reerc
Member
Got me one o' them pocket .380s (the original from KelTec, not the Little Cloned Pistol), but there's nothing visually appealing about it, so no photo.
Bring Out The Mouse Guns
- Thread starter labworm
- Start date
Gatorbaiter
Absent Comrade
"Ever dress up a mouse gun?" YEP:
S&W TERRIER 38:
COLT 25:
S&W 32:
S&W TERRIER 38:
COLT 25:
S&W 32:
Texas Star
US Veteran
If I actually wanted to hit a mouse I would use my 1914 Mauser but the Czechs are kinda cute.
The CZ-45 has never appealed to me. But how accurate and reliable is the Duo-Z? Did you change any springs in it?
Thanks,
T-Str
Stainz
Member
We have rather large mice:
Stainz
Stainz
681ismyfavorite
Member
if i must......
OP
labworm
US Veteran
The tiny fellas, gentlemen you have shown some beauties, I hope they keep coming.
NCTexan
US Veteran
Just added this little Bobcat 22LR to the collection. Nothing different than any other 21A that's new out of the box... but she takes a nice picture.
Went through 100 CCI MiniMags (round point) on the first range trip with one stove pipe. Otherwise, no other issues and surprisingly good accuracy. I was able to keep all my shots in three inch targets at 21 feet.
Went through 100 CCI MiniMags (round point) on the first range trip with one stove pipe. Otherwise, no other issues and surprisingly good accuracy. I was able to keep all my shots in three inch targets at 21 feet.
Texas Star
US Veteran
Just added this little Bobcat 22LR to the collection. Nothing different than any other 21A that's new out of the box... but she takes a nice picture.
Went through 100 CCI MiniMags (round point) on the first range trip with one stove pipe. Otherwise, no other issues and surprisingly good accuracy. I was able to keep all my shots in three inch targets at 21 feet.
Thanks for the accuracy report. I'm guessing that the M-950B in .25 will do as well. I've been trying to get someone with one to tell me in terms such as you used how they shoot.
T-Star
Shorty4T
Member
Yep, I'm a mouser too. I think we all have a few of these in the closet...mine is an older 32.
Sam
Sam
Thuer
Member
Here ya go.
An Inox Beretta 950BS .25 acp made for only one year.
Sig P238 .380 acp.
S&W 2213 .22 lr.
Interarms Walther TPH .22 lr.
Interarms Walther TPH .22 lr.
S&W 317 .22 lr.
Beretta Inox Tomcat .32 acp.
Ruger LCP .380 acp.
An Inox Beretta 950BS .25 acp made for only one year.
Sig P238 .380 acp.
S&W 2213 .22 lr.
Interarms Walther TPH .22 lr.
Interarms Walther TPH .22 lr.
S&W 317 .22 lr.
Beretta Inox Tomcat .32 acp.
Ruger LCP .380 acp.
Ranger98
US Veteran
LedFowl
Member
An Inox Beretta 950BS .25 acp
Nice! Does it make any difference what brand of .25 acp you use in your 950?
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
These J frames are my smallest.
ledfowl said:
I've shot pretty much everything from UMC to Hornady and haven't experienced one problem. I just picked up a blued version yesterday and fired one mag of Remington Express and had no issues with it.
I don't own one, but I've heard that the Model 21A in .22lr can be pretty finicky depending on what ammo you use, but I've never heard of anyone having an issue with the .25 acp.
Ranger98
US Veteran
I had the .25 cal model some time ago and had a problem with the grip screws coming loose.They finally settled in after the third range session.
I have the 21A in .22lr at the present time and have found that it works best with CCI Stingers.
Here's my Colt Model 1908 and some history. It's from an article I wrote for Dillon's Blue Press that appears in the current issue.
John
The early 20th Century was an era in which many gentlemen (and not a few ladies) saw fit to be armed discretely and routinely. Their chosen firearms were usually small enough and light enough so as to be easily hidden on the person and pose no encumbrance. As smokeless powder permitted the concept of reliable semiautomatic pistols, famed firearms designer John Moses Browning came up with what is today regarded by many as the best ever "vest pocket pistol." The Colt Model 1908 pocket automatic was small, reliable, generally safe to handle and had impeccable workmanship. It became extremely popular, and good examples are very much in demand today as collector items. Although the anemic .25 ACP cartridge that the Model 1908 uses is no man-stopper, it's been estimated that more people have met their demise as a result of its use than any other popular handgun round.
In 1897, John Browning and Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Belgium signed an agreement giving FN the right to sell Browning's designs in Europe, but which specifically excluded FN from entering the American market. In the U.S., Colt and others had already been licensed to make and sell some Browning designs. At the turn of the century, Browning asked William M. Thomas of the Union Metallic Cartridge Company (UMC) to work on a cartridge which could be used in a small blowback vest pocket semiautomatic pistol. Thomas obliged Browning and in 1903 and 1904, devoted his efforts to this task. In June, 1904, Browning received 500 of the new cartridges to use in testing his prototype pistol. FN introduced the cartridge in 1906, where it was known as the 6.35mm Browning. Two years later, in America, it was manufactured and called the .25 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol).
Browning's design for a pocket pistol was basically a downsized and modified FN Browning Model 1903. However, it was striker fired rather than using a hammer, and had no manual safety. Browning offered Colt the rights to the pistol in 1904, but he was turned down. FN, on the other hand, tested Browning's prototype in 1905 and began to produce the pistol as the Pistolet Browning 6.35mm, or the Modėl de Poche (pocket model). The pistols were introduced to the European public in July, 1906. The first 130,000 of these FN 1906 pistols had no manual safety, relying only on a grip safety. There was no mechanism to hold the slide open. These were made from 1906 to 1909. In 1909, a manual safety was added which also served to lock the slide back. A third model had a larger manual safety lever and a magazine safety, giving it the nickname "triple safety model." This FN design later morphed into the Browning Baby in 1931, which was smaller, lighter, and had no grip safety. These were imported into the U.S. from 1935 to 1969.
In 1906, Colt exercised its option on the Browning design, and completed a prototype in late 1907, determined to differentiate their pistol from the ones being made at FN. This prototype had an internal hammer and a Browning-designed manual safety. Colt decided, and Browning concurred, that the gun was too complicated. A second prototype was essentially the same as the FN 1906, but had a new Browning-designed manual safety. This safety differed a bit from the FN version. It did double duty, rotating clockwise to activate the safety, and counterclockwise to serve as a slide lock device. Although the pistol went into production in 1908, it was not listed until Colt's 1909 catalog was printed. In that catalog, it was called the "Colt Automatic Pistol, Pocket Model, Calibre .25, Hammerless." In the Colt factory it was simply known as the "Model N." Advertisements touted the new pistol, saying that it had "… no equal in its size for Power, Accuracy and Effectiveness" and "Accidental Discharge is Absolutely Impossible with the Colt Automatic Pistol." The gun's weight with an unloaded magazine was only 13 ounces. It was 4.5 inches in length, less than an inch in width, and had a two-inch barrel. It was easily one of the most compact firearms available.
In the 1916-1917 period, a magazine safety was added to the Model 1908 around serial number 141,000. It was designed by Colt engineer George Tansley. This device served to disable the gun by disconnecting the trigger from the sear when the six-shot magazine was removed. Tansley obtained a patent for the magazine safety on July 31, 1917, and this patent date was added to others on the left side of the slide at about serial number 284,000.
The Model 1908 could be purchased with either Colt's highly polished Royal Blue finish, or one could get a nickeled version. Gold plating and a variety of engraving services were also offered. The blued guns featured a contrasting mottled case-hardened finish on the trigger, manual safety, and grip safety. These were very attractive little guns, with much attention devoted to proper fitting as well as finish. The opinion of many was that they outclassed their FN cousins handily. Several different versions of grips were offered over time. The earliest grips were made of hard rubber and were checkered, with the world COLT in a banner on top. The "rampant colt" logo was superimposed on a large elongated stylized letter "C". The second version was similar, but with the rampant colt showing no "C" beneath it. The pistol illustrated has grips of this type; it was manufactured in 1919 and has a serial number in the 220,000 range. It's in really excellent shape for being over 90 years old, so I suspect it was probably kept in a dresser drawer for most of the time since it was made. In the 1920s, checkered walnut wood grips were introduced featuring a Colt medallion near the top. Special order grips were available in mother of pearl and ivory, with Colt medallions or custom carving as options. Aftermarket grips were also widely available. In the course of the gun's manufacture, minor changes were made to some parts. The Model 1908 was discontinued in 1948 (with only one gun being made in that year). Approximately 409,000 were manufactured over 40 years, with interruption only during the WWII years of 1942-1945. The final serial number was 420,705, with some serial number blocs not being used. The little guns were sold in brown cardboard boxes with a hang tag, an instruction sheet, a cleaning brush, and a green brochure on the Tansley magazine safety (starting about a year after that feature was introduced). Early boxes, often numbered to the gun, carried a label saying "COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL" over "RIMLESS .25 SMOKELESS." These boxes and accessories are highly valued when present with a gun.
Colt again marketed a .25 automatic pistol in 1958, known as the "Junior Colt." This was made for Colt in Spain by Unceta & Cie. The Gun Control Act of 1968 stopped importation of this small gun. Accordingly, in 1970 a similar one was made in the U.S. by another manufacturer for Colt and was called the Colt Automatic Caliber .25. These pistols both had external hammers and had no grip safeties. The latter pistol was finally dropped from the Colt line in 1975.
The Model 1908 vest pocket pistol came from a time when citizens commonly wanted to be discretely armed. Previous to the introduction of this gun, responsibly armed people either used Remington's .41 rimfire double derringer or any of a variety of small revolvers in .32 or .38 caliber. Colt's new pistol gave them a very compact, concealable, reliable and exquisitely manufactured alternative which was wildly popular in its day for both men and women. Law officers also routinely carried them as backup guns. Although the efficacy of the .25 auto cartridge can be debated, the quality of these tiny guns cannot be. They were, and in many cases still are, jewels of the gunmaking art. They are definitely classics in anyone's book, and are ardently sought after by collectors as values continue to escalate.
John
The early 20th Century was an era in which many gentlemen (and not a few ladies) saw fit to be armed discretely and routinely. Their chosen firearms were usually small enough and light enough so as to be easily hidden on the person and pose no encumbrance. As smokeless powder permitted the concept of reliable semiautomatic pistols, famed firearms designer John Moses Browning came up with what is today regarded by many as the best ever "vest pocket pistol." The Colt Model 1908 pocket automatic was small, reliable, generally safe to handle and had impeccable workmanship. It became extremely popular, and good examples are very much in demand today as collector items. Although the anemic .25 ACP cartridge that the Model 1908 uses is no man-stopper, it's been estimated that more people have met their demise as a result of its use than any other popular handgun round.
In 1897, John Browning and Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Belgium signed an agreement giving FN the right to sell Browning's designs in Europe, but which specifically excluded FN from entering the American market. In the U.S., Colt and others had already been licensed to make and sell some Browning designs. At the turn of the century, Browning asked William M. Thomas of the Union Metallic Cartridge Company (UMC) to work on a cartridge which could be used in a small blowback vest pocket semiautomatic pistol. Thomas obliged Browning and in 1903 and 1904, devoted his efforts to this task. In June, 1904, Browning received 500 of the new cartridges to use in testing his prototype pistol. FN introduced the cartridge in 1906, where it was known as the 6.35mm Browning. Two years later, in America, it was manufactured and called the .25 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol).
Browning's design for a pocket pistol was basically a downsized and modified FN Browning Model 1903. However, it was striker fired rather than using a hammer, and had no manual safety. Browning offered Colt the rights to the pistol in 1904, but he was turned down. FN, on the other hand, tested Browning's prototype in 1905 and began to produce the pistol as the Pistolet Browning 6.35mm, or the Modėl de Poche (pocket model). The pistols were introduced to the European public in July, 1906. The first 130,000 of these FN 1906 pistols had no manual safety, relying only on a grip safety. There was no mechanism to hold the slide open. These were made from 1906 to 1909. In 1909, a manual safety was added which also served to lock the slide back. A third model had a larger manual safety lever and a magazine safety, giving it the nickname "triple safety model." This FN design later morphed into the Browning Baby in 1931, which was smaller, lighter, and had no grip safety. These were imported into the U.S. from 1935 to 1969.
In 1906, Colt exercised its option on the Browning design, and completed a prototype in late 1907, determined to differentiate their pistol from the ones being made at FN. This prototype had an internal hammer and a Browning-designed manual safety. Colt decided, and Browning concurred, that the gun was too complicated. A second prototype was essentially the same as the FN 1906, but had a new Browning-designed manual safety. This safety differed a bit from the FN version. It did double duty, rotating clockwise to activate the safety, and counterclockwise to serve as a slide lock device. Although the pistol went into production in 1908, it was not listed until Colt's 1909 catalog was printed. In that catalog, it was called the "Colt Automatic Pistol, Pocket Model, Calibre .25, Hammerless." In the Colt factory it was simply known as the "Model N." Advertisements touted the new pistol, saying that it had "… no equal in its size for Power, Accuracy and Effectiveness" and "Accidental Discharge is Absolutely Impossible with the Colt Automatic Pistol." The gun's weight with an unloaded magazine was only 13 ounces. It was 4.5 inches in length, less than an inch in width, and had a two-inch barrel. It was easily one of the most compact firearms available.
In the 1916-1917 period, a magazine safety was added to the Model 1908 around serial number 141,000. It was designed by Colt engineer George Tansley. This device served to disable the gun by disconnecting the trigger from the sear when the six-shot magazine was removed. Tansley obtained a patent for the magazine safety on July 31, 1917, and this patent date was added to others on the left side of the slide at about serial number 284,000.
The Model 1908 could be purchased with either Colt's highly polished Royal Blue finish, or one could get a nickeled version. Gold plating and a variety of engraving services were also offered. The blued guns featured a contrasting mottled case-hardened finish on the trigger, manual safety, and grip safety. These were very attractive little guns, with much attention devoted to proper fitting as well as finish. The opinion of many was that they outclassed their FN cousins handily. Several different versions of grips were offered over time. The earliest grips were made of hard rubber and were checkered, with the world COLT in a banner on top. The "rampant colt" logo was superimposed on a large elongated stylized letter "C". The second version was similar, but with the rampant colt showing no "C" beneath it. The pistol illustrated has grips of this type; it was manufactured in 1919 and has a serial number in the 220,000 range. It's in really excellent shape for being over 90 years old, so I suspect it was probably kept in a dresser drawer for most of the time since it was made. In the 1920s, checkered walnut wood grips were introduced featuring a Colt medallion near the top. Special order grips were available in mother of pearl and ivory, with Colt medallions or custom carving as options. Aftermarket grips were also widely available. In the course of the gun's manufacture, minor changes were made to some parts. The Model 1908 was discontinued in 1948 (with only one gun being made in that year). Approximately 409,000 were manufactured over 40 years, with interruption only during the WWII years of 1942-1945. The final serial number was 420,705, with some serial number blocs not being used. The little guns were sold in brown cardboard boxes with a hang tag, an instruction sheet, a cleaning brush, and a green brochure on the Tansley magazine safety (starting about a year after that feature was introduced). Early boxes, often numbered to the gun, carried a label saying "COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL" over "RIMLESS .25 SMOKELESS." These boxes and accessories are highly valued when present with a gun.
Colt again marketed a .25 automatic pistol in 1958, known as the "Junior Colt." This was made for Colt in Spain by Unceta & Cie. The Gun Control Act of 1968 stopped importation of this small gun. Accordingly, in 1970 a similar one was made in the U.S. by another manufacturer for Colt and was called the Colt Automatic Caliber .25. These pistols both had external hammers and had no grip safeties. The latter pistol was finally dropped from the Colt line in 1975.
The Model 1908 vest pocket pistol came from a time when citizens commonly wanted to be discretely armed. Previous to the introduction of this gun, responsibly armed people either used Remington's .41 rimfire double derringer or any of a variety of small revolvers in .32 or .38 caliber. Colt's new pistol gave them a very compact, concealable, reliable and exquisitely manufactured alternative which was wildly popular in its day for both men and women. Law officers also routinely carried them as backup guns. Although the efficacy of the .25 auto cartridge can be debated, the quality of these tiny guns cannot be. They were, and in many cases still are, jewels of the gunmaking art. They are definitely classics in anyone's book, and are ardently sought after by collectors as values continue to escalate.
Is a Makarov a mouse gun?
A few more of the mouse caliber's.
A few more of the mouse caliber's.
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