The Jewel Called BERETTA

Beretta 950 Jetfire

Beretta bobcat 21 A

Beretta 93 R


Beretta 92


Beretta 90

Beretta is one of the world's oldest corporations, and it has been owned by the same family for some five hundred years. The

Beretta company was established in 1526, when gunsmith Maestro Bartolomeo Beretta of Gardone Val Trompia (Brescia, Lombardy, Italy) was paid 296 ducats in payment for 185 arquebus barrels by the Arsenal of Venice. The bills of sale for the order of those firearms are in the firm's archives.

Beretta U 22 Neon


In 1918, the Beretta Model 1918 was the second submachine gun the Italian army fielded. Beretta manufactured rifles and pistols for the Italian military until the 1943 Armistice between Italy and the Allied forces during World War II. With the Wehrmacht's control of northern Italy, the Germans seized Beretta and continued producing arms until the 1945 German surrender in Italy. In that time, the exterior finish of the weapons was much inferior to both the pre-war and mid-war weapons, but their operation remained excellent. The last shipment of Type I rifles left Venice for Japan in a U-boat in 1942.

After World War II, Beretta was actively involved in repairing the American M1 Grand rifles given to Italy by the U.S. Beretta modified the M1 into the Beretta BM-59 rifle, which is similar to the M14 battle rifle; armourers consider the BM-59 rifle superior to the M14 rifle, because it is more accurate.

After the war Beretta continued to develop firearms for Italian army and police and for civilian market. In the eighties, Beretta enjoyed a renewal of notoriety in North America after its model 92 pistol got selected as a service handgun for the US army under designation "M-9 pistol".

Commercial success allowed Beretta to acquire several domestic competitors (Benelli "firearms", Franchi) and some foreign companies (notably in Finland) in the end of the eighties.

Today, the company is owned and is run by Ugo Gussalli Beretta (a direct descendant of Bartolomeo) and his sons, Franco and Pietro. (The traditional father-to-son Beretta dynasty was interrupted when Ugo Gussalli Beretta assumed the firm's control; uncle Carlos and Giuseppe Beretta were childless; Carlo adopted Ugo, son of sister Giuseppina Gussalli, and named him a Beretta.)

Beretta is known for its broad range of fire arms: side-by-side shotguns, over-and-under shotguns, hunting rifles, express rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, lever and bolt-action rifles, single and double action revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. The parent company; Beretta Holding, also owns Beretta USA, Benelli, Franchi, SAKO, Stoeger, Tikka, Uberti, the Burris Optics company and a twenty per cent interest of the Browning arms company.

Beretta M 100

The Beretta 92FS model is the official side arm of the United States military, designated the M9 Pistol. In 1985, Beretta was chosen after a controversial competition to produce the M9 9mm Parabellum side arm for the U.S. military, winning a contract for 500,000 pistols. A condition of the original agreement was domestic fabrication of the M9 military pistol. The Beretta USA factory, in Accokeek, Maryland, manufactures military, police, and civilian pistols.

The Legend of "BENELLI"

Benelli 500 cc bike in 1935 Yesteryear's

It all started in 1911 when a widow Teresa Benelli invested all the families capital money to start up a garage by the name of Benelli, as she had six sons (Giuseppe, Giovanni, Francesco, Filippo, Domenico and Antonio "Tonino") she was worried about their upbringing but soon the brand name Benelli was doing more then expected by the end of 1919 they were making the spare parts needed to repair the other bikes they produced their own engine in 1920
that was a 75cc 2 stroke engine. A year later in 1921, Benelli built their first motorcycle, using their own engine which had by then become a 98 cc model.

Two years after that, using a version specially designed for competitions, Tonino "the terrible" took to the track. He displayed an extraordinary natural talent as a rider and embarked on a very successful career which confirmed the company's exceptional capacity for development and production. Riding a Benelli 175, Tonino Benelli won four Italian championship titles in five years: in 1927, 1928 and 1930 with the single overhead camshaft (SOHC) version, and in 1931 with the double overhead camshaft (DOHC) version. Unfortunately, a bad crash during a race in 1932 cut short his brilliant career and on 27 September 1937 Tonino died following a "silly" road accident.

As World War II loomed, the Benelli company debuted their four-cylinder supercharged 250cc racing bike. This was intended to compete in the 1940 season, building on Benelli's success in the 1939 Isle of Man TT Lightweight 250 cc race. With the start of the war, the Benelli Four was limited to competition in a handful of Italian domestic races.

Then came the world war and the company had to stand still for nearly 9 years. Largely the models at that time were designed in the pre-war time period.
By 1951 Benelli was offering a range consisting of 98cc and 125cc lightweights (the Leoncino or lion cub) and 350cc and 500cc singles. The Leoncino was available in both two-stroke and four-stroke forms. The need for cheap transport in post-war Italy meant that these lightweight models became immensely successful . Similar models were offered by Moto Guzzi, Ducati and Laverda, and the same economic conditions led to the growth in popularity of Vespa and Lambretta scooters.

In 1962, Motobi was acquired by Benelli, and the combined company produced around 300 motorcycles a day and had 550 employees. Motobi designs continued in production under the Benelli name.

In 1969, Benelli introduced the Benelli Tornado 650, a vertical twin designed primarily for sale in Great Britain and the US. The Tornado earned a reputation for reliabilty and high performance, despite its somewhat hefty weight at 480 pounds. The Tornado (later the Tornado S) was discontinued after 1974, when Benelli introduced a series of "multis" intended to compete with Japanese triples and fours.

Towards the end of the 1960s, the arrival of Japanese manufacturers caused a crisis in the European motorcycle industry. The original Benelli company was heavily involved in the American motorcycle market, selling motorcycles under 350cc through Montgomery Ward. The advent of competition from Japan led to Benelli products (still largely of single cylinder pushrod design) losing popularity as they were perceived as old-fashioned in comparison to Hondas of the era which sported overhead cam engines with electric starters, in much the same way as the British motorcycle manufacturers such as Norton, BSA and Triumph were affected in the larger capacity sector.

In 1973 Benelli was acquired by Argentinian industrialist Alejandro de Tomaso together with its competitor Moto Guzzi which lead to the development of new models featuring multi-cylinder engines, such as the "350 Quattro" and the "500 Quattro", and of the incredible 750 Sei powered by a huge six-cylinder in-line engine, which put the firm briefly ahead of the Japanese competition. Although technically advanced, Benelli motorcycles of the 1980s were plagued by problems, and the production was finally stopped in 1988 when the company was merged into Moto Guzzi to create "Guzzi Benelli Moto S.p.A.", and the production plants in Pesaro were sold.
In 1989 there was hope of a revival with the backing of Pesaro-based manufacturer Giancarlo Selci. But the time still wasn't right for a real comeback.

In 1995 revival of the brand with the glorious history became a real possibility when Andrea Merloni took charge. Results were fast in coming with the launch of the Tornado 900 Tre super sport bike in 2002 and the current launch of the TNT, the roadster. Former Australian Superbike champion Peter Goddard signed with Benelli in 2001 to accelerate the development of the Tornado Tre 900.

Benelli is now part of motor Group Qianjiang, which is a corporation located in southeast China at Wenling. Benelli Q.J. is located in Pesaro where the previous proprietors based the facilities, keeping the whole workforce previously working at Benelli s.p.a.






Benelli TnT Cafe Racer Today's

World's Strongest Man

Where did it all beganThe concept behind "The World's Strongest Men", as it was originally named, was developed in 1977 for CBS. In 1982, CBS sold the rights to the BBC, who in turn sold the rights to TWI. In recent years, the competition has been broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and Five.
Initially, eight men representing various sports and strength disciplines were invited to compete against each other in unique events designed to test each individual to the fullest extent. The earliest events were relatively crude, but new ideas were introduced over the years. Some events had a basis in both powerlifting and Highland Games heavy events, and others were created based on mythological feats of strength.
The 2006 competition ended in dramatic fashion, with Phil Pfister edging out Mariusz Pudzianowski in the final event, the Atlas stones. Pfister became the first American to win the event since 1982, and the only American to win the event outside the USA.
In 2008, local debutant Derek Poundstone had a large lead over Mariusz Pudzianowski after 3 events but Pudzianowski tied the deadlift event for first place and then won the crucial plane-pull to narrow the gap. Marius and Poundstone then battled for the title of World's Strongest Man in the last event, the Atlas Stones. Marius blistered through the event and was able to keep pace with the taller and heavier Derek Poundstone. On the final stone, Pudianowski was able to capitalise on Poundstone's drop and clinched his fifth title. This win ensured Mariusz holds the record

Mariusz Pudianowski

for number of titles with five.
The World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year. Competitors qualify based on top placings at the World's Strongest Man Super Series events or are invited based on a top placing in selected national or international competitions. Thirty contestants take part across five heats; the top two in each go through to the ten-man final.
Currently, the event sponsor is Met-rx, and the top prize is known as the RV Trophy. The event has a number of rival and parallel competitions with which it is often confused including the Strongman Super Series and the IFSA World Championship . However, these are separate competitions.
Commonly contested events. There are a number of events that make up each competition. The events used in each individual contest vary in order to prevent favoring certain types of competitor.
Loading Race - Five heavy objects weighing between 220-360 lbs are loaded onto a truck bed or a similar platform over a course of about 50 ft. McGlashen Stones / Atlas Stones - Five heavy round stones increasing in weight from 220-352 lbs are placed on top of high platforms. The course tends to be about 16-33 ft. long and has seen three variations- five stones placed directly in front of platforms, five stones placed away from platforms and competitors carrying them to platforms, and platforms arranged in a straight vertical line with a stone in front of each. In recent competitions this is typically the final event. Truck / Airplane Pull - Vehicles such as transport trucks, trams, boxcars, buses or planes are pulled across a 100 ft. course by hand as fast as possible. Also, the vehicles may be pulled with a harness around the shoulders. The 2007 competition featured pulling a fire truck , and the 2008 qualifying rounds featured a coal truck . Overhead Press - The heaviest possible load is pressed overhead, or a lighter weight is used for repetitions.Fingal Fingers - A series of progressively heavier, hinged poles are lifted starting from a horizontal resting position and flipped over to the other side. The event takes its name from Fingal, a mythological Gaelic hunter-warrior.Power Stairs - A series of three Duck Walk implements ranging from 400-600 lbs are lifted, step by step, to the top of a flight of stairs. Squat - Squatting large weights, like 900 lb of bricks, a car, or people on a platform. Recently, an apparatus has been used that drops weighted kegs into a cage, one at a time after each successful lift. The athlete will continue until completion, failure or time expires.Dead Lift - Lifting weights or vehicles up to about 1,100 lb straight off the ground until knees lock in a standing position. Lift is for either maximum weight or maximum repetitions with a fixed weight. In recent years, a similar keg-loaded apparatus to that described above for the squat has been used. Keg Toss - Competitors must throw ten 50 lb kegs over a 14'6" high steel wall. Car Carry - Standing inside a roof-less, bottom-less car supported by a harness, competitors must carry the car for the maximum distance or shortest time for 25 meters. Hercules Hold - The athlete stands between two hinged pillars, gripping handles that prevent the pillars from falling to the side. The pillars are held for the longest possible time. Carry and Drag - Two weights are carried to the end of a set distance. An anchor and chain must then be dragged back the same distance.Farmer's Walk - Competitors carry heavy objects weighing from 275-375 lbs in each hand for a set distance, and compete for the fastest time. A variation involves use of a heavy frame with parallel handles.Yoke Walk / Fridge Carry - A yoke, composed of a crossbar and two weighted uprights (normally fridges) weighing about 904 lbs is carried across the shoulders for a set distance.Husafell Stone - A flat, somewhat triangular rock weighing around 385 lbs is carried high on the chest for a set distance. During the three years in which the competition took place in Africa, this event was known as the Africa Stone. Duck Walk - A 400 lb pot with a handle is carried, suspended between the legs, over a set course. Log Throw / Caber Toss - A five meter long log is thrown for distance or for height over a bar. Tug of War - One on one tug of war in a single-elimination tournament. Pole Pushing - One on one pole pushing in a Sumo-style ring in a single-elimination tournament. The pole has handles at either end. Crucifix - Weights are held straight out at each side for as long a time as possible. A common variation entails weights being held out in front, using either one or both hands.