Some rare Italian target pistols...

[bac1023]

I find myself posting mainly about German handguns, as they are my favorites. However, some nice stuff was built in Italy over the years as well. While they won’t match a Korth Auto or Korriphila HSP from a build quality perspective, they are still some very well made handguns. I’ll briefly describe each with a few sentences and also list some basic stats. I’ll also include my particular example’s build date.

Unfortunately, the only pistol in this thread that’s still being manufactured is the Pardini, but its appearance has changed.



Pardini GT9

Caliber: 9x19
Action: Single action only
Unloaded weight: 38.0oz
Frame: Aluminum
Slide: Steel
Design: Locking block with tilting barrel
Date of manufacture: 2002 (BS)

The GT9 is the absolute smoothest pistol I own. Its incredibly slick with an extremely low bore axis, which allows it to point very naturally. The slide rides inside the frame, similar to a Sig P210 and CZ 75. Despite its aluminum frame, the GT9 weighs in at 38oz due to its thick barrel and slide. The ambi safety is perfectly weighted and the trigger is phenomenal. The Pardini is an easy pistol to shoot fast and well. Plus it looks cool as hell doing it. Without a doubt, it’s the best shooter of the bunch.

 

[bac1023]

Benelli MP3S

Caliber: 9x19
Action: Single action only
Unloaded weight: 41.4oz
Frame: Steel
Slide: Steel
Design: Lever delayed blowback
Date of manufacture: 1996 (AL)

The Benelli MP3S is a very rare target shooting variant of the still rare B76. This beautiful pistol is very unique in its operation, but shoots very well with its 5.5” fixed barrel and barrel weight. The high quality blued finish is a real pleasure to look at. Only a couple hundred were ever made, with only a small fraction of those imported to the States.

 

[bac1023]

Delta AR Top Gun

Caliber: 45ACP
Action: Single action only
Unloaded weight: 42.8oz
Frame: Steel
Slide: Steel
Design: Roller lock
Date of manufacture: 2003 (BT)

The Delta is definitely the highest quality pistol in this thread and probably the rarest. The design is that of a CZ 52, but stronger and infinitely more refined. The Delta is a heavy weight at just under 43oz empty. The trigger is adjustable in every way possible, but still can’t come close to matching the feel of the Pardini. The exotic looks are matched by a beautiful blued finish and high level of detail.

 

[bac1023]

Beretta 92 Combat

Caliber: 9x19
Action: Single action only
Unloaded weight: 40.2oz
Frame: Aluminum
Slide: Steel
Design: Falling block
Date of manufacture: 2001 (BP)

The 92 Combat is very rarely seen in this country. Beretta didn’t build many of the Combat series and most of the examples imported were the 96 series in 40S&W. It features a barrel bushing to improve the accuracy and a frame mounted ambi safety. The trigger is good, but far from great. Despite its long sight radius, barrel weight and bushing, I find accuracy uninspiring.

 

[bac1023]

Bernardelli Practical VB

Caliber: 9x19
Action: Single action only
Unloaded weight: 39.6oz
Frame: Steel
Slide: Steel
Design: Locked breech
Date of manufacture: 1994 (BD)

Like a couple others here, the The Practical VB is the target shooting of a service pistol. In this case, it’s the old Bernardelli P018. The VB has a very racy appearance with its barrel comp, large controls, sweeping beavertail, and magwell. Overall I find it a great shooter. Build quality isn’t bad, but definitely on the bottom of the list here. The VB is very seldom seen, especially outside of Italy.

 

[bac1023]

So there you have it. We have five super rare pistols with similar purposes from the same country and generally built during the same time period. I find it fascinating that they all use different designs in an attempt to produce similar results. There’s even a blowback in there.









Hope you enjoyed the short read about these sexy Italian exotics.

Please let me know what you think.

 

[JERRYS.]

sweet collection!

 

[dakota.potts]

Your handgun collection is at once inspiring and envy-making.

IF you were to field strip or detail strip them, I believe some video footage of the inner workings of some of these rarely seen guns would be quite valuable to the community at large.

Thank you for sharing

 

[JMag1]

Very nice.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[saleen322]

bac1023 thank you for sharing pictures of your collection. It is always a pleasure to see them.

Some years ago there was an old time hardware store that way back dealt in target guns. They no longer sold new guns but they would get some interesting trades in. I stopped one day and the sales clerk said they had a target pistol but it was a 32, not a 22. It was a Benelli MP3S with just one magazine. Since there was just the one mag they sold it for as I recall about $300. I bought the pistol and every gun show I went to afterwards I was looking for magazines knowing how rare they are. So I go to a show in Allentown and there was this sort of grumpy guy who was known for odd stuff and stiff prices. He asked what I was looking for and I told him something really odd, magazines for a MP3S. The guy looked me dead in the face and says, "A Benelli 32 SW target pistol and I thought I was going to die with them! But I want $30 each and won't take any less." We now have a Benelli MP3S and 3 magazines.

 

[bac1023]

bac1023 thank you for sharing pictures of your collection. It is always a pleasure to see them.

Some years ago there was an old time hardware store that way back dealt in target guns. They no longer sold new guns but they would get some interesting trades in. I stopped one day and the sales clerk said they had a target pistol but it was a 32, not a 22. It was a Benelli MP3S with just one magazine. Since there was just the one mag they sold it for as I recall about $300. I bought the pistol and every gun show I went to afterwards I was looking for magazines knowing how rare they are. So I go to a show in Allentown and there was this sort of grumpy guy who was known for odd stuff and stiff prices. He asked what I was looking for and I told him something really odd, magazines for a MP3S. The guy looked me dead in the face and says, "A Benelli 32 SW target pistol and I thought I was going to die with them! But I want $30 each and won't take any less." We now have a Benelli MP3S and 3 magazines.

Very cool

That's a rare find. These days they go for a ton of money these days on Gunbroker. While I sold a couple of my Benellis, I still kept my base B76 and my two MP3S models. The other one is in the 32 S&W Long that yours is.

Benelli only built them in two calibers. The 32 is much more common, but still very rare. The 9mm is damn near nonexistent, especially in this country. The 32 is a straight blowback design, so they differ slightly internally.

 

[Model12Win]

Nice "eye-tay-yin" guns!!

 

[kozak6]

Wow! That's some seriously cool stuff!

At the last gun show, I saw either a Benelli or a Bernadelli auto. It wasn't in a race configuration, but it was about $600.

I was incredibly tempted, but I was shopping for something else, and the apparent impossibility of finding magazines (or parts or anything really) scared me off.

That Delta is absolutely crazy. I was under the impression that roller-locked recoil operation (not delayed blowback!) was limited to German LMG's and one single Czech pistol. But it isn't! On another forum I used to visit, it was discussed how disappointing it was that the Czechs never came up with an A2 version of the VZ.52 pistol. In retrospect, I find it absolutely crushing that they just recycled the CZ50 as the CZ70 instead.

Thanks for sharing those pictures. I just had to Google that Delta, and one of the first results was actually from this forum. Look at these outstanding pictures in this thread!
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=563661

 

[bac1023]

Yes, the Delta is a roller lock. I never mentioned it being a blowback. The Benelli is a delayed blowback.

I’ve got a couple Deltas as well. My other one is nickel. Cool pistols, just extremely difficult to find and sell for big dollars if you do.

While I disagree with Lifesizepotato that they compare to a Korth Auto or Korriphila HSP from a quality standpoint, they are still quite possibly the finest handguns to ever come out of Italy.








The Korth and Korriphila are in a different league though.

 

[Jim Watson]

kozak6, when bac gets into fine German pistols, you will also learn that the Korriphila HSP and H&K P9S are also roller action pistols.

The P9S doesn't look like much, Jeff Cooper opined that what the Germans saved with stamped sheet metal and plastic construction, they plowed back into the elaborate bolt head and barrel extension of the Vorgrimler design. But they are accurate shooters, the P9S Sport in particular.

 

[T. O'Heir]

"...appearance has changed..." Jazzed up with target style grips. Changes more than the look though. Moves the centre of gravity of the thing back into your hand. Herrett's high priced target grips do the same thing. Have 'em on my Smith 41.
Hammerli is making high end target pistols as well. Lot of 'em are high end with high end prices.

 

[Rinspeed]

Awesome pics of some top shelf target pistols Brian. I just can't get that GT9 out of my head, talk about a world class pistol. Too bad the older ones are so hard to find.

 

[bac1023]

kozak6, when bac gets into fine German pistols, you will also learn that the Korriphila HSP and H&K P9S are also roller action pistols.

The P9S doesn't look like much, Jeff Cooper opined that what the Germans saved with stamped sheet metal and plastic construction, they plowed back into the elaborate bolt head and barrel extension of the Vorgrimler design. But they are accurate shooters, the P9S Sport in particular.

Jim,

Those are actually a bit different. The Korriphila and HK P9S are roller delayed blowback pistols. No locking at all.






The Delta uses a roller lock like a CZ52.

Similar terminology, different in function.

 

[rt11002003]

WOW

 

[bac1023]

"...appearance has changed..." Jazzed up with target style grips. Changes more than the look though. Moves the centre of gravity of the thing back into your hand. Herrett's high priced target grips do the same thing. Have 'em on my Smith 41.
Hammerli is making high end target pistols as well. Lot of 'em are high end with high end prices.

Yes, I've had some Hammerlis. Truth be told, 22 and 32 pistols don't really do it for me though. I like my target pistols in 9mm and 45ACP.

I sold off a ton of rimfire and some small centerfire target pistols.