Pasadena Firearms/Beretta pistol

[rritter]

I recently acquired a small self-loading pistol in 7.65mm (.32 ACP). The markings on the slide indicate that it is by Pasadena Firearms, but all of the other markings point to a Beretta make. The Pasadena Firearms marking is obviously hand-stamped in a ground-off area. There's a good picture of a similar pistol here: http://www.simpsonltd.com/product_info.php?cPath=19_20&products_id=83

I think this is an imported and re-marked Beretta Model 34, but I can't find any info that would link the two. Does anyone know if this was a Model 34? Did Pasadena change the serial numbers, or have a special S/N range? Can I look up the S/N as a Beretta M34 to find out when it was made?

Thanks.

 

[Lo.Com.Denom]

Well, from what I gather, Pasadena Firearms were importers and that pistol is definitely a Beretta. However, if it's chambered for .32ACP, it's not a model '34 - it's a '35 (or a 1931 - unlikely). They were also offered commercially as the Model 935 until about 1958.

If your's is an ex-military pistol, it should be marked either RA (Regia Aeronautica) or RM (Regia Marine). The date is also given first in the Christian calendar, then in Roman numerals in the Fascist calendar. e.g. "1942 XX"

My books don't say much about serial numbers, unfortunately.

Oh, and don't rely on that safety catch!

Hope this helps... er, somehow...

 

[rritter]

Thanks, but from my research I think it is more likely an M34 than an M35. I've found sites that say the M34 was only in .380 ACP, and the M35 was in 7.65 (.32 ACP), but I've also found sites that say the M34 was produced in both calibers. I asked at a gun shop recently, and their used gun price book shows the M34 as being produced in both calibers. In addition, it gives a barrel length for the M34 as 3 3/8 inches, and 3 1/2 for the M35. This pistol has a 3 3/8 inch barrel, which also points to the M34.

I haven't found a date stamp, or the RA/RM stamps which might indicate military purchase. I don't think it's a milsurp.

What I haven't found is anything solidly linking the Pasadena Firearms pistol to a specific Beretta model, or explaining how Pasadena's serial numbers related to Beretta's (if they were different). If it's an M34 serial number, it points to production before 1942 (all numeric, no letters). Every picture I've found of a pre-war M34, though, has a lot more writing on the left side of the slide than this pistol (two lines, at least, rather than the single line on this one).

Is there another small Beretta pistol, maybe a postwar model, that could be this one?

 

[rritter]

OK, after a bit more hunting, I found a Beretta M35 photo that looks more like the Pasadena Firearms gun than the M34s do. It's here:
http://www.jacksonarmory.com/content/product_details.php?itemID=606

(There's also a picture of a 7.65 mm M34 here: http://www.jacksonarmory.com/content/product_details.php?itemID=530
Notice the different markings on the slide.)

This has the single line of writing on the left side of the slide that was clearly ground off on the Pasadena to allow for the "Pasadena Firearms" to be hand-stamped. The seriall number placement on the right side matches, also - frame only, not on the slide. Lacking any better data, I'm going to assume that this is a Beretta M35, imported by Pasadena Firearms, although it has the 1/8 inch shorter barrel of the M34.

 

[Lo.Com.Denom]

The plot thickens!

Well, if my books are wrong (and some undoubtably are), I can't be of much use to you. Got to say though, I've never heard of a M1934 in .32ACP - not that I don't belive that they could exist. I definitely think that a postwar M35 is the most likely suspect, in this case, however. (I saved that piccy of the 7.65mm M34 and tinkered around with the image, but I couldn't make out the model number or cal. in the slide markings).

I found a bunch of info on '34 / '35 slide-markings and S/Ns on this site:

http://www.berettaweb.com/armi/Beretta mod 1934 & 1935.htm

Also notice the 2 pictures halfway down the page of the two M34s. Barrel length seems to vary slightly within the M34 range.

Guess the best way to sort this out is to ask Beretta themselves. Let me know if you find out anything about the 7.65mm M34 - you've sparked my interest now...