"Mouse Guns" Surplus Pistols

[delta-419]

I have developed a collecting interest in military/police arms for the second time in my life having sold my Luger and Broomhandle collection a number of years ago. I have always been a "big bore" shooter. Recently, I was introduced to the surplus market by the guys at my veteran's owned shooting range where I spend a good amount of my retirement time, drinking coups amounts of coffee. They introduced me to "mouse guns", 7.65/32 auto pistols from the surplus market. Most all are from former Soviet Block arsenals and were part of their war reserves. I recently purchased one of these little guns and when I went to my gun shop to pick it up, it was still glued together with a lot of cosmoline. It came with two mags (8 rounds) and a cleaning brush for $225 bucks. It has never been issued. Its an all steel Crvena Zastava Model 70 in 7.65mm. I am probably late to the party but, I would be interested in your experience with these "mouse guns". I reload so ammo is not an issue for me.

 

[sigp220.45]

I had a Czech .32 and it was a great little gun. Of course, I traded it off for something and only the picture I have of it has the dreaded Photoshop watermark.

My nephew just snagged this Bernadelli Model 60 .32 for 250 bones. I know its not a milsurp, but I think its a kindred spirit.

 

[VictorLouis]

Kudos on finding one without the stupid modifications for import. 'Target' sights, LOL

 

[Bald1]

Anything that goes bang is worth $225 nowadays

 

[glenncal1]

I have had a few, now I have a Beretta 84 in .32 that was prison surplus I think, great little gun. I had an old Astra 400. The second time I took it to the range I guess the sear had worn enough and the third shot let loose four rounds. Kind of eye opening. Additional shots resulted in doubles or triples. Sold it as a parts gun.

 

[Heinz]

I think the 32 ACP is a little bit bigger than a "mouse gun". I like the cartridge although most of my 32 autos are WWI German types. I do have a Browning 1910 that shoots well, I have killed groundhogs with it. I also shoot a Sauer 38H which is very accurate. I shoot probably make a safe queen out of that one.

 

[Yaworski]

As a young man, I carried a pre war Walther PP in .32 ACP in an IWB holster. I wound up with three PPs: pre-war, wartime, and post war, all in .32 ACP.

 

[LVSteve]

I have one of those Zastava 70 pistols. It is surprising big and heavy. There's next to no recoil with Fiocchi 70gr FMJ ammo. My only criticism is that the safety does not have proper detents.

I used a Hungarian PP clone as my first carry gun. I went down on the hammer spring and up on the recoil spring thanks to Wolff springs. It is very accurate and can be shot very quickly once in SA mode thanks to my spring changes. Solid gun, and I would hazard that the Fiocchi ammo is trucking along quite well out of the 4 inch barrel and penetrates rather well.

 

[JH1951]

The .32 ACP is in my opinion not a mouse gun. That caliber was a dominant one for many years in Europe. I sure would not want to be standing in front of one when discharged. That said, I too like them. I have a few in the safe and in the past carried a Colt 1908. I'm glad you "found" them and am sure you will enjoy all that you shoot and own.

 

[quikdraw67]

I had a P64 Polish 9mm Makarov pistol. It was smaller than a PPK.

9mm Mak is a stout little cartridge, somewhere between the .380 and 9mm Luger in power.

It was a handful, and had a DA trigger pull of close to 38lbs!

I paid $200 some years back, sold it for $300.

I was looking at a used Beretta 21A in .22lr.

That to me would be the classic definition on a mouse gun.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

They don't get much mousier than this CZ Duo, manufactured in German occupied Czechoslovakia in 1944 (identified by the NRA through its markings many years ago).

When I took it to the range I discovered that anything beyond up close and personal was going to result in no bullet holes in the target. But for years I kept it at my mother's home in Florida and I carried it there for up close and personal problems that might arise. Subsequent to her demise it came back to Texas and it has since graduated to safe queen............

I had a Beretta Model 84 in .32 ACP. Or maybe it was an 81. No matter. Anyway, I just couldn't get it to function well for me so I sold it. The whole Cheetah series, whether in .32 or .380, always seemed far too large for their calibers. They're just not really mouseguns and the gendarmes and carabinieri carried them for years.

Yes, a Model 81. Lovely gun and I might try another one someday.

 

[Old cop]

I like mouse guns but the only one that’s been 100% reliable for me is an old LCP I’ve had for years. Other than that my EDC tends to be a J Frame, but that does not qualify as a mouse gun.

 

[Golddollar]

My brother has so many .25 ACP mouse guns the neighborhood cats hang out in the yard. I helped him acquire a Star Starlet .25 auto that I literally scoped out when it came in the door of the gun shop. One of the shop owners brought it in and when I saw what it was I put him on the phone with my brother, who bought it immediately. We took it to the local indoor range and it turned out to be a surprisingly good shooter.

 

[alwslate]

I agree with the others. The chunky
Zastava 70 isn't really a mouse gun. But probably a good buy for the money.

 

[boykinlp]

I have a few guns in the 7.65/32acp caliber. Most are familiar with the Walther PPK and PP. Here is one of my older guns. This is an excellent example of a Mauser Model 1914 Third Variant sold in the commercial market in the early 1920's, probably 1921. The caliber is 7.65mm. This one is all matching and has the proper "Crown U" commercial proofs behind the rear sight. It is a proof mark used on military and commercial guns until 1940, when it was changed to the Eagle N proof. It also has a "Germany" export proof on the tang (above and below the hole in the back of the frame where the guide rod protrudes when the pistol is cocked) indicating this was intended for international commercial resale. It has a 2 stage safety system. Push the lever down to engage the safety, push the circular grooved button, and the lever pops up to disengage it. It has some fire blued parts including the trigger, extractor, safety lever, safety release, grip screw, and the barrel pin front plate. I think it's pretty cool.
Larry

 

[Echo40]

The closest thing I have to a Mouse Gun is my Ruger LCP.

As far as Surplus Guns go, I've got a Romanian Tokarev TT-33C.

 

[stanmerrell]

Mouse Attack

The cool thing about many mouse guns is they are straight blowback pistols that tend to be more accurate than you would expect due to the nature of not having a tip up or delayed locking release feature which tends to decrease accuracy if not done right.

 

[Yaworski]

I do have a teeny Beretta .25, I think that it is a model 950. I didn't buy it, I won it in a raffle. I used to carry it in my jacket pocket, figuring that a .25 was better than yelling "Boo!"

I used to work with a guy who claimed to have been shot with a .25 in a bar altercation. He didn't know he'd been shot until someone yelled, "You're bleeding." He went to the ER and the doc dug the bullet out of his belly fat.

 

[Pisgah]

Nicest pocket pistols I ever owned were an Ortgies 7.65 and its baby brother, a 6.35. Not a screw in them, they were like finely machined mechanical jigsaw puzzles. Amazing engineering and precision manufacture.

Ortgies Semi-Automatic Pistol - Wikipedia

 

[RV4driver]

I like mouse guns but the only one that’s been 100% reliable for me is an old LCP I’ve had for years. Other than that my EDC tends to be a J Frame, but that does not qualify as a mouse gun.

Old LCP. Stupid reliable. My wife and I both have one, and we've yet to have any kind of failure. Half a dozen (at least) brands and types of ammo. For something so small, light, and mass produced, we couldn't be happier. They disappear in a Hunter style no-print pocket/purse holster. I'm sure the "new" style LCP 2 and the one even later than that have some improvements, but haven't felt the need.
Oh, how I wish I could say the same for the Smith Bodyguard 380. Not this body, that's for sure.