Among the most interesting 22 rimfire rifles of the twentieth century is the Beretta Olimpia. Stated to be able to deliver five shot 50 meter groups of not more than 19mm this was an accurate rifle, and it was designed to be used as either a semi-automatic or bolt-action repeater.
Fast Facts
- The Beretta Olimpia stands out among the 22 rimfire rifles of the twentieth century because of its multi-function features.
- The Olimpia could be used as a single-shot, bolt-action repeater, or semi-automatic repeater.
- This rifle was stated by Beretta to be able to deliver not larger than 19mm five shot groups at 50 meters.
- The Olimpia had two sporting rifle models based on it, the Beretta Sport and Super Sport – these two models being semi-automatic only.
Years ago a shooting friend of mine had a Beretta Olimpia semi-automatic 22 rimfire rifle. It was a rifle that could either be used in semi-automatic mode, or as a repeating bolt-action. It captured my interest because it provided such useful flexibility.
The Beretta Olimpia was originally based on a German rifle that incorporated the same semi-auto or bolt-action repeating function, that original rifle being the Walther No 1 and No 2 which were introduced in the 1930’s and manufactured by Carl Walther.
The Beretta Olimpia was put into production in the 1950’s as Italy recovered from the exigencies of the Second World War: and it was made to be a target shooting and/or small-game hunting rifle. Some sources state that it was also used as a military training rifle and that quantities were sold as military surplus.
The rifle was in production for about a decade in three main variants: the Olimpia, primarily a target rifle equipped to be used in single-fire repeater mode, or semi-automatic mode: and the Sport and Super Sport variants which were semi-automatic only.
The rifle was made in a number of versions: barrels may be sporter or heavyweight, stock wood was beech, complete with pistol-grip checkering and either a grooved, plain, or checkered fore-end.
The Olimpia’s multi-function design makes it an ideal training rifle for new shooters. It is very simple in its operation and maintenance, and it enables single-shot, repeater, or semi-automatic repeating, depending on the type of training desired, and the sort of sport shooting the user wants to engage in.
This multi-functionality also provided for the use of ammunition of different levels of power, from the ultra low-powered 22 ammunition that is suitable for use in indoor settings through sub-sonic to standard velocity.
For a rifle intended for both slow-fire precision target shooting and rapid-fire matches the adaptability of the Olimpia was well thought out. With the bolt locked down the cartridge was fired with all the stability of a fixed breech, which, in theory at least should result in more consistency from shot to shot. Semi-automatics, especially blowback semi-automatics, can be prone to subtle inconsistencies from shot to shot which are normally not of significant concern in a small-game hunting rifle, but which can be problematic in a competition target rifle.
For this rifle I would personally tend to steer clear of using high-velocity ammo in it: it may well handle it but there is the possibility of damage developing in the form of cracking. It’s an old rifle of old design so I think best reserved for standard velocity ammo.
While the very low-power ammunition would not produce sufficient energy to cycle the action in semi-automatic mode it could still function perfectly well in single-shot or bolt-action repeater mode.
The action was a typical blow-back type like most 22 rimfire semi-automatics. These rifles were specifically made for target shooting and fitted with an open or aperture rear sight, a blade or interchangeable element front sight, and had integral optical sight bases at the breech end of the barrel.
A target Beretta Diopter aperture sight could be mounted on the tang at the rear of the action. This required the fitting of a dovetail mounting block on the tang, and then the Diopter sight could be clamped onto that dovetail.
There were optical sight mounts offered by Beretta for these rifles, one part reference number quoted being E00210. Typical rimfire riflescopes of the period were of 20mm tube diameter.
The optical sight bases were of two types, one with a single recoil lug groove, and a later version with twin recoil lug grooves.
The Olimpia was equipped with target type multiple attachment points under the fore-end for sling attachment.
The safety catch was a crossbolt type located at the rear of the trigger-guard.
These rifles were supplied with two magazines, a five round and a ten round. The magazine release was a button located at the rear of the magazine well.
The trigger of these rifles was adjustable via a screw located just ahead of the trigger. Later model Olimpia rifles have a hole drilled in the underside of the trigger-guard to make access to this screw more convenient.
Stripping the Olimpia for cleaning and general maintenance is a conveniently simple process.
There is an excellent video demonstration on YouTube by “fattywithafirearm” which is highly recommended. A good YouTube video demonstration is far better than a thousand words.
Field stripping begins with removing the magazine and pulling the bolt back as you check the chamber is empty. For the Olimpia the bolt handle is locked down in the open position by engaging the bolt handle in the rear lug recess.
The Sport and Super Sport models are semi-automatic only and do not have that rear locking lug recess, so the bolt has to be manually held in the rearmost position.
With the barrel pointing to your left (for a right handed shooter) press the large button on the rear of the bolt, this releases it, then angle the rear of the bolt upwards until you are able to withdraw the bolt and receiver assembly from the receiver.
This assembly you have removed contains the bolt and the receiver with the locking lug recesses. To take this apart lift the bolt out of the rear locking lug recess and allow it to move forward.
With this done the recoil spring and spring rod are able to be withdrawn.
To remove the firing pin you need to remove the pin in the rear section of the bolt and then the firing pin and spring can be removed.
Re-assembly is simply the reverse of the disassembly operation.
Removal of the barreled action from the stock involves removing the screws on the underside of the stock and lifting it out, just as you would on most other rifles.
You can find the user manual in downloadable and printable PDF format for this rifle by clicking the link below.
beretta_olimpia_sport_supersport_IT_EN
The manual is in Italian and English and contains all technical details about the Olimpia, Sport and Super Sport rifles.
The Olimpia was created to be an accurate rifle for target competition. Beretta stated in their literature that no rifle was allowed to leave the factory unless it could achieve a five shot group at 50 meters of 19mm or less.
So this was both an imaginative multi-function rifle and an accurate one. The Olimpia certainly captured my imagination all those years ago when I was able to get familiar with one.
It is the sort of creative design that the Italians have a history of making and I guess that we are unlikely to see anything quite as multi-function as this again. If you find one on the used gun market it is likely to have had a lot of use, and perhaps a dose of misuse, and might not be able to meet Beretta’s claim for accuracy any more.
All that being said I think that the Beretta Olimpia stands out as one of the most interesting 22 rimfire rifles of the twentieth century.
Picture Credits: Feature image at the head of this post is of a sporting configuration Beretta Olimpia: this picture courtesy Rock Island Auction. All other pictures as individually credited.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
