Beretta Model 100 32acp

I bought this pistol a couple of weeks ago and finally got to shoot it yesterday.

It is a Beretta Model 100. I think they only made them in 1969, 1970, and 1971. It seems to be a Model 70 with adjustable sights and a 6" barrel.

They are rare, so I paid $500 OTD for it, which is about twice as much as I like to pay for a handgun.

I am 6'6" and have large hands even for my size. The grip is almost big enough for my hands. I wish it was a big thicker (it is a single-stack magazine). It feels light, like the frame is aluminum, I wish it was steel and heavier. The sights are very nice. The trigger is okay, but not as good as I hoped for from a target-type pistol.

I shot 50 rounds through it yesterday. My general impression was that it is not quite as accurate as my Browning Buck Mark, but more accurate than most service pistols. I think it is about as accurate as my CZ75 (Tanfoglio) clone and 40 caliber 1911, and more accurate than the rest of my service pistols (at least a dozen).

It is somewhat difficult to field strip and reassemble. It doesn't show a lot of wear, but I suspect it was shot quite a bit. Somewhere in the frame or rails there is something that is not quite 100%. It is a little harder to pull apart and push back together than I would prefer.

I have four or five other 32acp pistols. They are all service pistols, other than perhaps my Colt 1903. I believe it was used as a service pistol, but not very often. It was more of a civilian pistol pressed into service for medical personnel and officers. The 1903 feels better in my hand than the Beretta, probably because of its weight, but I shoot the Beretta better due to its better sights and sight radius.

It fills a niche for me. It is center-fire and has more of a bang than a 22, enough to be mildly interesting, but the recoil is still quite light. It is a good choice for a new shooter who might be shooting with me and is ready for something more that a 22 semiautomatic. They will be able to shoot it well. I have a 32 H&R magnum Single Six with a 6.5" barrel to fill the same niche for revolvers. Since my FiL reloads 32acp for us, ammo will not be a problem. If 22lr ever becomes impossible to buy again, I will be shooting it a lot. Here is a poor-quality cell phone picture:

 

WOW !!! I cannot believe you paid that much for a Beretta M100 7.65mm pistol. Paid one hundred and fourty bucks for mine. It'll shoot 1/2-5/8" cloverleafs with Federal 32ACP ball ammunition at 25 yards DEAD upon it's nice Patridge sights. GECO 7.65mm ammunition does right at 1000fps from that finely rifled and smooth Beretta barrel.
And so it goes...

 

TallBall

I could only find a brief mention of the Model 100 in "World of Beretta" by R.L. Wilson as being first listed in the 1971 catalog and was pretty much a .32 ACP version of the Model 74, which was in .22LR. Barrel length was 5.9" and it's weight was around 1.2 pounds. It featured a 10 round magazine, slightly longer grips, adjustable rear sight, and may have had an adjustable trigger (access to it was under the right grip).

As a side note I had a magazine for the Model 100 years ago. I bought it for the plastic spacer that came with the 10 round magazine. At the time I had bought a Model 70S in .22LR and the only spare magazine I could find for it was one for the Model 74 and it was missing the spacer. So I bought the .32 magazine (later sold it), just for the spacer so it would look okay with the shorter grips of the Model 70S.

 

Wil Terry - I sure wish I had beat you to that other one! My limit for handguns is usually $300, but I don't see these for sale very often and splurged. My daughter will probably shoot it more than anyone, and her hands are noticeably smaller than mine, so she will probably do well with it.

Bannockburn - Too bad I didn't get the magazine from you. It probably doesn't matter. I used to make a big deal of having at least 2-3 magazines for all of my pistols, but since they are pretty much all range toys, one is really enough. The spacer is weird, the way it slides so easily up and down the magazine. I will check for the possible trigger adjustment. Thanks for the tip!

 

I recently got a Model 101, the .22LR version of your long-handled Beretta. Haven't found a brand of ammo it loves yet, but it is very comfortable to shoot.

 

jonnyc

I just had my Model 70 S out to the range last week. A week before that I took my brother shooting and he used Federal Auto-Match and Winchester 333 bulk pack. Had quite a few FTF with both brands using a Beretta Neos. Took that same ammo out with my Model 70S and it ran through everything with nary a problem. Maybe try some Wolf Match Target or CCI Standard Velocity for better accuracy.

 

TallBall

From the 1971 Beretta Catalog:

Model 100-"Directly derived from the [Model 74] but in larger caliber [.32 ACP (7.65mm)] it faithfully repeats all of it's characteristics, including the adjustable rear sight blade, except for the weight, which is 1.187 lbs. (530 gm.)."

Model 74-"The trigger pull is adjustable by means of a conic screw acting on the sear [remove right grip panel, adjustment screw located near disconnector]."