GUNS Magazine December 1955 - Jeffersonian's Home Page

MOST-IMITATED FIREARM(Continued from page 36)NEW WALTHER P. P. NEW PRE-WAR quality. Superbly balanced.Precision manufactured. ABSO-LUTE SAFETY. No accidental firing.Ready as a revolver with DOU-BLE ACTION. OUTSIDE SAFETYand INSIDE AUTOMATIC SAFETY. SIGNAL PIN. EX-POSED HAMMER. Extension finger magazine for increasedaccuracy. Home protection, sidearms for law enforcement.camping, hunting. SAFE!Add $10 for nickel plate mode& ¥fSSZSSP.P. .32 or .380 col. blue $57.50 P.P. .22 LR blue $52.50NEW P.P.K. Smaller version of the P.P. with same safety features. Compactand lightweight. Excellent for law enforcement and necessity for concealedprotection. Immediate takedown. Stationary barrel for highestaccuracy. P.P.K. .32 or .380 blue.. ............................. $60P.P.K. .32 Featherweight-blue Dural Frame (17 oz.). ... $70P.P.K. .221R blue. ................................. .$64P.P.K. .22LR Featherweight-blue Dural Frame (16 oz.). . $74NEW SPORTER Unexexcelledaccuracy.Choice of 6" or 8"barrel. Adjustabletarget sights. Mattedreceiver. Same absolutesafeties as with allWalthers. Extended pistol grip with thumb rest. Ready-Re1able-Safe! Ideal for iarget,game and plinking ..... .74.75 - 1Famous WALTHER "OLYMPIC" Air PistolModeled after the WaltherOlympic Match Pistolwhich won the Olympicsat Helsinki in 1952. Made in Western Germany.Adjustable Military Trigger. Automatic Safety.Micrometer Sight-Windage andElevation. Threesets of Front and Rear Sights. Weight 2 lbs. 5 oz.-Length 12 inches - .I77 Cal. - Shoots Americanwaisted or solid pellets. Also darts.$37coSEE YOUR DEALER OR WRITE FOR FREE CATALOG~G~~1 flhf 1by different mechanics in different countries.What startles everyone is that all three havethe same serial number!First of the trio is a pistol which is somewhatworn in condition, but at first glanceappears to be an ordinary Browning M1900,.32 caliber. It is numbered on frame, slideand cocking lever lug atop the slide #126063.On the slide appears the words "FabriqueNational D'Armes de Guerre Herstal, Belgique,"and on the frame are the words"Browning's Patent Brevete S.G.D.G." whichis the usual marking of the pistol. In additionthe serial number was stamped, and thegrips bore the early Browning trademark of aMI900 Browning pistol and the letters FNwithin an oval. From the crudeness of therubber moulding at the oval, and other rudeelements in the finishing, some assumed thatthis is a Belgian copy made in Liege tocompete illicitly with the genuine article. Itis marked with false marks simulating thegenuine Liege proof marks which all genuineBrowning pistols have.While naturally a Belgian faker would notmark his gun with his name, but would passit off as a real Browning, the gun is believedby some to be of Chinese manufacture. Onthe trigger guard appears a small cypher ina square which resembles a letter of thesimplified Chinese alphabet. Mauser pistolsand rifles are known to be made in Chinaunder legitimate Mauser factory licenseagreements, and this Browning, if Chinesemake, may have resulted from a similar dealbetween a Chinese provincial governor andthe FN people.The second pistol came into Wheeler'spossession about five years ago. It too resemblesan Oriental model, since the inscriptionon the slide says "D'armes dg" six fulltimes in a single line! Other Chinese pistolsare known marked "Browning's PatentBrowning's Patent Browning's Patent" andwith serial numbers of "1111222233334444"or similar arbitrary stamping. But in thisone, the stamper of the serial number hasfaithfully followed a pattern: it, too, is"126063." Simulated Belgian proof marksalso appear. When Wheeler obtained thissecond gun, he was a little short of amazed,since neither pistol showed signs of anyalteration or tampering with the serialnumbers.The plot thickened about two years agoTHE NEW WEATHERBYIMPERIAL SCOPEIN A BUEHLER