Unique 17 - '39/'40 Purchase

[mawkie]

-In the early days of the war the French government was scrambling to acquire badly needed handguns. The tumult of the Depression with unstable governments and Communist led work stoppages guaranteed that the French Army was ill prepared for September 1939. So besides issuing new contracts for small arms French purchasing agents were actively buying up commercial small arms as well. In 1939 and 1940 MAPF, Manufacture d'Armes de Pyrennees Francais aka Unique, sold Model 17s built for commercial sales to the French Army. Serial numbering for this batch started around 402000 and ended around 420000 for a total of approx. 18,000 pistols in all.
-This example is part of that purchase, with the SN just 150 off of the example listed in Medlin and Huon's French Service Handguns. While many received the slide rivit modification this one escaped getting one. It sports the standard Unique hard rubber grips with the lion. The slide has the 3-line legend, which soon afterwards would be reduced to a single line for the last batch of French Army contract pistols before the German occupation.
-Found this puppy in an Illinois sporting arm auction. These late French military issue Model 17s are very hard to find. Another example of a pistol, like the FN 1922 and MAB Model D, that's more commonly found built during German occupation. I was very fortunate in that this one sold for less than a German issue example. As always I'll be on the hunt for a holster next.
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[somd_mustangs]

Congrats on yet another "deep pull"
Are there any proofs or markings that denote it's an Army contract gun or is it all about the serial number ? (like the German contract Astra 400 and 900).

 

[mawkie]

Like the Astra it's strictly about known SN range.
I was crazy lucky enough to grab yet another French issue Model 17 at auction last weekend (the odds of two of these coming to market at the same time is stupid rare, kinda lottery type odds). This one was part of a formal French Army contract and has grips with "RF" for Republic Francais" on them. Built in the last months before the occupation and has the tell-tale rivet on the slide to protect the safety lever from being dislodged when removing it from a holster. Will wait to see if there are any proof or property marks but I doubt it as I don't ever remember seeing any on Mle 1935A or 1935S pistols of that time period either. This one also came with a German holster so you can guess that it was a capture piece and issued to a German soldier.

 

[MilsurpDan]

Very nice. I’ve always wanted to get one of those, but haven’t come across the right one yet. Seems to be plenty of German made ones floating around

 

[Melnic]

Excellent!
Seems like the french connection is growing

 

[mawkie]

Excellent!
Seems like the french connection is growing

Have to admit you're very much the psychic. There's another Model 17 coming soon that's even neater than this one. Even more of a unicorn. Just waiting on the auction house to get it shipped. Another one of those scenarios where you spend a decade or more beating the bushes so hard for something and then two pop up in rapid succession. Thank God I had enough in the bank account to take advantage of the opportunity. And that in the end they weren't crazy expensive. Though the latest Model 17 cost the same as a German issue example, which aren't cheap anymore. Another high-end Gunbroker based C&R dealer came along and realized what it was, forcing me to raise my bid. This guy is getting to be beyond annoying, he's definitely taking more coin out of my pocket. Then again, when you see what he's listing stuff for and getting from other collectors I can understand why. Beyond the pale. But that's capitalism.