Robocop's gun

History

Beretta 93R during 3 round burst. Promo image found in a Beretta catalogue.

The Beretta 93R was developed in the late 1970s for Italian military and law enforcement use. The 93R is based off of the previously discussed Model 92, but with the added feature of being select fire. The Beretta 93R fires either in single fire or in three round burst (at a rate of 1,100 rounds per minute), which is from where it gets the designation “R,” short for “raffica,” which means “burst” or “volley” in Italian. To make it [somewhat] easier to control, the Beretta 93R has a short foregrip (which folds under the dust cover) and can be fitted with a folding buttstock. Early models also featured an extended, ported barrel. These pistols are a rare sight in the US since the Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits the import of “machine guns” for civilian purchase, including this select fire handgun. It doesn’t help that these firearms were only produced from 1970 until 1993. In fact, because these guns are so difficult to acquire, prop guns modeled after the 93R are often 92 pistols mocked up to look like “Auto 9s.” You can tell the difference by the placement of the safety/selector switch. On the Beretta 93R pistols, the selector is frame-mounted, but on 92s mocked up as 93Rs, the safety/decocker is mounted on the slide. The trigger guard on the Model 93R pistols is also larger than that of the Model 92 guns.

Specs

Caliber: 9x19mm

Capacity: 20 round magazine

Frame material: aluminum alloy

Slide material: steel

Barrel length: ~4.9inches without compensator, ~6.5inches

Price range: Anywhere from $15,000 to $55,000 (there are very few transferrable 93Rs on the market)

Where You’ve Seen It

Robocop’s “Auto 9″ is one of my favorite movie guns, and definitely my favorite example of a Beretta 93R pistol in films. Gotta love the crazy sci-fi mock up features. Image courtesy of imfdb.org

The first time I saw an “Auto 9″ was when it showed up in Robocop. The crazy futuristic sci-fi mock up made quite an impression. It also pops up in two of my all-time favorite movies: Sin City and Natural Born Killers. It is also wielded in a few other movies, including Broken Arrow and Never Say Never Again.

Not surprisingly, the Beretta 93R is included in the Robocop television series. It also has surfaced in a few video games, most notably Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2,Battlefield 3, and Resident Evil 5.