mawkie
C&R Whisperer
-Tucked away in the catalog of today's sporting arms auction at Redding was a collection of neat .25 and .32 pocket pistols. Of those roughly 20 items were two lots of interest to me: an immaculate Steyr Pieper 1908 in uncommon 7.65mm and a Beretta 1922 aka 1915/19. I struck out on the Steyr but was able to grab the Beretta for under $350, one of the best bargains of the day in my eyes.
-The Beretta 1922 was an improved version of the 1915 and chambered in only 7.65mm unlike the 1915 which can be found in both 7.65mm and 9mm Glisenti. It introduced the open top slide that is the trademark of Beretta auto pistol designs. Production of the 1922 ended in the early 30s with the introduction of the Beretta 1932, the immediate predecessor of the famous 1934.
-The 1922 was issued to the Army, Navy, Air Force, police and sold commercially. My guess is that this example is commercial since it doesn't sport any of the specific roll marks of the Italian military services. I've seen Navy marked examples but never Army or Air Force. The 1922 is hard to find here in the US. What you normally find is the earlier 1915 in 7.65 (the 9mm Glisenti version is very rare, if you find one for sale grab it!).
-The majority of the 1915s I've found were in rough condition. Ditto for most 1922s. So I was thrilled to find one in excellent condition. Love the unique metal grips that Beretta used in the 20s on the 1919, 1922 and 1923.
-The Beretta 1922 was an improved version of the 1915 and chambered in only 7.65mm unlike the 1915 which can be found in both 7.65mm and 9mm Glisenti. It introduced the open top slide that is the trademark of Beretta auto pistol designs. Production of the 1922 ended in the early 30s with the introduction of the Beretta 1932, the immediate predecessor of the famous 1934.
-The 1922 was issued to the Army, Navy, Air Force, police and sold commercially. My guess is that this example is commercial since it doesn't sport any of the specific roll marks of the Italian military services. I've seen Navy marked examples but never Army or Air Force. The 1922 is hard to find here in the US. What you normally find is the earlier 1915 in 7.65 (the 9mm Glisenti version is very rare, if you find one for sale grab it!).
-The majority of the 1915s I've found were in rough condition. Ditto for most 1922s. So I was thrilled to find one in excellent condition. Love the unique metal grips that Beretta used in the 20s on the 1919, 1922 and 1923.