3379

BERGMANN M1896, NUMBER 4, MARKED "PISTOLET BERGMANN" WITH SLOT FOR STOCK.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:3,500.00 USD Estimated At:7,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
BERGMANN M1896, NUMBER 4, MARKED  PISTOLET BERGMANN  WITH SLOT FOR STOCK.
SN 3988. Caliber 8mm Bergmann. This is an unusual M1896 #4 semiautomatic pistol as produced by the Bergmann company with extractor and contoured backstrap. 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 pistol 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 156/14 on the left side. Adjacent to this number is the 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 3988 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. "Pistolet Bergmann" is marked on the rotatable magazine cover. Pieced onto the base of the frame is a slotted attachment for a shoulder stock. Walnut grips are finely checkered without a border and without a logo. PROVENANCE: Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr. Collection. CONDITION: Original finish, estimated at 70%, particularly involving the bbl that is largely brown and the front and backstraps. There is comparable oxidative loss to the straw that was originally used to finish the hammer, safety retainer, and the trigger. Similar considerations apply to the fire blue loss on the safety lever. The bolt return is very sluggish suggesting damage to or replacement of the original recoil spring. Checkered grips are blunted and dented from use and a small chip is missing from the right panel, top right, where abutting against the frame. Bright bore with sharp rifling and mild corrosion. Mechanically perfect. 4-48526 LMA58