This is an exceptional example of a scarce pre-World War II Beretta Model 38A submachine gun. This model was actually a newly designed SMG that combined some attributes of the early Italian Villar-Perosa and later Bergmann/Schmeisser submachine guns. They were manufactured using all fully machined and hand fitted internal parts with an excellent all blued metal finish and Italian walnut buttstock. They gained a reputation of being an excellent and highly reliable weapon that was used by the Italian Carabinieri Police and Italian Special military units (fascist Black Shirts) as well as numerous German units during the Italian campaign in 1942/43. They were also used in an updated version after WWII by the Italian Army until the early 1950s. This model is easily identified by the "four-slot" internal muzzle break with its full length perforated barrel jacket. It is fitted with a blade front sight and military tangent rear sight graduated 1-5 (100-500) meters. It has a unique double trigger firing mechanism in that the rear trigger is fully automatic while the front trigger is the semi-automatic mode. It features a large ejection port on the left side of the receiver, with a non-reciprocating cocking knob on the right. The top of the receiver tube is marked "MOSCHETTO-AUT.-MOD.38A-Cal.9-BREVET.N.828-428/X.T.L./P.BERETTA-GARDONE V.T.-ITALIA-1943-XXI". The left side of the receiver has a "F" and "S" markings for the fire and safe position and it has all matching serial numbers on the front and rear ends of the receiver and buttstock. Magazine absent; however, they can be located on the secondary market.