Italy’s Ministry of Defence has opened bidding for more than 16,000 decommissioned Beretta Automatic Musket (MAB) 9mm submachine guns previously used by the Italian Navy.
The tender covers 16,165 unloaded firearms without magazines, 8,404 of which are stored at naval arsenals in La Spezia, 7,512 in Taranto, and 249 in Augusta.
Rome is accepting offers until late July through the government’s Acquisti in Rete PA procurement platform.
The auction is limited to companies licensed to manufacture or trade military weapons under Italian law, while foreign participants must hold an equivalent authorization in their home country.
The highest bidder will be subject to approval by the Italian Navy prior to contract signing, according to local media.
Prospective buyers may inspect the weapons at the three storage sites by appointment before submitting their proposals.
The Beretta Model 38
The MAB, also called the Beretta Model 38, was designed in 1935 and manufactured by Beretta beginning in 1938.
The weapon eventually became one of Italy’s best-known submachine guns during World War II, during which it was fielded by elite Italian units before being used by both Resistance and Axis forces after Rome’s 1943 armistice.
Improved postwar variants remained in service with the Italian Armed Forces, Carabinieri, and State Police until the 1970s and 1980s before being replaced by the Beretta PM12.
Depending on its configuration, the MAB weighs up to 4 kilograms (9 pounds), has an overall length of up to 946 millimeters (37 inches), a barrel length of up to 315 millimeters (12 inches), and is fed by a magazine holding up to 40 rounds.
Chambered for the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge, it features a rate of fire of approximately 600 rounds per minute, a muzzle velocity of 420 meters (1,378 feet) per second, and an effective firing range of 200 meters (656 feet).
