THE Italian firm of Beretta is the great-grandfather of the firearms industry with documented lineage and family ownership dating back almost 500 years. Clearly then, Beretta is the oldest arms manufacturer in the world and over the centuries it has become well known for producing a tremendous variety of military and sporting arms. In recent years, however, it has become famous for its shotguns and semi-automatic pistols.
Not so well known, though, is the fact that Beretta produces a line of very fine double rifles.
During the late 1980s Beretta also marketed rifles with European styling based on the Sako bolt action, but they didn’t arouse much enthusiasm from the American market and enjoyed a very brief tenure. At the 1997 SHOT show in the US, Beretta announced the new Mato bolt-action rifle based on a controlled-round feed action with a long Mauser-style extractor, two large dual-opposed locking lugs, a three position safety and American classic-styled stock which was made for them by Dakota Arms. This rifle, excellent though it was, also suffered a short life span.
The company’s most recent tilt at the sporting rifle market
