The guns selected were :
The ammunition used for this test was .25g BBs. I used AE Winter Gas (somewhere between HFC134a and HFC22) and the ambient temperature was 62F (16.5C).
For the full auto tests, I loaded 10 rounds, as I suspected some would not hit the target, but this proved to be a wrong suspicion.
First shots, aimed, as all were, at the Aim Point, were from the Glock 18C. The gun, as in most of the other tests, was held in a double handed grip, with no steadying.
All 10 rounds were on target, in a tightly grouped bunch extending from a couple of near dead centre to around 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) below the centre, with a slight tendency to fall left. Again, like the semi-auto tests, I suspect this leftward lean to be a fault in my grip.
All 10 rounds were in a 2.5 inch (6.35 cm) diameter - very impressive for a gun much maligned as 'hopelessly inaccurate' on full auto.
Tests for the Beretta were a little more complex.
The first test was a direct comparison with the Glock. I loaded 10 rounds and fired, freehand, unsteadied all 10 rounds.
The 10 rounds all hit on target, slightly high (and with one exception, slightly left) of the aim point. 9 of the rounds fell in a 2 inch (5 cm) diameter. Ignoring the stray round to the right, it was slightly better than the Glock.
The Beretta has three advantages in full auto mode over the Glock (at least for accuracy). First up is the folding steadying handle in front of the trigger, second is the option of a folding metal stock. I fitted the stock and folded down the steadying handle. In this form the gun is a comfortable small carbine and you can align the sights closely to your eye.
The overall grouping was more widely spread, with the 10 rounds extending over a 4.5 inch (11.4 cm) diameter. but the majority of rounds fell much closer to the aim point, with 4 in the centre circle and a tightish grouping of five just below. With practice, I'm sure this could be greatly improved on as the stock and handle clearly reduce the 'climb' evident without them.
Finally, with the stock still fitted and the handle in use, I switched the gun over to 3 round burst mode.
Again, the rounds were much closer to the aim point, but the 4 bursts of 3 all fell within a much tighter 3.25 inch (8.25 cm) diameter, with five rounds hitting the centre circle and a less pronounced bias to the left than seen earlier.
Once more, I feel sure that, with more practice, (I'd never fired the gun with the stock on before these tests) the combination of 3 round burst and stock would greatly improve the accuracy achievable with this gun.
Conclusions
I was impressed with these results. Early, less precise, tests with my Maruzen Micro UZI (now sold on, sadly) suggested that accuracy was not the strong point of a full auto pistol, with the need to 'walk' the stream of BBs onto a target. These results suggest you are as likely to hit what you aim at in full-auto mode as in semi-auto and, although the Beretta has more scope for real precision, the Glock was probably the gun that most impressed me with its performance.