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VERY EARLY BERGMANN M1896, NUMBER 3, TOOLROOM PROTOTYPE.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:4,000.00 USD Estimated At:8,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD
VERY EARLY BERGMANN M1896, NUMBER 3, TOOLROOM PROTOTYPE.
SN 46. Caliber 6.5mm Bergmann. This is a prototype M1896 #3 semiautomatic pistol as produced by the Bergmann company with no extractor and 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 affixed to a sliding cover over the ejection port. The lugged bbl is marked 278 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 otherwise unmarked. The serial number 46, lightly marked for internal identification, was placed on the left side of the frame under the grip. Though the pistol was proofed, as reflected by the Crown U markings, it is otherwise roughly finished, without any factory markings, and in the white. There is a 3/8" diameter threaded hole in the forward frame just below the bbl lug, significance unknown. The trigger in this pistol is differently contoured than other #3s, being thicker and straighter near the pivot point. There is no lanyard loop at the base of the grip. Walnut grips are finely checkered without a border and without a logo, each internally numbered 278. PROVENANCE: R. Alexander Montgomery Collection. Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr. Collection. CONDITION: Given the age of the pistol, the brightness of the metal is extraordinary. There has been no effort to enhance any of the surfaces that are still rife with machine marks and rough filing. Only minor pin prick oxidation is on the left side of the gun. In keeping with its toolroom status, all small parts are roughly finished and in the white. Crisply checkered grips showing minimal handling. Bright mirror bore with sharp rifling. Formerly in the collection of R. Alexander Montgomery. Mechanically perfect. 4-48516 LMA57