Tallball
Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2014
- Messages
- 7,814
I did lots of stuff when I was younger and dumber. One of them was marrying a woman I should have stayed away from. Another was choosing a pistol for her when she told me she wanted one to have around the house for whenever I might be gone.
I didn't know too much about firearms. My first FiL liked 380's. I found a 380 that looked okay to my young eyes and was affordable. It was from some company called "F.I.E."
My young bride shot a few magazines through it out in the country a few times and liked it well enough. However, she eventually admitted to me that she didn't really remember what all of the "levers and stuff" did. I traded it towards a snub 38, and that was that.
Fast-forward to last weekend. I'm now in my 50's instead of my 20's. I have found a much more suitable wife. I showed up at the LGS to pick up a handgun, and guess what I saw in the case?
Yeah, the same pistol. It was labelled EAA "Made in Italy", and it was in stainless, but I could tell it was the same. I examined it, and it seemed obviously modeled after the old Beretta Model 1934, though with a few changes. The model was EA380, and my guess was that it was made by Tanfoglio.
It didn't cost much, so I brought it home with me, just for old time's sake and for a range toy. I probably won't get to shoot it until next weekend, or maybe the one after. It seems to be in pretty good shape. A little bit of research seems to indicate that they were imported in different decades by different importers. Descriptions of the quality likewise vary. It's kind of like a Beretta 1934, but without the slide going over the barrel at the end. The takedown lever acts as a safety, and there's also an additional safety on the slide. There is no slide release lever - the slide is held open by the magazine follower.
If anyone has any experience or knowledge about these little old pistols, please let me know. I'm curious about it. I'm especially curious about who modified the design, and why it was modified in the specific ways that it was. The one that I had in the olden days (late 1980's) shot well enough, IIRC. Hopefully this one will too.
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I didn't know too much about firearms. My first FiL liked 380's. I found a 380 that looked okay to my young eyes and was affordable. It was from some company called "F.I.E."
My young bride shot a few magazines through it out in the country a few times and liked it well enough. However, she eventually admitted to me that she didn't really remember what all of the "levers and stuff" did. I traded it towards a snub 38, and that was that.
Fast-forward to last weekend. I'm now in my 50's instead of my 20's. I have found a much more suitable wife. I showed up at the LGS to pick up a handgun, and guess what I saw in the case?
Yeah, the same pistol. It was labelled EAA "Made in Italy", and it was in stainless, but I could tell it was the same. I examined it, and it seemed obviously modeled after the old Beretta Model 1934, though with a few changes. The model was EA380, and my guess was that it was made by Tanfoglio.
It didn't cost much, so I brought it home with me, just for old time's sake and for a range toy. I probably won't get to shoot it until next weekend, or maybe the one after. It seems to be in pretty good shape. A little bit of research seems to indicate that they were imported in different decades by different importers. Descriptions of the quality likewise vary. It's kind of like a Beretta 1934, but without the slide going over the barrel at the end. The takedown lever acts as a safety, and there's also an additional safety on the slide. There is no slide release lever - the slide is held open by the magazine follower.
If anyone has any experience or knowledge about these little old pistols, please let me know. I'm curious about it. I'm especially curious about who modified the design, and why it was modified in the specific ways that it was. The one that I had in the olden days (late 1980's) shot well enough, IIRC. Hopefully this one will too.
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