Why does Italy specialize in shotgun design?

Guns since 1526

Copy/paste from Beretta International website:

QUOTE

FABBRICA D'ARMI PIETRO BERETTA S.p.A.

The company is part of the Beretta Holding Group. Controlled by the BERETTA family, the group encompasses key manufacturers of field and competition firearms and optics, as well as trading and distribution companies in Italy and abroad, with a total work force of 2,603 employees and an annual turnover of 435.7 million Euro. The oldest among them, Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A. (Pietro Beretta arms manufacturing company), which has been handed down over fifteen generations, was active in the village of Gardone Val Trompia in the fifteenth century. Documentary evidence for the family business dates back to 1526.

From the legendary Bartolomeo (ca. 1498 to 1565/8) to Pietro (1791 to 1853), who was the first in the family to begin expansion of the business, to his son Giuseppe (1840-1903), who supervised the transition from national to international horizons, to Pietro (1870-1957), who was able to transform the artisan business into a manufacturing concern by introducing modern production techniques, to his sons Giuseppe (1906-1993) and Carlo (1908-1984), who gave the firm its multinational character, leading the Company to success in the military and commercial markets, Beretta has always produced firearms.
UNQUOTE

One would be hard put to find an older gun manufacturer still in business since this timeframe.
Plus given the high population density in most of Europe, with a history of tightening gun control measures in the old world, especially since the end of WW2. It's just very smart economics to invest in sporting arm manufacturing, that is less prone to prohibitive gun laws. I bet you for every one rifle made in Europe, there are probably thirty or more shotguns made, and sold unhindered. Plus if trap/skeet/clays private gun clubs, if one restricts the size of shot used, your range template can be alot smaller than a rifle/pistol range.
Fact is, there are more jurisdictions than you know of, that prohibit hunting with centrefire calibre rifles in the old world. Plus there are very few 1000 yard rifle ranges in Europe to promote rifle shooting at long distance. Most rifle disciplines are ISU 50 meter rimfire & 300 meter centrefire only. Stickledown is the only 1200 yard range I can think of, and its in the UK.
It's very common for south euro and mediterranian countries to only allow shotgun hunting versus high power rifle shooting for any game animals.
Hence this makes for a very healthy home/near home/market for smoothbore arms, shooting birdshot/buckshot only.
 
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An old tradition

Its cultural -

Italy has historically focused on shotties - They love hunting not shooting and as in the old west the shotgun was the most popular firearm cause it put food on the table.

Also - hunting in Italy was the privilege of landowners only, so a shotgun was a sign of status.

Italy has a long history of making some of the finest shotguns in the world.

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Beretta also makes handguns like the 92 series. The US military buys a lot of them through as the M9. Do they make more money through handguns than shotguns? They're cheaper and can sell more of them.
 
It's the culture and there is not much in the way of big game other there. Could also be cost involved in big game hunting.
This is what my inlaws have told me and they are all from the south of Italy. But my god Italians love shooting animals.

Some times at family dinners it feels like i'm in a godfather movie.:cool:

Does anyone know where I can get an IROC powerwheels for my son ? :D
 
Tradition plays a big part. In their home market, the hunting is much more of the shotgun sort than rifle. Since they are catering to that market anyway, they have held onto a big export market.
 
:agree:

Tradition and History. They do it well so they do it commercially...

Googled "Italian Gun Laws" for fun - Theirs aren't a whole lot different from ours, biggest difference that I could see is a ban on Military ammunition, Surplus or New Mfg. Commercial loadings for Military calibers are fine, as is owning a military type weapon. Most of the restrictions Canadians labor under can be got around with a permit issued by a local magistrate In Italy but they're pretty stuffy about their own version of the registry.

Small game hunting is a national pastime and small game means shotguns.
 
John Spartan said:
A significant amount of shotgun design can be traced back to John Moses Browning - semi-autos, over/unders to name a couple.
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Very little shotgun design can be traced back to Browning. In shotguns Browning was more of an incrementalist than an innovator. All of his shotgun designs were based on a previously established concepts. The same can also be said for some of his other designs as well.

On the broader question, gun companies start in response to local market demand. In southern Europe there isn't much big game shooting so a focus on shotguns isn't surprising. As you go north the balance changes. In Finland there isn't much bird shooting so rifles is what they do best.
 
The shotgun, to the Italian's is very much like it is to the British. Bird hunting (which they call shooting) is a way of life. It can be quite expensive. Big game hunting (stalking to the British) is even more rare and more expensive. I would think that is why there is a lot of shotgun development and they play in a world market. The Spanish are also very big on shotguns and shooting.
 
if you ever go to the city of Brescia and its outlaying towns, you'll find the home of Beretta, Fabarm, Perazzi, etc. You'll be amazed to see how many industries related to shotgun manufacturing you'll find in that area. tons of smiths building custom one offs that you've never heard of, but can easily be twice the price of a Perazzi. Woodworking companies soley devoted to making stocks.

long standing tradition of sg's in italy - especially in that area
 
most hunters ive met in Europe hunt with shotguns.
upland birds like pheasant are way way more popular there and if someone says theyre 'going hunting' most of the time thats what its for.
many of those same people, when hunting deer or boar, will just use their shotguns with brenneke style slugs.
 
This may be very general division, but it works:
Southern States in Europe are more shotgun due to luck of bigger game hunting opportunities, Northern States are more rifles with Stag Deer, Moose and Wild Boar.
 
chopper 1 said:
Also - hunting in Italy was the privilege of landowners only, so a shotgun was a sign of status.
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Traditionally, hunting and arms ownership has always been a privilege of the upper classes. Only in more recent times have society stereotyped hunters and arms owners as hill billies.

Realistically, considering the prices of arms, money and time invested into hunting, it still is not a 'poor man's' activity.

There is plenty of wild boar in Italy, especially towards the north.
 
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