Classic has Beretta 1951s now

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I just bought a "Grade A" 1951 from DK Firearms. I looked at Classic Firearms first thanks to this thread, but ended up going with DK Firearms. I think they got some of the same shipment. I am not a big Beretta pistol fan in general, but the 1951 has been on my list for a while due to it being an all steel single stack 9mm. My favorite pistol is the Neuhausen SIG P210, and while I do not expect anything close in terms of fit and finish or performance, for the price, I had to give it a try.
 
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Mosin Bubba

Two other little unique things about the Beretta Model 1951 is that it has a frame mounted push-through, side to side safety (like you might find on some shotguns), as well as a magazine release button located on the lower left area of the grip frame. Not quite as ergonomic as say a 1911 but still readily workable.
 
I picked mine up from the FFL today. It was the standard "Good" grade with no handpick.

Overall I'm happy with what I received. There's a few worn spots in the bluing that I suspect are holster wear - right at the start of the "scallop" at the front of the slide on both slide, and in the middle of the slide on the right hand side. On the left rear of the slide there's a small patch of surface rust but nothing too bad. The left grips are in good shape - right hand side they're a little scratched and worn at the top but not horrible. Overall it's about what I'd expect for a surplus pistol. It does feel really nice though - the single stack grip makes it a lot better than the 92 IMHO which was always a "thick" feeling pistol to me.

As to country of origin - I can't tell. The only proofmark I can find is on the right hand side on the beavertail, and looks a bit like a cursive "m" following by a print "M" in which the two share a line segment with a border around it. It's not exact, but I made an approximation of it: upload_2019-7-14_4-18-10.png

0714190241a.jpg 0714190241.jpg
 
I picked mine up from the FFL today. It was the standard "Good" grade with no handpick.

Overall I'm happy with what I received. There's a few worn spots in the bluing that I suspect are holster wear - right at the start of the "scallop" at the front of the slide on both slide, and in the middle of the slide on the right hand side. On the left rear of the slide there's a small patch of surface rust but nothing too bad. The left grips are in good shape - right hand side they're a little scratched and worn at the top but not horrible. Overall it's about what I'd expect for a surplus pistol. It does feel really nice though - the single stack grip makes it a lot better than the 92 IMHO which was always a "thick" feeling pistol to me.

As to country of origin - I can't tell. The only proofmark I can find is on the right hand side on the beavertail, and looks a bit like a cursive "m" following by a print "M" in which the two share a line segment with a border around it. It's not exact, but I made an approximation of it: View attachment 850183

View attachment 850184View attachment 850185
No other italian proof marks in the barrel, slide and frame?
 
I picked mine up from the FFL today. It was the standard "Good" grade with no handpick.

After seeing pics of the 'Good' grade, I'm glad I spent the extra $30 for a VG. I'm sure they shoot the same but the bluing and clean look means a lot to me.
Beretta 51 L web.jpg

Beretta 51 R web.jpg

I must be out of touch with the grading of guns from these places. I would grade mine Good+ and yours Fair to Good judging by the photos. Did you get yours at Classic too?
The bore on mine is immaculate and it is very accurate. I expect you found the same condition for your bore.
Good shooting.
 
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No other italian proof marks in the barrel, slide and frame?

None that I can find, but I haven't diassembled it. I suppose there could be additional markings under the grips but I don't see any other easily visible ones aside from the serial #, manufacturer's rollmark on the slide, and the words "SMONTAGGIO" (Removal) at the disassembly lever.

EDIT: I haven't confirmed this, but the Italian Navy heritage is sounding plausible. I don't see any Israeli proofmarks like I have seen on other guns like my Hi Power, and the Italian phrase for Navy is "Marina Militare", so the two adjacent M's proofmark seems plausible, however I'm unable to find any official docs stating that.

I must be out of touch with the grading of guns from these places. I would grade mine Good+ and yours Fair to Good judging by the photos. Did you get yours at Classic too?

Yes, mine was from Classic. To some degree I'd say it's a matter of condition grading of a regular used gun vs a surplus gun. These guns were issued to multiple people and carried around for decades. They're sort of graded on a curve :).
 
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To me, the model 51 is just too expensive. For about the same price, I can get a NEW BERETTA model 92FS or 92Compact.

Jim
 
Parts is a problem, especially locking blocks.

I manufacture the locking block at the moment and I expect to have them in stock in 4 weeks.

Made out of certified quality barstock hand selected for strength and shock absorption properties. Added radius cuts just like the modern locking blocks and properly hardened.

At the moment I have the second generation locking blocks for sale ment for the Helwan which you can check here :

https://forums.gunboards.com/showth...-Block-Review&highlight=helwan+locking+blocks

If anyone is interested in The model 1951 first generation locking block, send me a message : [email protected]

Wess
 
I received my "A" Grade 1951 today and I was surprised at how different it feels in the hand than a 92. So far I like it.

Those 1951's are great, should you ever need locking blocks for your Beretta than you can find them on Ebay.
 
For whatever reason, '51 locking block failure is extremely rare. It could be the lighter slide puts less stress on it, or possibly better metallurgy/heat treating. It could be they are rarely subjected to the high round count of some service '92s. It could simply be that they represent a much smaller statistical sample since there were so few produced, relative to the '92.

Helwan locking blocks were well known for failing early due to poor materials.....

Spoke to two gentleman a couple of weeks back, they bought their Beretta 1951's from Classic and the broke their locking blocks within 2 magazines.
One of the gentleman returned it and they gave him a new gun, The other bought replacement locking blocks from me to fix the problem.

You are right that the Beretta 1951 locking blocks are les prone to break, however since these are surplus no one knows how they been used and what the round count is on them..
 
The only 92's I've seen at $350 are milsurp/leo trade ins. General used market , usually a bit over $350.
New... ? Nah.
 
... I've long learned that if you want something on the surplus market to go ahead and buy it now since they never seem to get any cheaper.

I don't know. I bought a Star BM YEARS ago (one of my favorite guns). Then magazines were nearly unobtainable. I bought 2 spares I found thru the years of eBay for $80+ EACH. Then they flooded the market a year ago...and magazines were available for $25 each...<sigh>
 
I don't know. I bought a Star BM YEARS ago (one of my favorite guns). Then magazines were nearly unobtainable. I bought 2 spares I found thru the years of eBay for $80+ EACH. Then they flooded the market a year ago...and magazines were available for $25 each...<sigh>

In keeping with that - and while admitting that I am no milsurp market analyst - I did not foresee that a super clean Beretta 81 .32 could be had in 2019 for $209. (!) Had to have it. 1951 on the way , $299.
I think that the moral of the story is, generally speaking - governments tend to buy things in mass quantities and are reluctant to let go of that "stuff" , whatever that stuff happens to be. As a result , there still exist stashes of government surplus stuff all over the world , some of that stuff being firearms.

Milsurp Hi Power , here I come .....
 
Everyone,

The $349.00 price is from a distributor. Has anyone seen a BERETTA 1951 in a gun shop for that price? I know that I have not. I have seen some of the Egyptian clones for as little as $299.00, but that is not a BERETTA made gun.
At a chain, here in central Florida, I can buy a brand new BERETTA 92FS or 92 Compact for $429.00. Even the Compact holds more ammo and has a modern, double action trigger.

How am I going to buy a 1951, at about $400.00 U.S. at the least, when for $29.00 more, I can get a BERETTA 92?
Feel free to disagree, but aside from adding to your BERETTA collection, I just do not see a reason to buy a 1951 at that price. $300.00 out the door, maybe, but not starting at $400.00 or more.

Jim
 
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