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09-21-2024, 03:44 PM
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Picked up a Unique 22
Saw a little pistol behind the counter at my LGS a while ago and knew it was a Unique 22LR out of France. It was in for a cleaning but I mentioned to the shop if the owner wanted to sell I’d be a buyer. Turns out they decided to sell so I picked it up today.
I already own a Wards Western Field Model 5 made by Unique and it’s a joy to blast rounds down range. Finding an actual Unique is a treat. It even came with the original manual.
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09-21-2024, 05:00 PM
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Very cool. Never have I seen that one before. I have to start checking GunBroker for one of those!!!
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09-21-2024, 06:16 PM
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In the early 80's, my best friend and I were talking to our gunsmith about building and Parkerizing 1911's. He intended to be smart butt; he gave us a ball of rust that was a WW I era Unique in 32 ACP.
We took it back to my friend's service station and let it soak in the parts scrubber while we got a Pizza! We locked it in a padded vise, protected it with a hunk of wood and pounded the slide off! The stripped the slide and frame ll the way down to basic components. While he stripped the gun, I started sand blasting every part to the white. After sand blasting we reassembled, and test fired it. Dunked it in alcohol to rid the powder residue. I had a enamel roasting pan that I Parkerized in. Put it in a nylon net bag and made "Gun Soup" for about 20 minutes, coated the whole mess with very heavy weight motor oil (Thick, used motor oil would give a darker color). Reassembled the gun, drove back to the gunsmith's shop before he closed a 9pm. We showed him our results and he was not happy!
The best friend used that gun as trading material at the next OGCA show.
The gunsmith was no longer friendly, and ran off on his wife and kids, along with a few hundred dollars of my gun show inventory.
Unique pistoles were made by the ton. In WWI, every soldier from every country wanted a pocket pistol for a hideaway gun! About 90,000 Unique pistols in 32 ACP were sold to French and US soldiers for a few dollars US. They were a simple design, easy to manufacture, and very reliable compared to most pocket autos of that day.
Ivan
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09-21-2024, 07:24 PM
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Unique DES-69
Unique also made one of the most successful “Steel & Walnut” .22 target pistols of the 20th century, the DES-69.
Widely used in UIT, ISSF, & Olympic competition.
They were shipped in a nice fitted case, with test target (usually 5 shots in one ragged hole @ 25 meters).
Last edited by 6string; 09-21-2024 at 07:28 PM.
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09-23-2024, 06:40 AM
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The DES-69 quickly got a reputation of being one of the most reliable match rimfire pistols in Europe. All Unique handguns I have seen have been very well made.
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09-23-2024, 02:33 PM
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Sears sold the same pistol as the Wards Western Field #5.
Sears pistol was marked 'J.C.Higgins Model 85'
w/the common Sears inventory # underneath that.
Beautifully made, polished & blued all steel pistols.
The French makers marks on the RH side of the slide,, JCH/Sears on the LH.
They often go for quite a bit less $ than other plinking pistols because of the Sears/JC Higgins marks.
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09-25-2024, 08:20 AM
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That is a nice one.
I have a similar story. I saw one in the case at my LGS many years ago, and had no idea what it was, but for $99, I figured I couldn't go too far wrong. I remember being told to be careful with the grips. They were made out of an early plastic (phenolic?) and were considered a little delicate, with a lot of them warping over time and such things. They would be almost impossible to replace with originals. The one I had, like your's was in very good condition.
It was a shooting little gun, but like so many other guns I've owned, some other bright shiny thing caught my eye, and it went on down the road.
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09-28-2024, 07:01 PM
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French firearms are as a rule very well made; often odd, but well made of good material. The old canard is the French copy no one, and no one copies the French.
I own quite a few French shotguns, and a few MAB pistols. That Unique 22 you have is a little jewel.
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09-28-2024, 08:53 PM
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A Uni-Q m52 was my official beater EDC for years. Did a lot of fishing and didn’t want to carry anything that might get deep 6.
I bought at auction for $27.50, grips were terrible shape so I adjusted them to hang down like mud flaps when auctioneer held it up. Whittled out walnut slabs for it. It shot very well for that type of pistol. Flush hammer was only shortcoming. Got into other models but they weren’t near as accurate. Minute of beer can at 25’.
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