Beretta — 500 years of forging, 500 years of constancy (1526–2026)

The expression "DARE IN BROCCA" which means "AIM RIGHT"

Some brands transcend trends. Others span centuries. Beretta represents five hundred years of firearms, hunting, and shooting… but above all, five hundred years of consistent decision-making. A rare, almost unreal continuity in an industry where everything changes except the standards.

1526: when it all begins, without a sound

The starting point is nothing spectacular. No logo. No slogan.

In 1526, in Gardone Val Trompia, Bartolomeo Beretta delivered arquebus barrels to the Venetian Arsenal. An invoice. A simple act. But an implicit promise: to do it right, every time. At the time, Beretta didn't manufacture "weapons" in the modern sense. It manufactured the solid, perfect piece. The one that withstands pressure. The one that cannot fail. This is where everything is decided, and this is where the DNA of the company is established for centuries to come.

During my visit to Beretta, I had the privilege of seeing THE first invoice.

Val Trompia: metal, gesture, transmission

To understand Beretta, you must understand the valley. Val Trompia is about steel, forges, and know-how passed down through generations. Here, precision isn't an option; it's a way of life. At Beretta, time is never in a hurry. The gesture is repeated, corrected, and refined, generation after generation. It is this controlled repetition that allows the brand to remain recognizable, even five centuries later.

A memorable visit

A family business… spanning 15 generations

Few companies can say this without exaggeration: Beretta has remained family-owned for nearly 500 years, spanning 15 generations. Not because it refuses to evolve, but because it knows exactly what it must preserve.

This continuity explains a lot: the long-term vision, the strategic prudence, the respect for the product. At Beretta, they don't think about the next quarter. They think about the next generation.

My meeting with Mr. Franco Beretta, the 15th

th generation at Beretta

Hunting as a testing ground for truth; if Beretta is so respected among hunters, it is not by chance.

Hunting tolerates neither approximation nor mechanical weakness. A hunting weapon must be reliable, balanced, and intuitive. It must function when it counts.

From yesterday's side-by-side shotguns to modern over-and-unders, and even contemporary semi-automatic platforms, Beretta has never lost sight of the essentials:

👉 A weapon should serve the hunter, not the other way around.

Tradition and innovation: not a conflict, a common thread

Beretta never pits the old against the new. It aligns them. Historic workshops coexist with state-of-the-art factories. Traditional methods exist alongside digital engineering. Innovation is never a break—it's an enhanced continuity.

It is this philosophy that allows Beretta to be both a heritage reference and a fully current player in sport shooting and modern hunting.

Visit to the Beretta manufacturing workshop in Gardone, Italy

A structured group, an intact identity

From the end of the 20th century, Beretta structured itself into a group. Recognized hunting and shooting brands joined the ecosystem. Not to dilute the identity, but to consolidate it.

Each brand retains its character, its market, its specialty. The common thread remains the same: quality, reliability, industrial seriousness.

As part of the Beretta group, Sako maintains her identity thanks to the family's vision.

Manufacturing of the first Beretta cannons

The first Beretta weapons

The famous DT11

Beretta

2026: 500 years, and then what?

Five hundred years is not an end point. It is a demonstration.

In a world where brands are born and disappear at a frenetic pace, Beretta reminds us of one essential thing:

👉 Sustainability is never an accident.

It is the result of repeated choices, of respect for the product, the customer, and the craft. A Beretta weapon is not just a tool. It is the fruit of reasoning tested by time, and perhaps that is the true lesson of these 500 years:

When you do things correctly, for long enough… time eventually becomes an ally.