I have previously mentioned on this section of the Forum the FN Browning Model 1922 that was given to me several years ago by my brother-in-law, Don:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/RichardS/fn-browning191132acp.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/RichardS/FNBrowningM1922Parts.gif)
Thousands of Model 1922s had been produced for the civilian and international market prior to the Nazi invasion of Belgium. Thereafter, the M1922 was produced in larger numbers than any other firearm at the FN plant, with much of that production being issued to the Luftwaffe. Most of the M1922 pistols were blued, but a limited number were given a nickel plating. Following the war, FN resumed production of the M1922, and the pistol was used by various West German police agencies and various agencies of the French government.
Here is a link to the web site review when the M1922 was Cruffler's gun of the month:
http://www.cruffler.com/historic-may01.html
The M1922 is easily broken down for cleaning but can be a real "monkey puzzle" to reassemble. My brother-in-law had obtained the nickel-plated M1922 pictured above from the estate of a man who had brought it home from WWII. When he gave it to me, we were sitting at his kitchen table over in Hancock County, Tennessee, drinking coffee and "swapping lies." I had never held a Model 1922 before, but since I knew it had been designed by John Browning and I had learned in the Army to field strip and reassemble a 1911 in a matter of minutes, I figured that I would show off a little by field stripping the 1922 right there on Don's kitchen table.
Well . . . the pistol came apart easily enough, but I hadn't figured on that striker mechanism and the spring-loaded firing pin sitting there in its toggle ready to launch. Don just sat there with a smile on his face as he watched me "eating humble pie." I finally got the piece back together again, but not before once having to go hunting for the firing pin spring across the room on the kitchen floor -- with my brother-in-law watching me over the rim of his coffee cup. (I recall that the cup couldn't quite conceal the grin on his face as he watched me on hands and knees, flashlight in hand, looking for that damned spring.)
Don died last month. The truth of it is that he had never really recovered from the death of his wife, Pat (the sister of my own wife, Joyce) some twelve years ago. During the visitation at the little funeral home Don had selected to handle his final arrangements, I watched his son, Shane, greeting those who had come to pay their respects. Shane is a successful young man, an avid hunter, a "scratch" golfer, with a successful marriage and two daughters in high school. I suddenly knew who should own the Model 1922.
On Thanksgiving Day here at Critter Creek, I asked Shane to follow me into my den (dubbed by Joyce as "The Cave"), closed the door, opened the gun safe, and removed a pistol case containing the M1922, an authentic leather holster I had managed to track down in Germany, the original magazine with four spares, the complete provenance on the gun, a gun lock, and a box of Winchester 7.65×17mm Browning FMJ ammunition.
Shane is a strong young man not prone to show emotion. However, neither of our eyes were entirely dry as we emerged from "The Cave."
I have previously mentioned on this section of the Forum the FN Browning Model 1922 that was given to me several years ago by my brother-in-law, Don:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/RichardS/fn-browning191132acp.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/RichardS/FNBrowningM1922Parts.gif)
Thousands of Model 1922s had been produced for the civilian and international market prior to the Nazi invasion of Belgium. Thereafter, the M1922 was produced in larger numbers than any other firearm at the FN plant, with much of that production being issued to the Luftwaffe. Most of the M1922 pistols were blued, but a limited number were given a nickel plating. Following the war, FN resumed production of the M1922, and the pistol was used by various West German police agencies and various agencies of the French government.
Here is a link to the web site review when the M1922 was Cruffler's gun of the month:
http://www.cruffler.com/historic-may01.html
The M1922 is easily broken down for cleaning but can be a real "monkey puzzle" to reassemble. My brother-in-law had obtained the nickel-plated M1922 pictured above from the estate of a man who had brought it home from WWII. When he gave it to me, we were sitting at his kitchen table over in Hancock County, Tennessee, drinking coffee and "swapping lies." I had never held a Model 1922 before, but since I knew it had been designed by John Browning and I had learned in the Army to field strip and reassemble a 1911 in a matter of minutes, I figured that I would show off a little by field stripping the 1922 right there on Don's kitchen table.
Well . . . the pistol came apart easily enough, but I hadn't figured on that striker mechanism and the spring-loaded firing pin sitting there in its toggle ready to launch. Don just sat there with a smile on his face as he watched me "eating humble pie." I finally got the piece back together again, but not before once having to go hunting for the firing pin spring across the room on the kitchen floor -- with my brother-in-law watching me over the rim of his coffee cup. (I recall that the cup couldn't quite conceal the grin on his face as he watched me on hands and knees, Led flashlights (http://www.robustbuy.com/led-lighting-gadgets-led-flashlights-c-505_1027_730.html) in hand, looking for that damned spring.)
Don died last month. The truth of it is that he had never really recovered from the death of his wife, Pat (the sister of my own wife, Joyce) some twelve years ago. During the visitation at the little funeral home Don had selected to handle his final arrangements, I watched his son, Shane, greeting those who had come to pay their respects. Shane is a successful young man, an avid hunter, a "scratch" golfer, with a successful marriage and two daughters in high school. I suddenly knew who should own the Model 1922.
On Thanksgiving Day here at Critter Creek, I asked Shane to follow me into my den (dubbed by Joyce as "The Cave"), closed the door, opened the gun safe, and removed a pistol case containing the M1922, an authentic leather holster I had managed to track down in Germany, the original magazine with four spares, the complete provenance on the gun, a gun lock, and a box of Winchester 7.65×17mm Browning FMJ ammunition.
Shane is a strong young man not prone to show emotion. However, neither of our eyes were entirely dry as we emerged from "The Cave."
that is a quite good experience for you and think you miss it..