Just bought a Beretta S2 on Gunbroker. At 71, it is one of my bucket list guns. Anyway, I am trying to pin down the date of manufacture for my own curiosity. There is no date code, so I presume it is pre-1940. The serial # is 350X. I did find reference to Hemingways SO3 that Beretta owns, and its serial # is 59xx, I believe, delivered in around 1946.
The gun is dated, but the interesting thing is that it appears to have two dates. The recess in the reciever for the forend iron is engraved 1936. The Krupp barrels, which I think are standard for these early guns, are dated 1939. These were war years in Europe and the only conclusion I can draw is that the gun was made and engraved in 1936 but the barrels weren't obtained and installed until 1939.
The bore measurements all match exactly to the Krupp proof marks. The bores are perfect, and the fit between action, barrels etc are so close it is hard to assemble the gun, yet It opens and closes like (here it comes) a bank vault. Triggers are perfect, as are ejectors. Barrels are very light as befits a game gun. I expected the barrels to be 27-1/2" (700 mm) but they are 28". I found a reference on Beretta's website where they list details of old models and was surprised that they listed length for the S2 and S3 as 710mm, which is essentially 28".
This gun appears to have been completely restored at some point. The silver finish on the reciever was removed and the entire gun blacked. The stock may or may not be a replacement but is a very, very nice piece of wood with a new finish. The original engraving is present, but Bill Mains added quite a bit of gold work to the gun (which I could have done without). I don't believe the original engraving was touched but looks fine. The gold work was simply added around it to enhance it.
I have contacted Beretta and they have promised to forward any info they can find on the gun. Given the time line, the lack of any wear on the gun and its condition, I suspect that it was almost new when "liberated' at the end of the war, maybe with wood damage, then layed around for decades until sold and rebuilt by someone.
The back story is what always interests me about old guns, although at 85, this is a relative new gun to me. It was barely a teenager when I was born!