The Beretta PM-12S Submachine Gun 

I'm the Italian who clicked the thumbnail thinking "wait, this isn't forgotten". Thanks Ian

I served in the Carabinieri, and I shot the M12s at the time. the bolt is REALLY heavy, in single shot you definitely feel the bolt traveling forward before the shot. Having said that, it's quite possible with very little practice to fire single shots with the selector on full auto, and usually 2-3 round short bursts are used. Like Ian, I am left handed, which made all issued material awkward, but of all things the worst actually was the holster for the model 92 pistol (M9 for the us vets). Standard procedure as in all open bolt sub machine guns was to have the weapon on safe with the bolt full forward. One small peeve is that the magazine can be accidentally inserted arsy versy: it won't lock but a (bulky and muscular) colleague of mine "forced" it, and had an M12 sent to the armory for repairs.

"...a regular guy like me" ~Gun Jesus

Is it just me or does Italy design some sexy weapons?

80's special forces enthusiasts are gonna love this.

Actually in Italy basically everytime you see a cop he usually has one of these

It's beautiful. Italians really do have a knack at designing stuff and making them look stylish, even when it comes to firearms. Their exterior just sticks in your head.

'500 Years. One Passion' really shines through here.

Its a very popular SMG for brazil's security forces as well :)

A gun you don't see represented in video games too often, so it always brings a smile to my face when it is. It tends to lose out in favor of more famous guns like the MP5, MP7 and Uzi, which honestly isn't unfair in most cases. As a result, we mostly see it in games that feature specific military forces that use these in real life, or at least the regions these forces inhabit. On rarer occasion you'll see it in police hands. For the most part, this tends to mean South- or Central America. Brazilian settings specifically has depicted the Beretta on more than one occasion.

I used one of them in Brazilian Army in 1973. A wonderfull gun.

Here in Brazil the elite squad of São Paulo's military police adopted the beretta PM-12S as standard submachine gun during the 1970's, and the officers liked this gun so much that you still can see some of them using it today

If you ever watch video of the Tet '68 attack on the US embassy, there is a US security man firing one of these weapons into a window. Just a little history footnote.

If you like Italian B movies like me, then you'll have seen these being fired from (or at) countless Alfa Romeo Guilias.

I shoot with it in my military service. Double safety, so very sure and very accurate shooting in prone position (50 meters). Really a masterpiece.

This gun could totally fit into a Star Wars setting

I would like to see a video on the Italian Spectre M4 SMG. Such an interesting looking gun to come out of the 1980s, kind of resembles the M12

I’m amazed at the simplicity of this gun

Used in the defence of US Saigon embassy in the Tet offensive 1968. Surprised to see this there in footage of the battle.

I just fired one of these yesterday. It is the smoothest or “softest” firing 9mm sub gun ever! It’s a nice and slow cycling firearm. Good times. 😎

Who are these people that constantly gives a gunpresentation thumbs downs. Not only a good presentation and historical contexts of the guns but also a look of the insides. I think the Forgotten Weapons-channel is great! Have yet to see a bad video, so I always give a thumbs up!

Back in the 90's when I was training police, the SWAT team had some M-12's that they were getting ready to transfer to another Department. They let me and several of the range personnel shoot the M-12's. They quite easy to shot and fairly controllable.

Most Beretta's are outstanding firearms. My personal favorite firearm company, and my 2 favorite Pistols are Berettas. The Model 71 .22 LR, and the venerable Model 92 FS.

All I remember is dual wielding these in Goldeneye back in 1999. Awesome fun! However, I have liked these for a while but never knew what they were until now. Thanks for the video Ian!

I’ve noticed that no matter how many forgotten weapons videos I watch, they still pop up in the suggestions this channel has so many uploads I hope I never am able to watch them all Ian is the shit

Those smgs are also very popular in brazilian security forces, not forgotten here as well.

The first gun with telescoping bolt was the Armaguerra OG-43, it also looked like an Uzi, with an extra handle. Production was approved but never happened due to the events of WW2

The Beretta PM 12 was used by the Italian Army in all international missions, in which it participated, without ever encountering any technical problems, or related to adverse weather and environmental conditions. Weapon, presented in the 70s, was futuristic, and equipped with many accessories (such as torch, silencer, optics, etc.), which unfortunately were not subsequently developed by certain national dull minds. A great missed opportunity. A greeting

Oh beautiful, this has always been one of my favorite guns in the way of visuals. Thank you for taking a look at it.

italian quality grease gun

Nice one! I used it for training and service during my duty in the Italian military (Carabinieri) back in early 90s, no recoil at all, very precise, lots of recalls!

Always liked the look of these! Kind of a marriage of functional-but-elegant

I can confirm that anywhere there's a Police Officer (standard local police) a Carabiniere (Carabiniers, Military police) or a Finanziere (basically like military police "Financial Police") they have one of these either strapped to their belt or bulletproof vest, but you see more actual soldiers around, with ARX-160's (field tests) PM should stand for "Pistola mitragliatrice" (Machine pistol, the actual Italian word for SMG is "Mitraglietta" which literally means tiny machine gun), 12 is the model, and like the Beretta M92FS the S should stand for Sicura (Safety, Safety lever)

by any chance your ever do a video on the xm8 series and why it didn't work out for the army?

Weapon of choice for Dr Evil's henchmen.

“Dealer sample” broke many internet hearts, I’m sure. That thing is pristine, interesting, and 100% Beretta.

I dont know why but I always liked this Beretta every since I first saw it in the 80s

I served in the Guardia di Finanza and i can say that it’s very precise and shootable

would love to se ian get his hands on a mp7.

We never forget this. It's an awesome SMG.

A great submachine gun for sure. I love it. It takes apart in a very unique way. Also very compact and yet good range.

You sir have earned a new subscriber from Canada ! I stumbled upon this channel a few days ago and was amazed !! For a while now I have been looking for a History/ Gun Review channel on vintage & unique firearms and my favourite part is its not just about AR's & Glocks/Ordinary weapons as you say ! perfect way to start my morning with a coffee when the trucks warming up ! I have to ask tho, what is your profession ? or is this a hobby of yours because you sir know your stuff !! Thank you & keep them coming !

Two things about italian design I die for: Lamborghini Countach and Beretta PM12-S!

This and the one locally produced in Brazil by Taurus we used here in the police in the early 90's. Thanks for the video!

Carabinieri, Polizia e Guardia di Finanza still use it

Beretta PM-12 in it's version M-12rs was used by some branches of our Military, especially the Marina Militare (Navy) in the 1970s and 1980s, actually it is still used by the sailors during parades because it's stowed on the older units of the MM but it's not issued anymore in the Esercito (Army) or Aviazione Militare (Airforce). On the contrary it is standard issue as you said still today for the Polizia di Stato (national Police) and Carabinieri (military Police), actually any Carabinieri car has one stowed under the front passenger seat (with a special security release) and it is very common to see it at any police checkpoint as there is always one or two Police/Carabinieri members performing the talking and checks with the drivers and one with a heavy duty bullet proof vest and an MP-12 standing by a few meters away that keeps an eye on the other occupants of the vehicles. Ciao da Milano :-)

È un'arma fantastica ....semplice e molto sicura in ogni situazione. ....Very Very Good exellent Beretta M 12

It was produced under license in Brazil by Taurus. The designation was MT-12.

I've held a few of those in my hands! They belonged to the Military Police of São Paulo State, in Brazil. Here they were called Beretta M972 and our model had some kind of reddish brown pistol grip and foregrip. The guns were sent to destruction because they were really old and by some absurd decision of the Brazilian Army, 9mm was prohibited in favor of the .40 cartridge, so there were no efforts to buy new 9mm machine pistols/submachineguns for police duty. To fill in the SMG role, the Force adopted the horrifying Taurus/FAMAE MT40 which then evolved to the Taurus only design SMT40. Even if the MT40 one was a piece of junk, it performed a lot better than the newer SMT40, so four or five THOUSAND new SMTs were put into storage indefinitely because they had too many issues and defects to be safe to use on the streets, and Taurus didn't get them back to fix whatever was wrong with them. If you shook or jerked the weapon around, it could fire by itself an entire magazine until empty, even with the manual safety engaged. The agency then kept using the MT40s and bought a lot of Imbel IA2 automatic rifles chambered in 5,56 to replace the SMTs. Thanks for the interesting video, I like that Beretta design, it just works.

This is stll used by Brazilian Armed Forces. It was produced by Taurus under license under the name Taurus MT 12.

The Beretta M12S is used by the Brazilian Army and some police units. It was manufactured locally by Taurus - MT12AD - when Taurus bought the Beretta factory in São Paulo

Best looking subgun in my opinion! Italians make everything look good!

i still love the look of this gun. the mp5 might be superior with its roller lock, but this just looks better imo. there is a range in my state that has machine gun rentals that has one of these, and its on my to do list to shoot this.

Every Carabinieri or Police car patrol in italy will have at least one of these SMG. they are still widely used because they are fucking awesome

Principio di funzionamento, otturatore a massa battente, senza rinculo, formidabile per combattimenti in spazi ti stretti, a brevi distanze, ottima per presa nave.

I know quite a few probably don’t like the look but I really like it and the fact it was made in the 50s is pretty sweet I’m probably going to pick one of these up in semi auto

There is footage from the Vietnam War during the VC takeover of the U.S. Embassy of embassy security guards using this Beretta SMG to fire on the VC.

This is an UNFORGETTABLE weapon! ;-) A classic among classics here in Italy, starring in an endless list of movies since the 1970s, too. It was also very sought after by both right- and left-wing terrorists during the '70s and the '80s: not seldom were Italian police officers carrying their ordnance PM12 shot down by terrorists just for the sake of getting their hands on one of these SMGs, which were much handier and faster than the MAB.

In 1973 i was at the Fiumicino airport waiting for another flight, a young police/military man came and stood in front of me with this machine gun, it was the time of terrorist attacks.

Did not know It had so much respect outside Our Country, nice to see It despite its age It has still a good reputation and Yes, Prof. Jan You're excellent as always!

If you've seen the Vientnam War Documentary by Ken Burns, you see this used by Embassy Personnel. I believe in the 1967-1968 Episode. Pretty crazy.

Great video as always. Just a couple things was surprised you didn't mention. 1) Taurus licence producing these as the MT-12 series (and how they were in Brazilian military service. (FN apparently also license produced some.) 2) There were about 30 semi-auto PM-12s made. Small Arms Review had one advertised for sale (Y2K or so) for ca. $3200. 3) They became a bit infamous when "Carlos the Jackal" and his crew used them (¿at the Vienna OPEC debacle?) 4) (Just learned while verifying facts), the gun is prone to catastrophic jams if an empty casing falls into the trigger mechanism. (The trigger mechanism doesn't separate from the receiver, making this a bear to clear.)

I think the first time I saw one of these as a kid, was in Austin Powers! Like the gun version of a beautiful, classic, Italian sportscar. Gorgeous.

The carabinieri really does love their smgs

I like the PM12 especially in period films from the cold war. I never understood what a telescoping bolt was, i had some crazy idea that turned out to be untrue. My favourit example of the PM12 was in inspector montalbano which i watch in the UK, the stories seemed to have started around the 1970s as i believe the guy who wrote them was an actual detective, but the more modern ones seem to be set in the 1990s up untill modern day, because they are still making them, very slowly and with high quality. In one episode a police man silently storming a hideout of an expected high ranking mafia member fell on the floor and discharged some rounds with his PM!". I was like: no way, i see the grip safety on that thing, what is this? Movie magic TM? Well sure enough later on the cop is uncovered as a mafia stooge, probably trying to provoke a firefight. Great continuity. Pretty good attention to weapons detail. I even spot a few weapons now and again that i know nothing of. There was some pistol that looked like a Zestava EZ9 sig knockoff, but it was supposed to fire 7.62 or something? Oh yeah, ive also seen the PM12 used in the tv show The Unit.

This gun came even in action with the US Marines in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in 1968 when the US Marines guarding the U.S. embassy in Saigon repelled the assault by the Viet Cong using the Beretta M12.

I remember having, and seeing, loads of toys with this design

I love seeing all the in between guns that have signs from the older generation tech and some of the features that are just being invented. Its like every single gun is just a variant of something that came before

I got to shoot one in Iraq along with a sterling, that was a fun day

I shot it a coupe of time back in the army

SCRC makes a SWEET can for these that replaces the front cap. Super quiet. But it's also bigger then a 50 BMG can. Excellent guns.

Kinda reminds me of the M3 Grease Gun when it comes to the barrel disassembling

The Carabinier carries them . Sometime covered up by their jackets

You should review the PM-12S competitor. The Franchi LF57.

I have used a Beretta M12S during my paratrooper days in the Brazilian Army.

Brings back memories of Italy, when I was there in1980, during the waning days of the Red Brigades. Two-man teams of Carabinieri patrolled the railroad stations and surrounding neighborhood, one with a Beretta sub, the other with a sidearm and radio set.

Can you imagine Mario just pulling this thing out and mowing down goombas?

Man this SMG looks beautiful,the italians make some pretty sexy stuff

probably the best design for a safety in my opinion, you know right away if its on safe even in the dark, good feature for patrolmen

What a beautiful sub gun

"where are they?"

It would be great to see CBJ-MS.just sayin...

When I was posted with UNEF II during the 70s the Indonesians and Egyptians were both armed with these. Interesting point was both countries had gone for a different design of folding stock. I also remember a three way shop talk session with an Indonesian who spoke a little English, a Canadian who spoke a little Arabic, and an Egyptian who spoke a little French. I wasn't the Canadian, and I spoke a little Russian anyway.

I became familiar with this SMG through two films, "The Year of the Gun" and "The Cassandra Crossing", which prominently featured this weapon. It honestly looks like something straight out of Star Wars. If it weren't for the Sterling SMG I can totally imagine the PM-12 being the Stormtrooper blaster.

this gun is spooky .... when you're alone

Somehow this gun makes me snitch on the position of my teammates

I can’t get over how much the trigger group area looks like that of a sturmgewehr

next to the mp5 one of the most beautiful submachine guns ever

Who the hell is Caveira!?

I only really watch this for Ian's epic facial hair

This is the real-world firearm that was used as a futuristic weapon for the movie, Alien. They added a couple of doo-dads, but it's clear as day which subgun was used.

I think it's beautiful

Sub-Machine Guns. Forgotten by: America

man I want his job lol ... seriously who wouldn't wanna be gun Jesus

Algerian Police still uses them. What a sexy little SMG...

I fired that one before, alongside an Uzi and MP5. It shot so slow in full(ish) auto, I switched to semi and shot it just as fast. The Uzi did a little better but hands down, that MP5 was dramatically better at everything.

I was like "where the hell have i seen that before?" and then i remembered going to Rome

Caveira mains: *heavy breathing* But in all seriousness, I love the way this gun looks. I don't know why, I just like it.

Ian is the Bob Ross of gun videos.

I remember seeing this in a lot of films from the 60's and 70's, never knowing what it was =)