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BERGMANN M1896, NUMBER 3, OCTAGONAL CHAMBER, PRESENTATION WITH SPECIAL TRIGGER AND GRIPS.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:2,250.00 USD Estimated At:4,500.00 - 6,500.00 USD
BERGMANN M1896, NUMBER 3, OCTAGONAL CHAMBER, PRESENTATION WITH SPECIAL TRIGGER AND GRIPS.
SN 416. This is an early example of a M1896 #3 semiautomatic pistol as produced by the Bergmann company without extractor and a narrow backstrap. Chambered for the 6.5mm Bergmann grooveless, rimless cartridge. Theodor Bergman was an early pioneer in the development of European semiautomatic pistols in the late 1890s and early 1900s. His early models were of distinctive design and had a silhouette that would never be confused with a competitor. All of the Number 2s, 3s, and 4s, had an integral magazine that was loaded by rotating down the magazine sideplate and inserting a strip of cartridges from the side. This particular pistol with an octagonal chamber has a 4.5" bbl, a dovetailed front sight and a fixed rear sight integral to the bolt that is afixed to a sliding cover over the ejection port. The lugged bbl is marked 278 on the left side. Adjacent to this number is a large #8 (corresponds to the takedown sequence) and a Crown U marking that is repeated on the left side of the chamber. The left receiver, with short flutes, is marked "Patent Brevete S.G.D.G.". The serial number 416 appears on the right side of the receiver, just below the flute. In the center of the sideplate is the Bergmann factory logo featuring a miner surmounted by the words "Gaggenau" and over V.C.S. Suhl. In this case, V.C.S. were the initials for V. Charles Schilling, who made the pistols for Bergmann and Suhl, which was the location. The large #9 corresponds to the takedown sequence. This particular pistol was a special order for "Franz Kopf, Ingenieur" whose name and profession are inscribed on the rotatable sideplate. The front face of the trigger is checkered and the gun was fitted with special target-type walnut grips that had a standard checkering pattern and customary escutcheons. PROVENANCE: Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr. Collection. CONDITION: Original finish, estimated at 80%, with more toning than actual wear, particularly on the left side. There is comparable oxidative loss to the straw on the hammer, safety retainer, and the trigger. Similar considerations apply to the fire blue loss on the safety lever. Crisply checkered grips showing minimal handling. Bright bore with sharp rifling and mild corrosion. Mechanically perfect. Very few #3s were made with an octagonal chamber, all clustered around the 400 serial range. To find one of these guns with special order features is an extraordinary discovery. 4-48519 LMA54