[Fred_C_Dobbs]

A friend inherited this from his father. It was a "bring back" from WWII and I can't figure out who made it. I posted in the Military Handguns forum where it was suggested it might be of Spanish manufacture prior to Spain implementing auto pistol proofing and it was proofed for sale in Belgium, so I'm reposting here.

The roll mark on the slide reads "6.35 1913 Automatic Pistol".
The proof marks are "P.V" surmounted by a lion, a spangled B, and the Perron.
The bright finish appears to be original but there is no flaking or chipping to indicate nickel or other plating.
It has a 4-digit serial number.
It also bears an "AD" in a circle on the frame and slide which I'm told probably stands for "Armas Deportivas".

The most distinctive marking probably is the Lion of Judah on the grip:

Can anyone identify the gunmaker? And who was the spangled B inspector?

Thank you for your attention.

 

[Bob In St. Louis]

Manufactured in 1928 (the B with asterick over it) by F. Arizmendi Goenaga in the Basque region of Spain. Lion motif on grip has nothing to do with "Judah", but is just a trademark. The "AD" is not a Spanish mark, but some pistols used by the French post-WWII were stamped with letter or number codes on the left side of the frame/slide.

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Bob, you wouldn't believe how many wrong turns I've taken before I finally found the man with the knowing.

I am much obliged!

 

[Montelongo]

Hello:

Respecting the opinion of the Mr. Bob in St. Louis, I believe that it was manufactured by Retolaza Hermanos, toward the year 1913/15 to be exported Belgium whose punches of the test Bank take.

The AD inside a circle doesn't know that they mean.

Can they place a picture of their lateral right.?

Greetings

 

[Bob In St. Louis]

Maybe true - I don't have my references with me, just going by memory. The "B" proof mark, if Spanish, would be 1928. Some of the other proofs looked like those in use by *** as their personal proofs.

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

...Can they place a picture of their lateral right.?...

¿Está bien?

 

[Montelongo]

Hello:

Thank you to send the picture.

With regard to the Inspector "B" is impossible to know it since the names of the inspectors are kept secret.

"AD" inside a circle or without circle I have found them in other Spanish guns without knowing that it can mean.

Greetings.

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

I think I finally got to the bottom of this. Sr. Montelongo, creo que tiene razón. MuchÍsimas gracias!

I've spent two weeks spinning my wheels because I was using '6.35' in my search terms instead of '6,35'. My searches didn't turn up the really meaty continental European web sites until I switched to the comma. That was what led me to www.colecciondepistolas.com, where I found this:

Fabricada por Retolaza Hermanos

There are minor differences in the overall shape but the roll marks and every single cast-in feature is identical. I figure the cast-in features would be more persistent through manufacturing and model changes so I'd be hard pressed to believe these weren't made from identical castings.

I count six distinctive cast-in features that are identical:
1. Location of the safety lever
2. The pin just forward of the safety lever
3. The window you can see just part of between the top of the grip and the slide
4. The shape and location of the stop notch in the slide
5. The location and slight tilt of the letter "F" next to the safety lever
6. Each has 13 vertical and straight cocking serrations

In fact, neither pistol shows even a single cast-in feature that the other example doesn't mirror perfectly. And the lions are identical, which I consider key. The web site I mentioned earlier lists about 114 manufacturers of "Eibarresas". The only one other than los hermanos Retolaza that uses a lion on the grip is "Unique" made by Barreneche, Gallastegui y Arenas. Their lion looks very different in general and is facing in the opposite direction.

The AD I think is for the proofing house of Alexandre DuPont. He only opened for business in Liege in 1923. Although it clearly is an Eibarresa, I'm guessing it was sold to the Belgians without any proofs about 1928. Then the Belgians proofed it and sold it to the French.

Sound plausible?

 

[Montelongo]

Hello:

A curiosity.

According to documents worthy of trust, the celebrated ganster of Chicago Alfonse (AL) Capone, had a gun of this same model.

Greetings.

 

[DUCATIDENNIS]

Was just doing some research on this new Armslist find. Looks to have been many manufacturers building similar pistols during that time period.