Benelli and Bernadelli pistols

[pippin53]

I saw these in a gunstore today from someones liquidated collection. The Benelli was a .30 Luger 9-shot single stack and the Bernadelli was a 14-round compact. Both were practically new and appeared to be well-made. They were rather unusual -- kinda sexy Italians. Anyone know anything about either of these? I assume getting the .30 Luger ammo at a reasonable price might be difficult.
Thanks, Ken

 

[Nightcrawler]

.30 Luger uses the same case dimensions as 9mm. Actually, the original Lugers were chambered IN .30 Luger, and the 9x19mm came out of that.

I know Winchester chambers .30 Luger, but other than that you might have a harder time finding it. Check with foreign ammo companies, like Fiocci and S&B. Fiocci makes (of all things) 7.62mm Nagant, so I'm assuming they'd make .30 Luger. .30 Luger still enjoys quite a bit of popularity around the world, as I understand it, as it's often available in countries where "military" calibers are forbidden.

 

[tracer]

I owned a Benelli B76.It was very well made,but did not shoot hollow points.You had to be careful how you loaded the mag as the angle of feed is very steep.It was a fixed barrel and very accurate.How much are they?
Tracer

 

[pippin53]

Thanks, Tracer. I think I can get it for around $300.00, but it looks like a gun that should cost several hundred more than that. Its obviously been sitting in the safe for a while. Was yours a .30 Luger? The guys at the store speculated about a replacement barrel in 9mm. A quiock search on the web didn't yield too much .30 Luger and what I did find was pricey -- at least $325/1k!!!!!!! Know anything about Bernadellis?
Ken

 

[tracer]

I believe they were all 9MM.I paid $350 with box tools etc.The takedown is difficult in comparison to Sigs H&K's etc.
(Is 30 =9MM?)

 

[Old Fuff]

Both companies made (and make) quality products. The problem with the .30 Luger cartridge is not so much getting it, but finding it at an affordable price.

As for the guns, as noted they are designed to feed ball ammunition, and anything else might be questionable. Parts, accessories (such as magazines and holsters) would probably be difficult to find.

Both would be interesting collectables for someone interested in automatic pistols, and could serve as occasional shooters. If this isn't where you're interests lie I would get something else.

That said, the asking price(s) are very reasonable considering the quality the guns represent.

 

[pippin53]

Thanks, guys. Am I understanding correctly that the Bernardelli also only feeds ball ammo reliably? Or just the Benelli? I've never seen either of these before and wondered if anyone had any experience with them. Is the Bernardelli accurate and reliable?
Ken
PS -- .30 Luger is 7.65x21 I think.

 

[horge]

I thought Bernardellis were made in Turkey.
(shrug)
Maybe I've got it wrong.

They're accurate enough for some folks to win matches with, at least here in the Philippines --I'm talking about the polymer Bernardelli 2000 series.

 

[dr smith]

Yes. Poly frames are made in Italy, guns are assembled in Turkey