Sunday, May 09, 2010

Continental .32 Pocket Pistols, 1907-1912, Part I


Above are three representatives of the great diversity of early 20th Century European pocket pistols chambered in 7.65 Browning (or .32 ACP, as we Yanks term it.)

From top to bottom, they are a Dreyse M1907, a Frommer Stop, and an FN 1910.

Two are blowback operated, while the third is a locked-breech, long recoil design. One is striker-fired, one has an external hammer, and the third, an internal hammer. All three are single-action pistols. The Dreyse has a thumb safety, the FN has both thumb and grip safeties, and the Frommer has a grip safety as well as an external hammer which can be manually lowered to decock the weapon. All three saw service in various capacities with militaries and gendarmeries.

We'll be taking a closer look at these pistols over the next weeks.

4 comments:

lloyd said...

Always exciting to see a new post of yours in Google Reader. I have definitely never seen a Frommer Stop, before.

I was interested that all three are single action. Is DA/SA a mechanism that was invented later?

Love your blog, but haven't clicked through to thank you before.

Lloyd
Chicago

Tam said...

Thank you!

The Walther PP of 1929 is generally given the credit for being the first commercially successful DA auto.

Anonymous said...

I saw a Frommer Baby in .32ACP for about $300 around ten years ago. I've been kicking myself ever since then for not picking it up.

Anonymous said...

Look the Frommer 1910 pistol, 7.65x13mm.Wonderfull.