Beretta Model 100 Target Pistol in 7.65mm (32 ACP)--Updated

Not much is known about this pistol. I can find no information on the internet or in any of my reference books. Obviously it is a modified Model 70 which Beretta produced in .22 Long Rifle, 7.65mm (.32 ACP), and 9mm Short (.380 ACP).



(Beretta Model 70)

The Model 70 was the company’s replacement for the .32 ACP and .380 ACP models 1934 and 1935 which was the standard police and military arm from the mid-1930’s through the end of World War II.

(Beretta Model 1934)

The Model 70 was also purchased in great quantities by the Mossad, the Israeli Secret Service. They favored the .22 Long Rifle version as an assasination weapon because it was flat and easy to conceal, accurate, and had a low report when fired. The model 70 was manufactured from 1958 through 1985 and replaced by the model 84, 85, and 87.

The Model 100 is obviously a target version of the Model 70. The differences are the much longer 5.9 inch barrel, adjustable target sights, and longer grip frame. The magazine holds 9 rounds with one in the chamber giving the shooter a total of ten rounds. The magazine curiously also contains a finger extension which, due to the longer grip frame, is totally unnecessary. The grips are wrap-around plastic and are fine for their intended purpose. A set of contoured rubber replacement grip panels would be great, however rubber grips for this pistol and the Model 70 are not catalogued by any manufacturer and it is doubtful they ever were.
(Model 100 in a Bianci #39 holster)

The Model 100 is a single action only with a slide safety on the left side of the frame right where you would want it to be. This is a very light weight aluminum framed pistol and dispite the length of the pistol it would be very easy to carry for extended periods. The Model 70 as well as this Model 100 began Beretta’s departure from the traditional European style heal mounted magazine release. The mag release on the Models 70 and 100 are on the left lower portion of the grip and look like the head of a large screw. While it is better than the heal mounted release, it does not have the ergonomic placement that John Browning designed for the Colt Model 1911 .45 semi-automatic pistol.

The Model 100 does offer good accuracy to which these 6.5 inch targets attest although I seemed to have a habit of throwing the first round low and to the left. The accuracy was assisted by the short, crisp trigger pull. All targets were all fired at 21 feet.







The .32 ACP is not a very powerful round for self defense although European military and police departments used it as such well into the 1970’s. This Model 100 did not care for Winchester Silvertips but did feed hollowpoints from Speer (Gold Dot) and (Federal Hydra Shok). While scoring low on the “Power Meter” the pistol does score very high on the “Coolness Meter”. The pistol has an exotic appearance and one can easily imagine James Bond going up against one of his fictional villains brandishing a Beretta 100.

Updated Information
Subsequent to the posting of this information I learned that the Model 70 was restricted from importation after the Gun Control Act of 1968. The GCA attempted to ban all imported handguns which were small enough for concealed carry. To get around this Beretta added the longer barrel, adjustable sights, and lengthened the grip frame to create the target configuration of the model 100. This allowed the Beretta to once again export the .32 ACP pistol into the U.S. Unfortunately, the model 100 did not turn out to be a huge seller.

Updates: S & W 340 PD .38 Special and Taurus PT 1911 .45 ACP

This will be a very short update on two handguns previously reviewed, the Smith & Wesson 340 PN in .38 Special and the Taurus PT 1911 in .45 ACP.

I have shot the S & W 340 PD for the past couple of weeks and have stated that it has become my favorite WYATT handgun (With You All The Time). It is lightweight (12 ounces) and fires the respectable .38 Special cartridge (actually the 340 PD can fire the .357 Magnum but I have yet to meet anyone who has actually fired more than five magnum rounds through it). Throughout my time with this revolver I have been searching for the acceptable balance between accuracy and power. There are plenty of 130 grain FMJ and 158 grain lead wadcutters that provide excellent accuracy but do not offer the performance that one would want in a defensive handgun. On the other hand, last week I tested several high-velocity .38 rounds that offered superb performance but lacked the accuracy I desire when shooting at the 7 yard target. I may have over thought the need for target level accuracy at 21 feet. While soldiers and police officers get involved in “shootouts” involving distance and sustained fire most civilians do not (remember I said “most”). Realistically, assaults and robberies (armed or otherwise) are up close and personal attacks which take place at an arm’s length or less. That being said many professional pistol pundits have warned that every bullet fired comes with plaintiff’s attorneys attached to them. Because of that I do not want to be in a position to testify that I was carrying a round that I knew did not demonstrate the most accuracy in my chosen handgun.

Most of the bullets tested last week were 125 grains in weight. It seemed to me that with the less than desirable accuracy stemmed from the fact that the high velocity and light weight bullets could not stabilize in a 1 7/8 inch barrel.
(Left to right, Hornady Custom 158 grain .38 Special + P JHP-XTP, Magtech 158 grain .38 Special + P SJHP, Winchester 158 grain .38 Special + P Lead SWHP)

I wanted to try some 158 grain bullets, but all local gun shops only carried 110 to 135 grain .38 Special bullets. In logging on to Midway USA I was able to find 3 158 grain + P rounds and quickly ordered them. Here are the results.

The first cartridge tested was the Hornady Custom .38 Special + P 158 grain Jacket Hollow Point XTP. I fired 25 rounds at the target shown above with 12 of them grouping in the 3 inch center white circle. The advertised ballistics show this bullet moving at 800 feet per second with 199 foot pounds of energy. This is an improvement in accuracy from the ammunition tested last week, but does not really provide the performance I would like to see.

The next cartridge tested was the Magtech .38 Special + P 158 grain semi-jacketed hollowpoint. I fired 50 rounds at the above target with 34 of them landing in the 3 inch center white circle, several of them grouped together nicely. The advertised ballistics show this bullet moving at 890 feet per second with 278 foot pounds of energy. This load offers both good accuracy and good performance.

The final load tested is the Winchester .38 Special + P 158 grain semi-wadcutter hollow point. I fired 49 rounds (1 rounds rolled off the bench over the firing line) with over 35 of them forming a massive group in the center of 3 inch white circle. The advertised ballistics have this round also moving at 890 feet per second with 278 foot pound of energy. This is now my carry round for the Smith & Wesson 340 PD.

Taurus PT 1911

From my earlier review you undoubtedly know that I like this pistol a lot. If there was a known threat coming after me or if I found myself in a post disaster situation where the government could not maintain civil order, this would be my go-to pistol. Due to my fondness for this pistol I decided to upgrade the grips from the drab but very functional black plastic grips it came with to a set of slim checkered Cocobolo stocks from Esmeralda O’Sheehan (http://www.esmeralda.cc/).

These are spectacular reddish wood with black figuring running vertically down the grip. The carving, checkering and hand finishing on these grips is superb. I ordered the slim series which actually give me a better grip on the pistol. And …the pistol still shoots as good as it looks!













(Nine rounds of Remington 230 grain FMJ ammunition fired at 21 feet)

A Tale of Two Pocket Pistols











Last week we compared the Rohrbaugh 9mm, a fairly new pocket pistol design, to the Smith & Wesson 340 PD, a standard S&W J-frame .38 Special design updated with a Scandium frame, Titanium cylinder and Stainless Steel barrel insert. I referred to the J-Frame as the American standard for Pocket Pistols and I stand by that designation. I will agree that a lot of great things have been done to produce small-sized 9mm and .45 ACP pistols, but my unscientific guess tells me there are more S&W J-frame .38’s being dropped into pockets than there are Kimber Ultra-Carry .45s.

This week I will compare the American Standard (again the 340 PD) against what was once the European Standard for Pocket Pistols, the Walther PPK/S in .380 ACP. The small frame Walther series included the Model PP, PPK, and PPK/S. The manufacture of these pistols began with the PP in 1929. In 1931 Walther shortened both the grip frame and barrel length to produce the PPK (Poliaeipistole Kriminalmodell or Police Pistol Detective Model). During WWII the Walther factory was decimated and after WWII Walther licensed the models to be produced by the French firm Manurhin until Walther was able to begin production again. Later they were imported by Interarms of Alexandra, Virgina and Interarms eventually became licensed to produce them here. Now that Interarms has ceased business they are being produced by Smith & Wesson.

The smaller PPK quickly became the more popular of the two pistols and was originally chambered in .32 as well as .380 ACP. In fact, Smith & Wesson is once again producing them in .32 ACP so there must be a market for the weaker caliber. Perhaps it is historic nostalgia for the .32 ACP since Adolph Hitler allegedly used a .32 PPK to commit suicide and for many years the .32 PPK was James Bond’s pistol of choice. Although I can’t see selecting a weak caliber just to emulate a fictional spy. After all, in most of the films Bond’s fat was frequently pulled from the fire by a female acquaintance—in Goldfinger he was saved by a woman named Pussy Galore. Suave and macho are not always shared qualities.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 banned the importation of the PPK as it contained both a short grip frame and barrel. Walther responded by combining the longer grip frame of the Model PP with the PPK slide/barrel in order to get around the GCA ban. Thus the PPK/S was born and to me, this was a smart move as the PP’s frame allows me to get a full grasp which I much prefer to the two fingered grip of the original PPK.

340 PD and PPK/S Comparison:

Model: 340PD versus PPK/S
Caliber: .357MAG/.38+P versus .380 ACP
Capacity: 5 Rounds versus 8 rounds
Barrel Length: 1 7/8" versus 3.3”
Front Sight: HI-VIZ Front versus fixed red dot
Rear Sight: Fixed versus fixed red bar
Grip: Rubber Grips versus plastic (replaced with Hogue Rosewood)

Finish: Blue / Black versus Stainless Steel
Overall Length: 6 3/8" versus 6.1”
Material: Scandium Alloy/Titanium/Stainless Steel versus Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 12 oz. versus 22.4 oz.

What I like about each of these handguns:

What I like about the 340 PD
1. Reliable and simple to operate. Revolvers just don’t jam unless you are using cheap, poorly manufactured ammunition and to use it all you have to do is just aim and press the trigger.
2. Lightweight and easy to carry. The Scandium and Titanium parts make this a 12 ounce wonder. The Walther weighs almost twice as much. The lightweight makes is easy to carry; just drop it into a pocket holster and you are ready to go. No need to worry about having to conceal it under a jacket or shirt or having to keep a jacket on when it is too warm. The PPK/S is fine for coat pocket carry, but is too heavy for dropping into a pants pocket.
3. Good sights. The Hi-Viz green fiber optic sight is easy to pick up even in low light conditions.
4. The .38 Special is a proved and effective cartridge.
(340 PD in a Galco Pocket Holster. The Galco provides quick access and stays put in the pocket. Below the 340 PD rides in an unmarked belt holster purchased at a gun show. This is a very thin leather holster with a magnetic flap that goes over the belt and magnetically sticks to a steel disc embedded in the lower left portion of the holster. A few pair of trousers that I own have a change pocket sewn into the main pocket. This magnetic flap fits easily into this pocket and turns this into a great pocket holster.)









What I like about the PPK/S
1. It is a cool looking gun. Hardly a reason for solely selecting a defensive handgun but it is a decision factor nonetheless.
2. Accuracy. As the upcoming targets will show the PPK is easier to fire and more accurate with most all loads than the lightweight J-frame revolver.
3. Firepower. The PPK/S holds three more rounds than J-Frame .38 Special so it keeps you in the fight longer.
4. While the PPK/S is too large for pocket carry, it rides nicely in an appropriate belt holster. As the weather is turning cooler, this will be easy to wear and conceal.
(Walther PPK/S in a Safariland Klipspringer holster. Safariland manufacturered these revolvers in the 1980's and have unfortunately discontinued the line. The clip-spring on the reverse of this holster made it very easy to put on and take off.)

How they shot:

For this range report I went to my local Sportsman’s Warehouse and Cabela’s to select an assortment of .38 Special and .380 ACP ammunition in order to see how accurate the defensive loads were in each of these handguns. All shooting was done at 21 feet. Let’s start with the .38 Special. A fella could go broke trying to buy a box of all of the different .38 Special ammunition offered by today’s manufacturers. I selected nine of the most popular.

Magtech .38 Special 130 Grain Flat Nose with a Full Metal Case. The advertised ballistics have this round moving at 800 feet per second and generating 185 foot pounds of energy. This is more of a target load than defensive round, however the accuracy of the 50 rounds fired was very good and accuracy is my first consideration in selecting any round.

Winchester .38 Special +P 125 Grain Semi-jacketed Hollow Point with advertised ballistics of 975 feet per second and 264 foot pounds of energy. While this is a much more effective load, the seven rounds I had on hand showed acceptable but not stellar accuracy.




Black Hills .38 Special +P 125 grain jacketed hollow point with advertised ballistics of 1,050 feet per second and 306 foot pounds of energy. This is an even more effective load but does not offer the accuracy I would like to see.


Federal Personal Defense .38 Special 110 grain Jacketed Hollow Point Hyrda Shok ammunition with advertised ballistics of 950 feet per second and 220 foot pounds of energy. The barrel shroud of the S&W 340 PD states that you should not use ammunition with a bullet weight of less than 120 grains. This target shows why. That light of a bullet looses too much making the jump from the cylinder to the barrel’s forcing cone and cannot stabilize in the short 1.78 inch barrel.

Speer .38 Special +P 135 grain Jacketed Hollow Point ammunition with advertised ballistics of 975 feet per second and 285 foot pounds of energy. Speer advertises this as being their “short barrel” round and although the ballistic performance might be good, I was not impressed with the accuracy.

Remington Golden Sabre .38 Special +P 125 grain Jacketed Hollowpoint ammo with advertised ballistics of 975 feet per second and 264 foot pounds of energy. This round shows good ballistic performance with fairly good accuracy.


Cor-Bon .38 Special +P 125 grain Jacketed Hollow Point ammunition with advertised ballistics of 1124 feet per second and 351 foot pounds of energy. This round shows a pretty good balance of accuracy and ballistic performance. The 10 rounds fired grouped fairly well especially in terms of windage. If this string was moved 2 inches north on the target it would be considered excellent accuracy for a lightweight, short barreled revolver.

Winchester .38 Special 158 grain semi-wadcutter. This is primarily a target round but shows that this lightweight, short barreled revolver can deliver good accuracy.

Buffalo Bore .38 Special +P 158 grain Lead-swaged wadcutter hollow point ammunition. All I can say here is OUCH! Buffalo Bore makes premium hunting ammunition and this is their special self defense round. Their advertised ballistics state that out of a 2 inch J-Frame this round will deliver 1,000 feet per second of velocity and 351 foot pounds of energy. This round hurt. It is probably the most effect round out there as this is a hard hitting and heaviest of the defensive rounds available…but it hurt to shoot. At arms length this would undoubtedly be a devastating round, however if any accuracy is required to shoot at a distance, this might not be a good choice. I want to try this round out of an all-steel revolver with a four inch barrel to see if the accuracy can be improved.

.38 Special conclusion. With the exception of the Buffalo Bore ammunition all of the rounds tested were pleasant to shoot. I think the Cor-Bon offered the best balance between effective ballistics and accuracy and I purchased a few more boxes of it today to see if, through practice and trigger control I can tighten the group and move it up. I would like to find a 158 grain lead-swaged wadcutter hollow-point in a +P loading that is not stoked to the wrist crushing level of the Buffalo Bore to see if accuracy and terminal performance can be even better balanced. I am sure someone makes such a round.

The .380’s:

A trip to the ammunition section of these two stores showed that the selection of .380 ACP ammo is not nearly as diverse as the .38 Special. I selected five different manufacturers products although only three of them would really be considered defensive rounds.

Independence 90 grain full metal jacket ammunition which shows an advertised velocity of 910 feet per second expending 165 foot pound of energy. This is merely a plinking round and the box of 50 showed good accuracy however I suffered 3 failure to feed jams.

Winchester Silvertip 85 grain Jacket Hollow-points. This round is advertised as producing 1,000 feet per second and 189 foot pounds of energy. The 50 rounds fired showed outstanding accuracy and I encountered zero malfunctions of any kind.


Black Hills 90 grain Jacketed Hollow Point ammo showed an advertised performance of 1,000 feet per second and 200 foot pounds of energy. Again the 35 rounds I fired at 21 feet showed great accuracy with absolutely no malfunctions.

Cor-Bon 90 grain jacketed hollow point ammo showed the best ballistic performance at 1,050 feet per second and 220 foot pounds of energy. While this is the hottest round I could find it also posted the poorest accuracy of all ammo tested. Now the accuracy is not bad but functioning in my Walther was terrible. Of 20 rounds fired I encountered the following problems:
5 times the hammer dropped on a live round when the slide retracted. The round did not go off, however the hammer had to be manually cocked to fire the next round.
4 times the slide did not pick up the next round in the magazine when it retracted.
I had 3 failure to feed jams and 2 stove pipe ejections.
Out of 20 rounds only 6 went off without a hitch. This does not mean that Cor-Bon .380 don’t work, they just don’t work in my Walther PPK/S and this certainly illustrates the rule that you do not load any ammunition for carry & defensive purposes unless you have thoroughly tested it in your weapon.

After the problems with the Cor-Bon I was worried that something was actually broken. I then purchased a box of Magtech 95 grain full metal jacket ammo which showed good accuracy and I only encountered 1 failure to feed malfunction.

.380 Conclusion:
For carry purposes I will probably load the Black Hills ammo, but would have no problems using the Winchester Silvertip as well. Both are accurate and both functioned flawlessly in my PPK/S.