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SUPERB BERGMANN M1896, NUMBER 3, WITH EARLIEST FEATURES.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 6,500.00 USD
SUPERB BERGMANN M1896, NUMBER 3, WITH EARLIEST FEATURES.
SN 104. Caliber 6.5mm Bergmann. This is an early example of a M1896 #3 semiautomatic pistol as produced by the Bergmann company without extractor and having a narrow grip. 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 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 unnumbered screw-in bbl is Crown U proofed on the left side, a marking that is repeated on the left side of the chamber. The left receiver, with long flutes is marked "Patent Brevete S.G.D.G.". The serial number 104 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. Walnut grips are finely checkered without a border and without a logo. PROVENANCE: Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr. Collection. CONDITION: Original finish, estimated at 97%, with minimal wear on the right side of the bbl, and thinned front and backstraps. The straw that was originally used to finish the hammer, safety retainer, and the trigger is also spectacularly nice. Similar considerations apply to the fire blue on the safety lever. Sharply checkered grips without losses or cracks. Bright bore with sharp rifling whose appearance is in keeping with the rest of the gun. Mechanically perfect. 4-48517 LMA55