MP7 and Uzi, which honestly isn't unfair in most cases. As a result, we mostly see it in games that feature specific military forces that use these in real life, or at least the regions these forces inhabit. On rarer occasion you'll see it in police hands. For the most part, this tends to mean South- or Central America. Brazilian settings specifically has depicted the Beretta on more than one occasion.
Here in Brazil the elite squad of São Paulo's military police adopted the beretta PM-12S as standard submachine gun during the 1970's, and the officers liked this gun so much that you still can see some of them using it today
If you ever watch video of the Tet '68 attack on the US embassy, there is a US security man firing one of these weapons into a window. Just a little history footnote.
Are you certain that it was not an M3 GM Grease Gun. I have not watched that video with a discerning eye, but I do remember a journalist identifying the weapon as an M3 and given the time and place the American .45 burper seems to be the more probable.
@@MarioMirarchi not true. M3a1 were standard for tank crew issue since ww2. 9mm was never standard issue until berreta replaced the 1911/ .45 cal. Even then m3a1 grease guns were tank crew weapons until late 1990's and still used by some guard and reserve units until even later. I image because the gun worked well and there was still tons of .45 call ammo available.
The first gun with telescoping bolt was the Armaguerra OG-43, it also looked like an Uzi, with an extra handle. Production was approved but never happened due to the events of WW2
All I remember is dual wielding these in Goldeneye back in 1999. Awesome fun! However, I have liked these for a while but never knew what they were until now. Thanks for the video Ian!
Back in the 90's when I was training police, the SWAT team had some M-12's that they were getting ready to transfer to another Department. They let me and several of the range personnel shoot the M-12's. They quite easy to shot and fairly controllable.
@@foxmulder3268 guarda che ti ha fatto un complimento, mica era un insulto, la grease gun era un mitragliatore americano della seconda guerra mondiale che come forma un po' ricorda questo mitragliatore.
Most Beretta's are outstanding firearms. My personal favorite firearm company, and my 2 favorite Pistols are Berettas. The Model 71 .22 LR, and the venerable Model 92 FS.
Who are these people that constantly gives a gunpresentation thumbs downs. Not only a good presentation and historical contexts of the guns but also a look of the insides. I think the Forgotten Weapons-channel is great! Have yet to see a bad video, so I always give a thumbs up!
I’ve noticed that no matter how many forgotten weapons videos I watch, they still pop up in the suggestions this channel has so many uploads I hope I never am able to watch them all Ian is the shit
Nice one! I used it for training and service during my duty in the Italian military (Carabinieri) back in early 90s, no recoil at all, very precise, lots of recalls!
Grant Barnett: That was both A: Only if you pumped so many rounds through one, as fast as you could, that the steel itself was starting to warp and buckle and B: They fixed that.
it wasent adopted because of colt, the army wanted to get the xm8 which was much better then the m16 and m4, but the goverment have deals with colt so they couldnt get the xm8, because it was from h&k so it means that they would cooperate with the germans and colt didnt want that so they paid some senatros of that they dont vote for the xm8.
The Beretta PM 12 was used by the Italian Army in all international missions, in which it participated, without ever encountering any technical problems, or related to adverse weather and environmental conditions. Weapon, presented in the 70s, was futuristic, and equipped with many accessories (such as torch, silencer, optics, etc.), which unfortunately were not subsequently developed by certain national dull minds. A great missed opportunity. A greeting
A red dot attachment would have definitely done good for this gun, the irons are great for accuracy and the gun makes full use of it but properly aligning them takes a lot of work. For silencers my opinion will always remain "hearing safety is a good thing", but I guess whoever's on top thought those few thousand lire were worth giving tinnitus to officers if you're telling me the "project" (adding threading on the muzzle) was in mind but hasn't come through..
Rychter Zychter a lot of the weapons he talks about are far from forgotten. The mp7 is not readily available as far as i know and i really enjoyed having it as my service weapon
Eyesack Wool you have to have a sot2 or class 3 to own a mp7 now the hk97 is the semi auto and doesn't have a stock you could get one of those and the mp7 cost 11k and up
You sir have earned a new subscriber from Canada ! I stumbled upon this channel a few days ago and was amazed !! For a while now I have been looking for a History/ Gun Review channel on vintage & unique firearms and my favourite part is its not just about AR's & Glocks/Ordinary weapons as you say ! perfect way to start my morning with a coffee when the trucks warming up ! I have to ask tho, what is your profession ? or is this a hobby of yours because you sir know your stuff !! Thank you & keep them coming !
I can confirm that anywhere there's a Police Officer (standard local police) a Carabiniere (Carabiniers, Military police) or a Finanziere (basically like military police "Financial Police") they have one of these either strapped to their belt or bulletproof vest, but you see more actual soldiers around, with ARX-160's (field tests) PM should stand for "Pistola mitragliatrice" (Machine pistol, the actual Italian word for SMG is "Mitraglietta" which literally means tiny machine gun), 12 is the model, and like the Beretta M92FS the S should stand for Sicura (Safety, Safety lever)
No, Carabinieri are not Military Police. They are militarised judicial police, they operate just like state police and share duties with them, but are also part of the defense forces.
@@glx4909 sure, but it is a minor part of the overall activity, and the above definition made it seem as if that was all they did. The vast majority of resources are deployed in judicial police roles.
This is an UNFORGETTABLE weapon! ;-) A classic among classics here in Italy, starring in an endless list of movies since the 1970s, too. It was also very sought after by both right- and left-wing terrorists during the '70s and the '80s: not seldom were Italian police officers carrying their ordnance PM12 shot down by terrorists just for the sake of getting their hands on one of these SMGs, which were much handier and faster than the MAB.
Did not know It had so much respect outside Our Country, nice to see It despite its age It has still a good reputation and Yes, Prof. Jan You're excellent as always!
I've held a few of those in my hands! They belonged to the Military Police of São Paulo State, in Brazil. Here they were called Beretta M972 and our model had some kind of reddish brown pistol grip and foregrip. The guns were sent to destruction because they were really old and by some absurd decision of the Brazilian Army, 9mm was prohibited in favor of the .40 cartridge, so there were no efforts to buy new 9mm machine pistols/submachineguns for police duty. To fill in the SMG role, the Force adopted the horrifying Taurus/FAMAE MT40 which then evolved to the Taurus only design SMT40. Even if the MT40 one was a piece of junk, it performed a lot better than the newer SMT40, so four or five THOUSAND new SMTs were put into storage indefinitely because they had too many issues and defects to be safe to use on the streets, and Taurus didn't get them back to fix whatever was wrong with them. If you shook or jerked the weapon around, it could fire by itself an entire magazine until empty, even with the manual safety engaged. The agency then kept using the MT40s and bought a lot of Imbel IA2 automatic rifles chambered in 5,56 to replace the SMTs. Thanks for the interesting video, I like that Beretta design, it just works.
i still love the look of this gun. the mp5 might be superior with its roller lock, but this just looks better imo. there is a range in my state that has machine gun rentals that has one of these, and its on my to do list to shoot this.
Beretta PM-12 in it's version M-12rs was used by some branches of our Military, especially the Marina Militare (Navy) in the 1970s and 1980s, actually it is still used by the sailors during parades because it's stowed on the older units of the MM but it's not issued anymore in the Esercito (Army) or Aviazione Militare (Airforce). On the contrary it is standard issue as you said still today for the Polizia di Stato (national Police) and Carabinieri (military Police), actually any Carabinieri car has one stowed under the front passenger seat (with a special security release) and it is very common to see it at any police checkpoint as there is always one or two Police/Carabinieri members performing the talking and checks with the drivers and one with a heavy duty bullet proof vest and an MP-12 standing by a few meters away that keeps an eye on the other occupants of the vehicles. Ciao da Milano :-)
In 1973 i was at the Fiumicino airport waiting for another flight, a young police/military man came and stood in front of me with this machine gun, it was the time of terrorist attacks.
I know quite a few probably don’t like the look but I really like it and the fact it was made in the 50s is pretty sweet I’m probably going to pick one of these up in semi auto
I love seeing all the in between guns that have signs from the older generation tech and some of the features that are just being invented. Its like every single gun is just a variant of something that came before
Principio di funzionamento, otturatore a massa battente, senza rinculo, formidabile per combattimenti in spazi ti stretti, a brevi distanze, ottima per presa nave.
I like the PM12 especially in period films from the cold war. I never understood what a telescoping bolt was, i had some crazy idea that turned out to be untrue. My favourit example of the PM12 was in inspector montalbano which i watch in the UK, the stories seemed to have started around the 1970s as i believe the guy who wrote them was an actual detective, but the more modern ones seem to be set in the 1990s up untill modern day, because they are still making them, very slowly and with high quality. In one episode a police man silently storming a hideout of an expected high ranking mafia member fell on the floor and discharged some rounds with his PM!". I was like: no way, i see the grip safety on that thing, what is this? Movie magic TM? Well sure enough later on the cop is uncovered as a mafia stooge, probably trying to provoke a firefight. Great continuity. Pretty good attention to weapons detail. I even spot a few weapons now and again that i know nothing of. There was some pistol that looked like a Zestava EZ9 sig knockoff, but it was supposed to fire 7.62 or something? Oh yeah, ive also seen the PM12 used in the tv show The Unit.
The Beretta M12S is used by the Brazilian Army and some police units. It was manufactured locally by Taurus - MT12AD - when Taurus bought the Beretta factory in São Paulo
Great video as always. Just a couple things was surprised you didn't mention. 1) Taurus licence producing these as the MT-12 series (and how they were in Brazilian military service. (FN apparently also license produced some.) 2) There were about 30 semi-auto PM-12s made. Small Arms Review had one advertised for sale (Y2K or so) for ca. $3200. 3) They became a bit infamous when "Carlos the Jackal" and his crew used them (¿at the Vienna OPEC debacle?) 4) (Just learned while verifying facts), the gun is prone to catastrophic jams if an empty casing falls into the trigger mechanism. (The trigger mechanism doesn't separate from the receiver, making this a bear to clear.)
I had never heard that. Ian can certainly answer you better than I, but I imagine very few if any. SMGs used were more likely US, Soviet, Vietnamese (yes, there was a locally made SMG), maybe some Chinese made ones. The wiki guy might have gotten this confused with the French MAT49 (or other French SMGs) which I'm sure were rattling around SE Asia from when it was called Indochina.
klaasvaak0413. From what I've seen on various pictures and history sites the marines that were guarding the US embassy during the tet offensive were issued with them. So yeah they were in Vietnam all be it in tiny amounts.
Brings back memories of Italy, when I was there in1980, during the waning days of the Red Brigades. Two-man teams of Carabinieri patrolled the railroad stations and surrounding neighborhood, one with a Beretta sub, the other with a sidearm and radio set.
This gun came even in action with the US Marines in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in 1968 when the US Marines guarding the U.S. embassy in Saigon repelled the assault by the Viet Cong using the Beretta M12.
I became familiar with this SMG through two films, "The Year of the Gun" and "The Cassandra Crossing", which prominently featured this weapon. It honestly looks like something straight out of Star Wars. If it weren't for the Sterling SMG I can totally imagine the PM-12 being the Stormtrooper blaster.
When I was posted with UNEF II during the 70s the Indonesians and Egyptians were both armed with these. Interesting point was both countries had gone for a different design of folding stock. I also remember a three way shop talk session with an Indonesian who spoke a little English, a Canadian who spoke a little Arabic, and an Egyptian who spoke a little French. I wasn't the Canadian, and I spoke a little Russian anyway.
I fired that one before, alongside an Uzi and MP5. It shot so slow in full(ish) auto, I switched to semi and shot it just as fast. The Uzi did a little better but hands down, that MP5 was dramatically better at everything.
It's so 80s! I recognize it from the movie Warrior of the Lost World, an Italian Mad Max ripoff featured on MST3K. They dubbed it over with laser sounds. They also showed characters dual wielding and making multiple-hundred yard shots with them.
I'm the Italian who clicked the thumbnail thinking "wait, this isn't forgotten". Thanks Ian
anch'io
best clickbait for gun loving Italians
BUT MAH MITRA NOT IS FORGOTTEN THE CARAMBA AR POSTO DE BLOCCO HABE DEM!!1!
My Dad was in the Carabinieri in the late 70's, before he moved to Australia. And he loved this weapon.
Nintendiano Greetings from the UK my fellow European! I love my Beretta 686!!
when my dad was in the guardia di finanza they used to use these.
I served in the Carabinieri, and I shot the M12s at the time. the bolt is REALLY heavy, in single shot you definitely feel the bolt traveling forward before the shot. Having said that, it's quite possible with very little practice to fire single shots with the selector on full auto, and usually 2-3 round short bursts are used. Like Ian, I am left handed, which made all issued material awkward, but of all things the worst actually was the holster for the model 92 pistol (M9 for the us vets). Standard procedure as in all open bolt sub machine guns was to have the weapon on safe with the bolt full forward. One small peeve is that the magazine can be accidentally inserted arsy versy: it won't lock but a (bulky and muscular) colleague of mine "forced" it, and had an M12 sent to the armory for repairs.
Heavy bolt to keep the rate of fire down.
@Maurizio Y "così, di botto, senza senso."
Complimenti per l’inglese, forse l’unico nell’arma a parlarlo così fluentemente 😁
@@TheHardCore89 in realtà, no. Alla Cernaia venne in uno scambio culturale un reparto Inglese. Alla scuola ero in ufficio, e mi chiesero di trovare altri allievi che parlassero inglese, fu assolutamente semplice trovarne tre o quattro che lo parlavano meglio di me. Ma era ancora la leva.
Molto bene! Che li mandassero a Roma 😁qui i turisti impazziscono!
"...a regular guy like me"
~Gun Jesus
he's so humble :o
80's special forces enthusiasts are gonna love this.
YES I LOVE IT!
Tarik360 You must mean, 80's special forces enthusiasts, because they watched too many war movies about the SEALs in the 80's but don't know anything about SF or SOC units, will love this.
Ion42 Google Chucks and Berettas. You'll find it.
It was also used a lot by terrorists in Italy and during the OPEC terrorists and used against them by the Italian Special Forces in NOCS. It was also used by American embassy personnel during the Tet Offensive during the embassy attack. There is footage of an American guard running around with this gun. He's noticeable because he's not wearing a uniform - a shirt and tie - whereas other personnel are Marine guards. As I understand it he was a former New York State Trooper.
@@schizoidboy shirt and tie IS a uniform. LOL, how many Viet Cong are running around in J.C. Penney's best?
It's beautiful. Italians really do have a knack at designing stuff and making them look stylish, even when it comes to firearms. Their exterior just sticks in your head.
I owned A bueatiful and very italian car once. Never guessed owning a car can give you ptsd
Oh yeah. I remember the 1st time I saw & fell deeply in "like" with it, I said to myself "Ah, Italian style, of course".
Really like everything about the mechanics of it's design, too.
To all, yes. But that stamped steel is just beautiful
If the M3 Grease Gun had a hot sister, the PM12S would be her.
Is it just me or does Italy design some sexy weapons?
Thanks💕
Whatever Italy does is made with passion, that is why made in Italy now days is the best brand in the world.
@bert smith Mussolini well...I wish!! 🇮🇹☠️
bert smith ppl die,ideas don’t.
Italian stuff is generally sexy. Guns, cars, motorcycles, boats, ... They often seem to choose form over function, but Berettas are generally well made.
Actually in Italy basically everytime you see a cop he usually has one of these
ma le lisci le mele?
+Gabriele Ciciriello Si eh Madonna cara
lisciatoredimele89 Infatti ha detto che in Italia li usano ancora
lisciatoredimele89 With his sidearm being the Beretta 92, Beretta 8000, or the Beretta 93R (93R machine pistol used by special units).
+Brandon Freihoff They mainly use 92s, some even use the px4 storm, because they are not using 8000 series Cheetahs anore
Its a very popular SMG for brazil's security forces as well :)
Vampire Count
Given it's produced by Taurus :-)
Vampire Count, do you play rainbow six?
beretta license, come copy of beretta 92 of taurus
IIIIIINNNNTTERRROOOGAAACCIIIOOOONNNNN
Why does Brazil have literally every gun imaginable in their police force?
'500 Years. One Passion' really shines through here.
I used one of them in Brazilian Army in 1973. A wonderfull gun.
If you like Italian B movies like me, then you'll have seen these being fired from (or at) countless Alfa Romeo Guilias.
I prefer them being fired at Jaguar E-Types like in "Danger:Diabolik"
wait which movies? I need to know.
@@Handhandme every 70s movie of the genre poliziottesco
I am a simple man. When I read Alfa Romeo I will press like!
Saw it in the film, THE CASSANDA CROSSING, but somehow the wrong size magazine clip was being used, 25 rounds when they are blazing away at each other inside train carriages,which obviously this isn't, 32 rounds.
A gun you don't see represented in video games too often, so it always brings a smile to my face when it is. It tends to lose out in favor of more famous guns like the MP5, MP7 and Uzi, which honestly isn't unfair in most cases. As a result, we mostly see it in games that feature specific military forces that use these in real life, or at least the regions these forces inhabit. On rarer occasion you'll see it in police hands. For the most part, this tends to mean South- or Central America. Brazilian settings specifically has depicted the Beretta on more than one occasion.
I mean who wants to put a Taurus in a game lol
I shoot with it in my military service. Double safety, so very sure and very accurate shooting in prone position (50 meters). Really a masterpiece.
Here in Brazil the elite squad of São Paulo's military police adopted the beretta PM-12S as standard submachine gun during the 1970's, and the officers liked this gun so much that you still can see some of them using it today
Hans Landa. Are they made by Taurus under licence?
@@wernesgruder1 lol, no.
wernesgruder1 Yes they are actually, don’t know why the other dude said otherwise. They produce it under the name “Taurus MT 12”
@@augustoroman3257 lol yes?
@@LiberMentis-LM lol, no.
If you ever watch video of the Tet '68 attack on the US embassy, there is a US security man firing one of these weapons into a window. Just a little history footnote.
I think that was its first combat experience if I remember correctly.
Are you certain that it was not an M3 GM Grease Gun. I have not watched that video with a discerning eye, but I do remember a journalist identifying the weapon as an M3 and given the time and place the American .45 burper seems to be the more probable.
Definitely an M12
@@davidsenderodelsanto My understanding is that the PM-12S was standard issue to US Army tank crews during the Vietnam era.
@@MarioMirarchi not true. M3a1 were standard for tank crew issue since ww2. 9mm was never standard issue until berreta replaced the 1911/ .45 cal. Even then m3a1 grease guns were tank crew weapons until late 1990's and still used by some guard and reserve units until even later. I image because the gun worked well and there was still tons of .45 call ammo available.
I would like to see a video on the Italian Spectre M4 SMG. Such an interesting looking gun to come out of the 1980s, kind of resembles the M12
The first gun with telescoping bolt was the Armaguerra OG-43, it also looked like an Uzi, with an extra handle. Production was approved but never happened due to the events of WW2
I’m amazed at the simplicity of this gun
All I remember is dual wielding these in Goldeneye back in 1999. Awesome fun! However, I have liked these for a while but never knew what they were until now. Thanks for the video Ian!
Back in the 90's when I was training police, the SWAT team had some M-12's that they were getting ready to transfer to another Department. They let me and several of the range personnel shoot the M-12's. They quite easy to shot and fairly controllable.
italian quality grease gun
pure tuo padre
True thing.
You mean spaghetti gun ? 😂😂
Like solo per il nome
@@foxmulder3268 guarda che ti ha fatto un complimento, mica era un insulto, la grease gun era un mitragliatore americano della seconda guerra mondiale che come forma un po' ricorda questo mitragliatore.
This gun could totally fit into a Star Wars setting
absolutely
Pretty sure it was in spaceballs.
DUDE! I almost choked laughing at your avatar pic!!!! fucking priceless!!!!!!
Oscar Floyd Give it a scope, a barrel shroud and anything else and boom, a Star Wars blaster!
Mr S I thought those where M-16.
Most Beretta's are outstanding firearms.
My personal favorite firearm company, and my 2 favorite Pistols are Berettas. The Model 71 .22 LR, and the venerable Model 92 FS.
Those smgs are also very popular in brazilian security forces, not forgotten here as well.
I just fired one of these yesterday. It is the smoothest or “softest” firing 9mm sub gun ever! It’s a nice and slow cycling firearm. Good times. 😎
I love slow cycling guns . 😊
Who are these people that constantly gives a gunpresentation thumbs downs. Not only a good presentation and historical contexts of the guns but also a look of the insides. I think the Forgotten Weapons-channel is great! Have yet to see a bad video, so I always give a thumbs up!
manwiththestar the same kind who are like "shut up and shoot". Welcome to the ADD generation
Either Communists or WORST, democrats !
@@sanchezroman8995 that's amazingly stupid
Oh beautiful, this has always been one of my favorite guns in the way of visuals. Thank you for taking a look at it.
Always liked the look of these! Kind of a marriage of functional-but-elegant
Of course the brit comments on this, we know why your here. Yeah baby, yeah.
It's Italian.
I’ve noticed that no matter how many forgotten weapons videos I watch, they still pop up in the suggestions this channel has so many uploads I hope I never am able to watch them all Ian is the shit
Nice one! I used it for training and service during my duty in the Italian military (Carabinieri) back in early 90s, no recoil at all, very precise, lots of recalls!
Used in the defence of US Saigon embassy in the Tet offensive 1968.
Surprised to see this there in footage of the battle.
Australian team suck!
It was issued for State Department security at the time.
by any chance your ever do a video on the xm8 series and why it didn't work out for the army?
I think the XM8 was not adopted was because the wars In Afghanistan and Iraq
He actually talk about the XM8 in Q&A#6 or 7.
Grant Barnett: That was both A: Only if you pumped so many rounds through one, as fast as you could, that the steel itself was starting to warp and buckle and B: They fixed that.
it wasent adopted because of colt, the army wanted to get the xm8 which was much better then the m16 and m4, but the goverment have deals with colt so they couldnt get the xm8, because it was from h&k so it means that they would cooperate with the germans and colt didnt want that so they paid some senatros of that they dont vote for the xm8.
Patrick Gonzalez so that was the problem then
The Beretta PM 12 was used by the Italian Army in all international missions, in which it participated, without ever encountering any technical problems, or related to adverse weather and environmental conditions. Weapon, presented in the 70s, was futuristic, and equipped with many accessories (such as torch, silencer, optics, etc.), which unfortunately were not subsequently developed by certain national dull minds. A great missed opportunity. A greeting
A red dot attachment would have definitely done good for this gun, the irons are great for accuracy and the gun makes full use of it but properly aligning them takes a lot of work. For silencers my opinion will always remain "hearing safety is a good thing", but I guess whoever's on top thought those few thousand lire were worth giving tinnitus to officers if you're telling me the "project" (adding threading on the muzzle) was in mind but hasn't come through..
I dont know why but I always liked this Beretta every since I first saw it in the 80s
A great submachine gun for sure. I love it. It takes apart in a very unique way. Also very compact and yet good range.
Weapon of choice for Dr Evil's henchmen.
We never forget this. It's an awesome SMG.
This and the one locally produced in Brazil by Taurus we used here in the police in the early 90's. Thanks for the video!
I served in the Guardia di Finanza and i can say that it’s very precise and shootable
would love to se ian get his hands on a mp7.
Rychter Zychter a lot of the weapons he talks about are far from forgotten. The mp7 is not readily available as far as i know and i really enjoyed having it as my service weapon
Eyesack Wool you have to have a sot2 or class 3 to own a mp7 now the hk97 is the semi auto and doesn't have a stock you could get one of those and the mp7 cost 11k and up
Eyesack Wool are you sure? Ive only seen a few channels shoot them
You sir have earned a new subscriber from Canada ! I stumbled upon this channel a few days ago and was amazed !! For a while now I have been looking for a History/ Gun Review channel on vintage & unique firearms and my favourite part is its not just about AR's & Glocks/Ordinary weapons as you say ! perfect way to start my morning with a coffee when the trucks warming up ! I have to ask tho, what is your profession ? or is this a hobby of yours because you sir know your stuff !! Thank you & keep them coming !
“Dealer sample” broke many internet hearts, I’m sure. That thing is pristine, interesting, and 100% Beretta.
Carabinieri, Polizia e Guardia di Finanza still use it
È un'arma fantastica ....semplice e molto sicura in ogni situazione. ....Very Very Good exellent Beretta M 12
I can confirm that anywhere there's a Police Officer (standard local police) a Carabiniere (Carabiniers, Military police) or a Finanziere (basically like military police "Financial Police") they have one of these either strapped to their belt or bulletproof vest, but you see more actual soldiers around, with ARX-160's (field tests)
PM should stand for "Pistola mitragliatrice" (Machine pistol, the actual Italian word for SMG is "Mitraglietta" which literally means tiny machine gun), 12 is the model, and like the Beretta M92FS the S should stand for Sicura (Safety, Safety lever)
My bad.
No, Carabinieri are not Military Police. They are militarised judicial police, they operate just like state police and share duties with them, but are also part of the defense forces.
@@mesteme ..Carabinieri also perform Military Police functions for the military.. they are Italy's Gendarmerie
@@glx4909 sure, but it is a minor part of the overall activity, and the above definition made it seem as if that was all they did. The vast majority of resources are deployed in judicial police roles.
Best looking subgun in my opinion! Italians make everything look good!
This is an UNFORGETTABLE weapon! ;-) A classic among classics here in Italy, starring in an endless list of movies since the 1970s, too. It was also very sought after by both right- and left-wing terrorists during the '70s and the '80s: not seldom were Italian police officers carrying their ordnance PM12 shot down by terrorists just for the sake of getting their hands on one of these SMGs, which were much handier and faster than the MAB.
Did not know It had so much respect outside Our Country, nice to see It despite its age It has still a good reputation and Yes, Prof. Jan You're excellent as always!
I've held a few of those in my hands! They belonged to the Military Police of São Paulo State, in Brazil. Here they were called Beretta M972 and our model had some kind of reddish brown pistol grip and foregrip. The guns were sent to destruction because they were really old and by some absurd decision of the Brazilian Army, 9mm was prohibited in favor of the .40 cartridge, so there were no efforts to buy new 9mm machine pistols/submachineguns for police duty. To fill in the SMG role, the Force adopted the horrifying Taurus/FAMAE MT40 which then evolved to the Taurus only design SMT40. Even if the MT40 one was a piece of junk, it performed a lot better than the newer SMT40, so four or five THOUSAND new SMTs were put into storage indefinitely because they had too many issues and defects to be safe to use on the streets, and Taurus didn't get them back to fix whatever was wrong with them. If you shook or jerked the weapon around, it could fire by itself an entire magazine until empty, even with the manual safety engaged. The agency then kept using the MT40s and bought a lot of Imbel IA2 automatic rifles chambered in 5,56 to replace the SMTs. Thanks for the interesting video, I like that Beretta design, it just works.
Two things about italian design I die for: Lamborghini Countach and Beretta PM12-S!
i still love the look of this gun. the mp5 might be superior with its roller lock, but this just looks better imo. there is a range in my state that has machine gun rentals that has one of these, and its on my to do list to shoot this.
Beretta PM-12 in it's version M-12rs was used by some branches of our Military, especially the Marina Militare (Navy) in the 1970s and 1980s, actually it is still used by the sailors during parades because it's stowed on the older units of the MM but it's not issued anymore in the Esercito (Army) or Aviazione Militare (Airforce).
On the contrary it is standard issue as you said still today for the Polizia di Stato (national Police) and Carabinieri (military Police), actually any Carabinieri car has one stowed under the front passenger seat (with a special security release) and it is very common to see it at any police checkpoint as there is always one or two Police/Carabinieri members performing the talking and checks with the drivers and one with a heavy duty bullet proof vest and an MP-12 standing by a few meters away that keeps an eye on the other occupants of the vehicles.
Ciao da Milano :-)
Never seen any Carabinieri checkpoint, here over in my place it seems all they do is speeding in residential areas.
It was produced under license in Brazil by Taurus. The designation was MT-12.
In 1973 i was at the Fiumicino airport waiting for another flight, a young police/military man came and stood in front of me with this machine gun, it was the time of terrorist attacks.
This is stll used by Brazilian Armed Forces. It was produced by Taurus under license under the name Taurus MT 12.
I know quite a few probably don’t like the look but I really like it and the fact it was made in the 50s is pretty sweet I’m probably going to pick one of these up in semi auto
Every Carabinieri or Police car patrol in italy will have at least one of these SMG. they are still widely used because they are fucking awesome
I love seeing all the in between guns that have signs from the older generation tech and some of the features that are just being invented. Its like every single gun is just a variant of something that came before
There is footage from the Vietnam War during the VC takeover of the U.S. Embassy of embassy security guards using this Beretta SMG to fire on the VC.
Principio di funzionamento, otturatore a massa battente, senza rinculo, formidabile per combattimenti in spazi ti stretti, a brevi distanze, ottima per presa nave.
I like the PM12 especially in period films from the cold war. I never understood what a telescoping bolt was, i had some crazy idea that turned out to be untrue. My favourit example of the PM12 was in inspector montalbano which i watch in the UK, the stories seemed to have started around the 1970s as i believe the guy who wrote them was an actual detective, but the more modern ones seem to be set in the 1990s up untill modern day, because they are still making them, very slowly and with high quality. In one episode a police man silently storming a hideout of an expected high ranking mafia member fell on the floor and discharged some rounds with his PM!". I was like: no way, i see the grip safety on that thing, what is this? Movie magic TM? Well
sure enough later on the cop is uncovered as a mafia stooge, probably trying to provoke a firefight. Great continuity. Pretty good attention to weapons detail. I even spot a few weapons now and again that i know nothing of. There was some pistol that looked like a Zestava EZ9 sig knockoff, but it was supposed to fire 7.62 or something? Oh yeah, ive also seen the PM12 used in the tv show The Unit.
Just a heads up: the original author of Montalbano passed away a couple days ago
I think the first time I saw one of these as a kid, was in Austin Powers! Like the gun version of a beautiful, classic, Italian sportscar. Gorgeous.
I got to shoot one in Iraq along with a sterling, that was a fun day
The Beretta M12S is used by the Brazilian Army and some police units. It was manufactured locally by Taurus - MT12AD - when Taurus bought the Beretta factory in São Paulo
Here is considered to be obsolete due to its long time of service (and lack of maintenance)
Great video as always. Just a couple things was surprised you didn't mention.
1) Taurus licence producing these as the MT-12 series (and how they were in Brazilian military service. (FN apparently also license produced some.)
2) There were about 30 semi-auto PM-12s made. Small Arms Review had one advertised for sale (Y2K or so) for ca. $3200.
3) They became a bit infamous when "Carlos the Jackal" and his crew used them (¿at the Vienna OPEC debacle?)
4) (Just learned while verifying facts), the gun is prone to catastrophic jams if an empty casing falls into the trigger mechanism. (The trigger mechanism doesn't separate from the receiver, making this a bear to clear.)
Frankdude72 weren't these used in Vietnam? I'm not sure but I thought I read that on wiki
I had never heard that. Ian can certainly answer you better than I, but I imagine very few if any.
SMGs used were more likely US, Soviet, Vietnamese (yes, there was a locally made SMG), maybe some Chinese made ones. The wiki guy might have gotten this confused with the French MAT49 (or other French SMGs) which I'm sure were rattling around SE Asia from when it was called Indochina.
Frankdude72 I have looked it up. the pm12 was used in vietnam but I don't think it was used in great numbers
klaasvaak0413. From what I've seen on various pictures and history sites the marines that were guarding the US embassy during the tet offensive were issued with them. So yeah they were in Vietnam all be it in tiny amounts.
Sometimes the gun wolud also missfire, I heard stories about it, very scary since the police forces where I live own these
SCRC makes a SWEET can for these that replaces the front cap. Super quiet. But it's also bigger then a 50 BMG can. Excellent guns.
I shot it a coupe of time back in the army
eltenda fabrizio I've always wanted to shot one of these
yup
Brings back memories of Italy, when I was there in1980, during the waning days of the Red Brigades. Two-man teams of Carabinieri patrolled the railroad stations and surrounding neighborhood, one with a Beretta sub, the other with a sidearm and radio set.
Was it really a good time though?
This gun came even in action with the US Marines in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in 1968 when the US Marines guarding the U.S. embassy in Saigon repelled the assault by the Viet Cong using the Beretta M12.
I know a Ted too and he is pretty offensive.
I remember having, and seeing, loads of toys with this design
If you've seen the Vientnam War Documentary by Ken Burns, you see this used by Embassy Personnel. I believe in the 1967-1968 Episode. Pretty crazy.
Great documentary, a real eye opener!
What a beautiful sub gun
The Carabinier carries them . Sometime covered up by their jackets
I became familiar with this SMG through two films, "The Year of the Gun" and "The Cassandra Crossing", which prominently featured this weapon. It honestly looks like something straight out of Star Wars. If it weren't for the Sterling SMG I can totally imagine the PM-12 being the Stormtrooper blaster.
You should review the PM-12S competitor. The Franchi LF57.
probably the best design for a safety in my opinion, you know right away if its on safe even in the dark, good feature for patrolmen
Man this SMG looks beautiful,the italians make some pretty sexy stuff
I have used a Beretta M12S during my paratrooper days in the Brazilian Army.
It would be great to see CBJ-MS.just sayin...
Nice, I have been looking for more information about this firearm for a while.
man I want his job lol ... seriously who wouldn't wanna be gun Jesus
Dude can disassemble any gun made by man.
next to the mp5 one of the most beautiful submachine guns ever
I only really watch this for Ian's epic facial hair
Mr Tumnis wadya mean??? 🤔🤔🤔🤔
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
When I was posted with UNEF II during the 70s the Indonesians and Egyptians were both armed with these. Interesting point was both countries had gone for a different design of folding stock. I also remember a three way shop talk session with an Indonesian who spoke a little English, a Canadian who spoke a little Arabic, and an Egyptian who spoke a little French.
I wasn't the Canadian, and I spoke a little Russian anyway.
this gun is spooky .... when you're alone
"Where's the rest of you?"
Operator "SPOOKY BITCH"
Can you imagine Mario just pulling this thing out and mowing down goombas?
Just another commenter "Say a hello to ma littel frient"
:(
r h Luigi Mario
olli lehtonen
Never did that. Allegedly.
Finally! I love this gun
Somehow this gun makes me snitch on the position of my teammates
Ainda temos dela na pmmg. Boa arma apesar dos pesares...
caviera ayyy
It wasn't hard breaking your allies, but I found ways to have fun...
I fired that one before, alongside an Uzi and MP5. It shot so slow in full(ish) auto, I switched to semi and shot it just as fast.
The Uzi did a little better but hands down, that MP5 was dramatically better at everything.
It's the gun from Tintin comics!!
It saddens me too see this comment has only five likes
@@TheSuspectOnFoot I guess the gun crowd and Tintin reader demographics don't overlap much. 🤣
This is probably one of the Italians best guns They weren't really known for their firearms
"where are they?"
Talk
I can *hear* the surface finish on that barrel lol
No knocks against Beretta. Rough finishing on barrels is pretty common in the firearms industry.
Sub-Machine Guns. Forgotten by: America
Mark Stevens not really. Just here relegated to police use and primarily use the MP5
I definitely remember seeing it in Italian movies and tv-series. Probably Gomorra the series, or Suburra.
It is the main smg in Italy, definitely not forgotten unless you have bad memory.
I remember seeing this in a lot of films from the 60's and 70's, never knowing what it was =)
I was like "where the hell have i seen that before?" and then i remembered going to Rome
It's so 80s! I recognize it from the movie Warrior of the Lost World, an Italian Mad Max ripoff featured on MST3K. They dubbed it over with laser sounds. They also showed characters dual wielding and making multiple-hundred yard shots with them.