[lead painter]

I own a Beretta 1935 marked 1944 (no fascist year) Gardone and showing the 4UT mark on the right tang; all matching serial number 542,049 and original grips known to be part of a shipment to the Wehrmacht/Salo late in war during the Salo period (Group IV military). The gun is in perfect shape but seems uniformly plum all over, not stronger on the slide, markings plumed, and therefore possibly reblued. My question is the frame markings. With the grips off the left undergrip frame as an "A" and the right frame a "4". Are these inspector marks? Second, the butt surface (edge) of the frame between the magazine release and the lanyard clip appears to have had a large "4" that now has an "X" over it. It also has a original looking fainter "V" mark to its extreme right below the backstrap. I want to assume this is evidence of rebluing shortly after the war on capture. I also assume this was not likely a Russian capture but an American one??

 

[kanister]

Hi Donnker, your s/n 542.xxx was produced on september, 1944.
Plum (we say eggplant) is a regular finish on old Beretta.
The butt surface of the frame has many marks, we think of the workers, and the X is a sign of where the lanyard was fasten.

 

[Berettamen]

I saw this pistol and I don't believe it to be refinished, at least based on the images at auction. Yes the frame has a bit of plum/eggplant color to it but it does not show other signs of a reblue. The slide has some handling wear but doesn't look like after war reblue. It would be something done at Beretta. This is just about the time they went from excellent bluing to a rough finish so there was probably a lot of turmoil. The rest all sound like inspector's stamps. I've been looking over mine and there seems little consistency on these inspector's marks. DanP

 

[kanister]

Beretta's rate production of those months was about 10.000/month M35, so also yours was produced on 1944, september.