The Beretta 950s are 9-shot, .25 ACP (Jetfire) or .22 Short (Minx) semi-automatic pistols introduced by Beretta in 1952. They build on a long line of small and compact pocket pistols manufactured by Beretta. They are very simple and reliable blowback operated pistols with a single action trigger mechanism. Their frames are made out of aluminum alloy, their slides and barrels are carbon steel. They feature a unique tip-up barrel for ease of loading. Early models (*950* and *950B* Pre-1968) do not have a safety lever, employing a half-cock notch on the hammer instead. Later models (*950BS* Post-1968) are provided with an manual safety lever.