mawkie
C&R Whisperer
-Well I'm breathing a sigh of relief after the postman delivered an auction acquisition that shipped in mid Dec and was seemingly stuck for over 2 weeks at the Capitol Heights postal hub. The item in question is a WW2 German import of a Spanish Llama Model 1 pistol chambered in 7.65mm.
-I found it purely by accident while combing through an auction where I had just been out bid on a different lot for the umpteenth time in Dec. The thing that caught my eye at first was the "GC" or Spanish Guardia Civil mark.
-Then looking closer I saw the money shot: a GECO import mark. I've been looking for an Astra 200 with this mark, one of a small run imported by German distributor Gustav Genschow & Co (who are still in business as an ammo distributor) for the German Army. Seeing that mark triggered a faint memory of a discussion with somd_mustangs about Llama .32 pistol imports. So I saddled up Google and had the definitive answer in seconds. Yup, this imported by GECO in 1943 and sold to German "civilians". Considering the strict gun control that the Nazi government had it's safe to assume these would have been sold to party members, someone with the clout to get permission to purchase. As such they were never issued by the German military like Astras and Stars.
-Whittington has the qty. of the Model 1 in both 7.65mm and 9mm short (crazy rare in .380) imported at approx 1,000 but there's no documentation to verify it. I think it's a safe bet to say around 3K as they come up for sale a little more often than say other German issue pistols like the French Unique 16 or Turkish FN 1922 which have production numbers in the 2-3K range.
-Originally built for the Guardia Civil they were sold to GECO, which explains the CG mark on the right side of the frame.
-Condition is VG but for the missing lanyard swivel/ring. Another bit to keep an eye out for along with a PPK or Sauer sized holster.
-I found it purely by accident while combing through an auction where I had just been out bid on a different lot for the umpteenth time in Dec. The thing that caught my eye at first was the "GC" or Spanish Guardia Civil mark.
-Then looking closer I saw the money shot: a GECO import mark. I've been looking for an Astra 200 with this mark, one of a small run imported by German distributor Gustav Genschow & Co (who are still in business as an ammo distributor) for the German Army. Seeing that mark triggered a faint memory of a discussion with somd_mustangs about Llama .32 pistol imports. So I saddled up Google and had the definitive answer in seconds. Yup, this imported by GECO in 1943 and sold to German "civilians". Considering the strict gun control that the Nazi government had it's safe to assume these would have been sold to party members, someone with the clout to get permission to purchase. As such they were never issued by the German military like Astras and Stars.
-Whittington has the qty. of the Model 1 in both 7.65mm and 9mm short (crazy rare in .380) imported at approx 1,000 but there's no documentation to verify it. I think it's a safe bet to say around 3K as they come up for sale a little more often than say other German issue pistols like the French Unique 16 or Turkish FN 1922 which have production numbers in the 2-3K range.
-Originally built for the Guardia Civil they were sold to GECO, which explains the CG mark on the right side of the frame.
-Condition is VG but for the missing lanyard swivel/ring. Another bit to keep an eye out for along with a PPK or Sauer sized holster.
