Beretta 71: The .22 Pistol Made Famous by Mossad

24. září 2026Rigad News Jakub OndrušekReading time 5 minutesRead: 239x

The Beretta 71 is a compact .22 LR semi-automatic pistol that earned its place in history through an unusual service role. Beyond sport and recreational shooting, it is associated with Israeli sky marshals and Mossad operations. How did this small Italian pistol acquire such a reputation, and what is it like to shoot today?

Mention Beretta and most shooters will probably think of the Model 92. It served as the standard sidearm of the U.S. Armed Forces for many years and was also adopted by numerous other military and law-enforcement organizations. The diminutive Beretta 71 is therefore unlikely to be the first firearm that comes to mind when discussing one of the world’s oldest gunmakers. That does not make it any less interesting—especially given its remarkable history.

The Beretta 71 was not a stand-alone design. It belonged to the extensive 70 Series, which followed the Italian manufacturer’s earlier compact pistols. The basic Model 70 was most commonly associated with .32 ACP, while other versions were also offered in .380 ACP and .22 LR.

The Model 71 itself was a lightweight rimfire variant with a short barrel and fixed rear sight. The Model 72 came with two interchangeable barrels, one short and one extended. Models 73 through 75 were aimed primarily at sport shooting and differed in barrel configuration, grip, magazine capacity, and sights. The Model 76 went even further with a distinctly target-oriented design. The 70 Series therefore ranged from compact defensive pistols to specialized sporting firearms.

Beretta 71 pistol with its magazine removed and .22 LR cartridges on a dark wooden table.

The Beretta 71 is a compact semi-automatic rimfire pistol fed from an eight-round single-stack magazine. Photo: Author’s archive.

Many shooters argue—with considerable justification—that a 9mm Luger pistol is the better choice for personal defense. The .22 LR cartridge is substantially less powerful, rimfire ignition is generally less reliable than centerfire, and a rimfire pistol is certainly not a universal service weapon. Even so, some missions placed a higher priority on low weight, compact dimensions, minimal recoil, and easy handling than on raw power.

One of the best-known roles associated with the Beretta 71 was protecting aircraft operated by the Israeli airline El Al during a period of increasing hijackings and attacks on civilian aviation. Sky marshals needed a weapon that could be carried discreetly and fired accurately in confined spaces. In that environment, the compact dimensions and mild recoil of a rimfire pistol offered practical advantages.

It is sometimes claimed that the .22 LR was selected to prevent catastrophic decompression if a bullet penetrated the aircraft fuselage. A single bullet hole, however, will not normally cause an aircraft to tear apart or crash. The real risks of gunfire aboard an aircraft include striking passengers, crew members, windows, electrical wiring, hydraulic systems, or other critical components. Lower penetration may reduce some of these consequences, but it does not make a rimfire pistol safe to fire inside an aircraft.

One incident stands above the rest. On February 18, 1969, four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine attacked the Boeing 720 operating El Al Flight 432 at Zurich Airport. The attackers used assault rifles and explosives. Aboard the aircraft was 22-year-old security officer Mordechai Rahamim, a former member of Sayeret Matkal, armed with a .22 LR Beretta pistol often identified as a Model 71.

Rahamim initially returned fire from inside the aircraft, then exited through a rear emergency door and killed one of the attackers during the ensuing gunfight. Swiss police detained the remaining three. Rahamim was also arrested and later stood trial, where he was acquitted. The incident demonstrated that a .22 LR pistol is far from harmless in the hands of a trained shooter. At the same time, it would be unwise to use a single case as a general argument for the cartridge’s suitability for defensive use.

Close-up of a Beretta 71 pistol on a light wooden table.

The Beretta 71 uses a simple blowback action, fixed barrel, and single-action trigger mechanism. Photo: Author’s archive.

The Beretta 71’s Israeli connection was further reinforced by the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Eight members of the Black September organization took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. The attack and failed rescue attempt left eleven Israelis and one West German police officer dead. The failure of the operation later became one of the main catalysts for establishing Germany’s GSG 9 counterterrorism unit.

Israel subsequently launched a covert campaign against individuals it considered organizers or associates of Black September and other Palestinian armed groups. The campaign is commonly known as Operation Wrath of God, with its European component conducted primarily by Mossad. The broader Israeli response also included separate military actions, but these cannot simply be combined into a single operation or automatically attributed to every Israeli security organization.

The suppressed Beretta 71 is firmly associated with Israeli agents in both specialist and popular literature. For individual assassinations, however, the exact pistol model used cannot always be reliably established. What is certain is that compact Beretta rimfire pistols met the requirements for a weapon that could be carried discreetly, fitted with a suppressor, and brought into action quickly.

The first person killed during the campaign was Wael Zwaiter, a Palestinian translator and PLO representative in Rome. Mossad linked him to Palestinian armed organizations and the planning of attacks in Europe, although his involvement in the Munich massacre remains disputed. On October 16, 1972, two assailants shot him outside his residence in Rome. Sources differ on the number of shots fired and the exact weapons used, but suppressed .22 LR Beretta pistols are the models most frequently cited.

The 2005 film Munich offers a small firearms-related curiosity. In the scene depicting Zwaiter’s killing, the agents use larger Beretta M1951 pistols chambered in 9mm Luger—and without suppressors. Historical accounts, by contrast, associate the incident with suppressed Beretta rimfire pistols. Cinematic shorthand simply took precedence over firearms accuracy.

Its first advantage was size. The Beretta 71 is slim, lightweight, and easy to conceal beneath ordinary clothing.

The second was its .22 LR chambering. A rimfire pistol produces a lower sound signature than a conventional service-caliber handgun, but it still requires appropriate hearing protection. When combined with suitable ammunition and a suppressor, both the sound signature and muzzle flash can be reduced considerably.

The third advantage is minimal recoil. This makes the pistol easy to control and allows rapid, accurate follow-up shots. That does not mean a higher number of hits can simply replace the performance of a service cartridge. The .22 LR remains a cartridge with limited terminal performance and rimfire ignition, placing high demands on ammunitionquality and the condition of the firearm.

Even so, the Model 71 earned a reputation as one of the more reliable semi-automatic rimfire pistols of its era. Beretta used a simple blowback action, fixed barrel, and relatively light slide. As our test also demonstrated, however, the performance of any individual example ultimately depends on its mechanical condition, magazine, and selected ammunition.

Sights

The Beretta 71 is a blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol with a single-action trigger and a single-stack magazine holding eight rounds of .22 LR. The barrel measures approximately 90 mm, overall length is 165 mm, and the unloaded pistol weighs around 480 grams. A lightweight alloy frame helps keep the weight down.

The most immediately recognizable feature is Beretta’s characteristic open-top slide, a design whose roots extend back to the first half of the 20th century. The barrel remains stationary during firing but can be removed from the frame during disassembly. The fixed-barrel design also benefits accuracy, a welcome characteristic in a rimfire pistol used for sport and training.

The magazine release is positioned unusually. Instead of sitting at the heel of the grip or in today’s conventional location behind the trigger guard, it is mounted low on the left side of the grip. It is recessed, stays out of the way during shooting, and becomes easy enough to operate after a short familiarization period.

The manual safety appeared in two basic configurations during production. Earlier pistols used a transverse push-button safety, while later examples received a more conventional thumb-operated lever. A slide stop is also located on the left side. After the final round is fired, the magazine follower raises it and locks the slide to the rear, a feature that was far from universal on compact pistols of the period.

The rear sight is fixed and unmarked, while the front sight is mounted on the barrel. The original setup consists of simple, all-black iron sights that may appear somewhat fine by modern standards. On our test pistol, a small brush and a little orange paint made a noticeable difference. It may have slightly compromised the pistol’s historical purity, but front-sight visibility improved considerably.

The magazine is probably the pistol’s greatest Achilles’ heel. Our test magazine caused no problems, but original replacement magazines are difficult to find and rarely inexpensive. Its extended floorplate lengthens the front of the grip and further improves what is already a very comfortable hold.

Side view of a Beretta 71 pistol with .22 LR cartridges.

Low weight, compact dimensions, and minimal recoil helped the Beretta 71 find a role in both recreational shooting and service use. Photo: Author’s archive.

If you have ever fired a rimfire pistol, you probably know not to expect much drama. Recoil is almost imperceptible, and the Beretta 71 barely moves when fired. At the same time, the shape of the grip prevents it from feeling like a tiny pocket pistol that gets lost in the hand.

For a firearm of this age, the single-action trigger is remarkably pleasant, with a short and well-defined pull. The unmarked all-black sights require more concentration, especially against a dark target, but highlighting the front sight made them considerably easier to use.

We tested the pistol with standard Sellier & Bellot Club ammunition, and it ran without a single malfunction. It also produced a reasonably respectable group—and the shooter, yours truly, is many things but certainly not a bullseye specialist. One range session is no substitute for a long-term endurance test, but this particular example lived up to the Model 71’s reputation.

Today, the Beretta 71 makes the most sense as a lightweight pistol for recreational shooting, fundamentals training, or as an interesting collector’s piece. It offers minimal recoil, a pleasant trigger, a fixed barrel, and ergonomics that do not feel outdated even after several decades. Prospective buyers should carefully inspect the condition of the individual pistol and account for the limited availability of magazines and certain spare parts.

Its service history also demonstrates that cartridge performance is not the only factor that determines whether a firearm is suitable for a particular role. The mission, operating environment, concealability, and training of the person carrying it may be just as important. The Beretta 71 is neither a magical Mossad assassin’s pistol nor the ideal choice for every situation. It is an exceptionally well-designed rimfire pistol that happened to appear in several extraordinary chapters of modern history.