Beretta Corto 1934

[Denmark116]

I have aquired, through family, a Beretta Corto 1934 in it's standard .380 chambering.

It is in need of some refinishing, and probably a good going over by a gunsmith. I had it priced today at around 200.00 for a refinish and 95.00 to have a smith take it apart (any needed parts would be extra).

I have heard that getting any mags for this gun would be next to impossible....

Here is my question....

Do I put close to 300.00 into this gun, and use it as a carry piece? (Upside it is a family piece and was a quality gun in it's day)? or do I trade it in as a step to my Sig Nation and work it towards the P239 or P232 that I would like to have as I am lining up funds for the GSR 1911 to add to my collection...

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you.

Denmark116

 

[Josey]

KEEP IT! Don't bother with a gunsmith. Buy a can of Birchwood Casey GunScrubber and spray the pistol down. Wear eye protection and use the whole can to clean the action and magazine. Use a good quality cleaning brush and scrub the barrel out with Remington Bore scrubber using a phospor bronze brush. Oil the entire pistol inside with Remoil. Oil the magazine spring also. Use a good quality carnauba car wax and wax on, wax off the outside of the pistol. You didn't say what type of grips you had. If hard rubber then oil them and then use a soft toothbrush to clean them with soap and water. If wooden then use Kiwi brown shoe polish/wax to polish them up. That is a nice pistol. I would keep it. CCW? You could. Hardball 380 is not very effective though. I would just give it sentimental attachment status.

 

[George Hill]

Josey makes good sense.
But I would not carry it, or shoot it very much. If you want a .380 Beretta for carry, get a 85 Cheetah... or another option is the SIG P232.
But this old Corto - I wouldn't risk it's loss, abuse, or breakage.

 

[Badger Arms]

If it works and none of the parts are broken, DON'T REFINISH IT. The gun has some collector value and you destroy that value when you refinish. Treat the gun as suggested above. It should take an hour or two of your time. Buy a couple of boxes of ammo and shoot it till you feel comfortable. It should be 100% reliable. That's a solid pistol and is made to higher standards than pistols are made today. Carrying the gun is what it's intended for. Me, I wouldn't carry it but that's only because I have other guns that I use for that purpose.

 

[Badger Arms]

Two more things. Any gunsmith worth his salt can MAKE you a magazine that will work just fine out of, perhaps, an FN 1910 magazine or any of the other common mags with the same general slant to them. To tell you the truth, $200 for a refinish is absurd and $95 for disassembly is robbery. Disassembling this piece is insanely simple. I could send you the instructions if you want. If it takes a gunsmith longer than 10 minutes to disassemble the gun, don't let him near your gun!

 

[RON in PA]

I have a 1934 in my collection. The outside finish is well worn, but the bore and innards are very good. The quality of the piece shows through the worn finish. The gun is reliable with the assorted ball ammo I've feed through it. The gun was very popular with British and American troops after they liberated it from the Italians as it fit nicely in a pocket.

As far as using it a carry piece I have my doubts. The gun is a single action with a safety that only blocks the trigger and that is not very fast to release. The slide is held open by the mag. follower and the magazine is not easy to insert. If I carried the piece it would be with the safety off and the chamber empty, requiring retraction of the slide as I drew. The gun is very much early auto pistol technology compared to what is available today or compared to Walther PPs of the same era.

Do what the others have said,clean it up yourself, the gunsmith fees you quoted are rediculas.

 

[Badger Arms]

Magazine here:

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=15696400

 

[Denmark116]

Thank you for all of your input and advice, it is truly appreciated...

I am going to try and get the digital camera working and get some pictures of it up on here for you all to see...

The slide's finish is shiney and like new. The the back strap of the grip is where there is issues (dull & pocked?)...

Last time that I was out with it with my dad (3 or 4 years ago), we ran a bunch of ball ammo through it and then we ran to mags full of .380 Hydra-Shock, so that my dad was comfortable with the difference in ammo (the hydra-shock was what he had it loaded with for personnal defense as it was his only gun and his neighborhood was turning on him).

I received it when I bought his a Taurus .38, stainless, ported, hammerless, 2" w/Barimi hip Grips.... I thought that it was better suited for his needs (cannot handle anything stronger then the .38 for medical reasons) and more reliable as the possibility of needing it increased.

However, on an upnote, he and my mom are moving out end of the month and I can stop worrying about them...

I will let you know how the refinishing/cleaning goes and I will try and post some pictures....

Thank you again.

Denmark