Small world.
Personal: I was cleaning up one of these for a friend just last week - - His is dated 1953. Your illustration is of the earlier model 418, with the round grip safety. The later ones had one fared into the backstrap at the bottom.
I've probably owned and/or shot a dozen examples of this type Beretta. I actually carried one for defense at one point in my early career.
Other than the Baby Browning type, this is my favorite .25 pistol . . . .
Anyway - -
Disassembly: Remove magazine and clear chamber.
Leave the magazine out of the pistol.
Place the thumb safety lever in the "SAFE" or UP position. Pull slide fully to the rear while pressing the safety up, ensuring the hook engages the small notch on the bottom of the slide.
With the slide thus locked open, press the barrel rearward to free it from the frame. (You many need to
BUMP the muzzle with the heel of your hand.)
Remove the barrel from the open top of the slide.
Pull the slide rearward while pressing the thumb safety downward, and ease the slide forward, off the frame. The striker/firing pin is held in place by the sear. Note the arrangement of the striker spring and spring guide/cocking indicator. This may be worked loose by controlling it with the left hand while depressing the grip safety and pressing the trigger with the right hand.
Remove the thumb safety from the frame.
The stocks may be detached by removal of the screws with a properly fitting screwdriver. Be careful - - The rear edge of the panels is very delicate and breaks easily. Do not remove the panels from the metal frames unless needed. If you do this, perform the operation over a smooth, clear surface, to collect the tiny fragments, so you MAY be able to glue them back together.
No further disassembly is recommended, and is seldom, if ever, required.
Reassembly: Replace the stock panels, if they have been removed. DO NOT overtighten the screws - - Snug is good enough.
Pre-assemble the striker/striker spring/spring guide and place them into their channel in the slide. Don't bother trying to put them back on the sear - - They are easily lost, and this is the hard way to do it anyway.
Replace the thumb safety in the frame.
Make sure the recoil spring and guide are properly placed in the frame before slipping the slide on the front. When all is arranged, draw the
slide to the rear, pressing the thumb safety upward. This captures the striker assembly in the cocked position and locks the slide back.
Work the barrel back into position. Press it all the way forward. If very snug, you may need to let the slide go forward under spring pressure to properly seat the barrel.
Shooting/Carrying notes: Due to the relatively solid barrel mounting to the frame, these little pistols are surprisingly accurate. The difficulty in shooting them well is usually due to a too-small rear sight notch. If this notch is indeed too narrow, it may be deepened
slightly with a safe sided Swiss Pattern file. Then use a safe edge file to
slightly widen the notch, a tiny bit at a time.
The Beretta M418 is normally quite well fitted, and the safety arrangement is above average. These factors notwithstanding, it is inadvisable to carry any striker-fired pocket pistol with a round in the chamber. ANY looseness in the slide/frame fit makes for a hazardous condition.
While the pistol should not be stored with the striker cocked, excessive dry firing is not recommended. By the same token, if carried for defense, with the chamber empty, a cocked striker makes chambering a round
far easier.
"Historical"/literary note: This is probably the model pistol carried by Commander James Bond, RN(R) in Ian Fleming's original book,
Casino Royale.
Hope this helps you out.
Best,
Johnny
