Small Old Pistol Help ID

[Thlax]

My uncle has this now. He got it from his grandfather who "took it from a Nazi during the war when he.." I've been told. I do not know if that is fact/fiction. I was wondering if anyone knows any information about this firearm.

Thanks,
David

 

[Jim Watson]

You show a FN model of 1905 .25 auto. They made something above a million of these over a 40+ year period. Colt made pretty much the same pistol for US sales.

Looks like it was used little, neglected a bit over the past 75 years. But then how much fun or training is there in shooting a pocket pistol anyhow?

GGrandpa took it from a German officer? Well, maybe. Some European officers carried peashooters like this because it was soldierly to have a gun but no need for a staff officer to weight himself down with a combat weapon. Or he might have won it in a poker game off the guy who did capture it.

 

[Ron James]

Actually Jim, I think it is the 1906 model., Could be wrong, been wrong before

 

[Jim Watson]

Blue Book calls it a 1905 but I think you are right, other sources say 1906.

 

[Thlax]

Thanks for the info. Keep it coming if you know more! Anyway to figure from what year it was from between 1906-1959?

 

[Jim Watson]

A site on the Colt 1908 version has a lot on the FN, too.
http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/1908Colt/1908colt.html

It says they went to the widened trigger in 1911 at serial number 220000 and had built about 550000 by the start of WW I. So Unk's 386160 was made sometime between 1911 and 1914.

 

[vaupet]

The Baby brownng was issued to government personel like customs, judges, civil servants, notary clerks etc for selfprotection.

A link to the reading of the Belgian proofmarks: http://damascus-barrels.com/Belgian_All_Proofmarks.html

Your gun is proofed for smokeless powders. Sadly, the list does not mention the controller who used the E letter before 1924.

greetz

Peter