[Guest]

Download Attachment: Browning left side.jpg
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Download Attachment: Dutch Crest.jpg
47.75KBAs a newcomer to this forum, I took the opportunity to check out some of the earlier posts. I am particularly interested in a 4/08 post by Lloyd of Vegas regarding Dutch contract 1922 Brownings. In the post, Lloyd quotes Whittington in stating that "the lowest observed serial number on a 9mm Kurz (.380) is 61,412 (with Dutch Crest)..." My Dutch Contract 1922 Browning, with Dutch crest in 9mm Kurz has a four digit serial number (9847). The numbers are located in the usual places, i. e. right side of frame and slide, barrel extension and under the slide. In addition there is a fifth number (which I have not seen before) on the chamber which is visable through the ejection port.

Also, the pistol came with two magazines (not numbered), one of which is marked 7.65 but takes and feeds .380s with no problem. My pistol also came with a Theurmann drop type holster. Mine is pretty scruffy on the outside while the pistol is almost pristine. I suspect, having seen other Air Force rigs, that there were lots of items to scuff a holster in the confines of a cockpit, but that aircrew had little opportunity or reason to fire their pistols. I should mention further that there are no German markings on either the pistol or the holster other than the stamp on the inside flap indicating the type of firearm it was designed for. The holster is embossed with what I presume is a maker's mark. It can be seen in the pic just below the pistol tang.

I hope someone can tell me what I have. For all I know, it's some kind of fake, though I doubt it would be worth the effort to fake a 1922 Browning. Thanks for whatever help you can offer.

John

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[Guest]

As you can see, I haven't quite got the hang of how to post pics. I'm working on it.

John

 

[huggiebear]

John : Are we sure that there isn't a waffenamt proof on the left side of trigger guard or is it my imagination running a little on full throttle ? At any rate , your holster is a "commercial" dropping holster made by Albert Kind and has his trademark of AKaH stamped onto the upper front portion of the body of holster. The placement of the stamp tells one that this holster is the all leather version, rather than the ersatz one. Incidentally, your FN1922 is a prewar contract piece for the country of Netherlands as is indicated by the crown over W [ Wilhemena ? ]on the top of the slide.

 

[Guest]

Huggiebear,

I thought I sent you a reply, but apparently it didn't arrive. The engraving on the left trigger guard web is FN in a circle (elipse, actually). If I understand you correctly, this is probably not a military holster. However, I still wonder about the low serial number - way below what "Wilhelminas" are supposed to be - or so I'm told.

Thanks for the info.

John

 

[Darwin]

I think you might be confusing a few things. I don't have Whittington's book but I suspect the quote by Lloyd was for Wilhelmina pistols that bear German waffenamt markings. The first FN 1922 pistols delivered to the Netherlands in 1926 started with the serial number 3,000. Each subsequent order continued where the previous order left off. So a four digit number makes yours a fairly early pistol but not necessarily unusual. When the Germans occupied the FN plant the marked a few of the pistols that were still in the factory. Some of those pistols were part of a subsequent Dutch order and had already received the Crown/W engraving. Those are fairly rare and fall in the serial number range mentioned by Whittington, as quoted by Lloyd.

 

[Guest]

Darwin,

Thanks for sorting things out.

John