In the autumn of 1526, iron met fire in a narrow valley of Northern Italy. A modest contract—185 arquebus barrels for the Arsenal of Venice—passed through the hands of Bartolomeo Beretta. It was a practical exchange, unremarkable in its day. Yet, like many quiet moments in natural history, it carried consequences far beyond its scale.
Nearly five centuries later, Beretta remains in Gardone Val Trompia, still drawing meaning from the same terrain. The company will mark its quincentennial in 2026 not as a monument to the past, but as evidence of a lineage that never stopped moving.
“From that moment on, there has always been a member of our Family guiding the company … we are still here, in Gardone Val Trompia,” said Pietro Gussalli Beretta and Franco Gussalli Beretta of the 15th generation. Their words suggest something less like ownership than custodianship, where time is measured not in milestones but in stewardship.
The anniversary reaches far beyond the family name etched into steel. Across continents, generations of hunters, competitors, professionals and outdoor enthusiasts have lived alongside Beretta firearms often without noticing how much history rests in their hands. Carlo Gussalli Beretta, representing the 16th generation, frames the moment as a shared one. “This is not just a celebration of our Family … this is a tribute to every single hunter, shooter or outdoor lover,” he says, widening the circle of the story.
Throughout 2026, Beretta will quietly open a window into both its past and its future. In Gardone Val Trompia, Italy, visitors will be invited to walk through centuries of accumulated knowledge, where techniques refined over generations coexist with new ways of thinking about materials, form, and function.
That dialogue between old and new will become visible through a series of releases unfolding over the year. Ten singular firearms—each conceived as a one-of-a-kind expression of art and engineering—will emerge alongside seven limited and special editions that echo historic designs while gesturing forward. New product platforms will also appear, less ornamental than structural, intended to shape what Beretta becomes long after the anniversary year fades.
“This is not just a celebration of our 500 years; this is a window on our next five centuries,” said Carlo Ferlito, CEO and General Manager of Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A. He describes a period of intense work in which lessons learned slowly over time are combined with ideas borrowed from beyond the firearms world, producing results that feel unfamiliar even within a centuries-old tradition.
The celebration extends beyond firearms themselves. Special apparel, commemorative objects and unexpected collaborations outside the shooting sports will surface as parallel expressions of Beretta’s cultural presence—signals that heritage, like an ecosystem, branches outward in unpredictable ways.
In the United States, the first public signs of this year-long reflection will appear at SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas. Beginning January 18 at Beretta Range Day and continuing from January 20 in booth #13227, visitors will encounter early expressions of the anniversary, including the Garmin MARQ Commander (Gen 2) Beretta 500 Limited Edition, the AX800 Suprema shotgun and new additions across competition, hunting and tactical platforms.
In the natural world, survival across half a millennium is rare. It demands patience, adaptability and a deep sensitivity to change. Beretta’s story is not one of standing still, but of moving carefully forward—generation after generation—carrying fire from the past into a future still being shaped.
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