17th May : Becker & Hollander Beholla Pistol

Name     :     Becker & Hollander Beholla Pistol


AKA       :     The Beholla 

Caliber     :     7.65x17mm Browning (.32 ACP)


Capacity   :     7 Rounds


Weight     :     22.57oz or 640g


Length     :     5.59in or 142mm


Action      :     Blowback Action, semi automatic


Origin      :     Germany 




Produced by Becker and Hollander of Suhl in Germany in 1915 the Beholla was a mediocrity at best even by the standards of the day.  With this in mind it was given a substitute pistol status in the German Army during the First World War. It was commonly issued to lower ranked personnel when the famous P08 Luger or even Mauser C96's were short in supply.  After the initial shipment from Becker and Hollander the German Army ordered the pistol to be contracted out to other arms firms to insure a healthy supply and thus a contract was given to Leonhardt, Stenda and Menta.  Production of this pistol for the German Army would appear to have been around 40-45'000 and remained in service until 1918 the end of the war.  After the war, the pistol was produced by several manufacturers for the commercial market, and some were even offered for sale by the Army to the public.  Total production for this pistol/design including commercial models is estimated around 100,000.


Typically of pistols made in Europe at this time, the magazine release is located on the heal of the grip and is pushed to the rear to eject the magazine for reloading.  The barrel is fixed to the frame by means of a cross-pin, and this is where the pistol takes a turn for the worse. 


To dismantle the Beholla the magazine has to be removed and the striker released by pulling the trigger with an empty shell case inserted in the chamber to prevent damage to the firing pin.  The cross-pin holding the barrel to the frame has to be removed through a hole in the slide.  This is done by punching out the cross-pin with a tool through the right side of the slide until it is far enough through it can be pulled by hand from the left hand side of the slide. The slide must then be locked to the rear and the barrel is pushed backward approximately 5mm and pulled upward and it can be removed. The slide is then released forward to its normal position the trigger again needs to be pulled then the slide can move forward off the frame. 


The Beholla like all German pistols was a war trophy for allied soldiers but never gained the fame or popularity of other pistols such as the Luger.  In service the pistol was considered to be robust enough for combat, which probably was the pistols only saving grace, considering what it took to clean it.  Some collectors and shooters have stated that they have been very impressed with the accuracy potential of this pistol, especially considering that it was produced during war time, when the quality of firearms is generally a lot lower.  This is probably an inherent advantage of the fixed barrel design. 


INTERESTING FACT : Magazines from the Colt 1903 pistol in .32ACP will function well in the Beholla, for those of you out there looking for replacement or spare magazine.


PRO's :   Robust, Accurate, easy to conceal, snag free design


CON's :   Low on the manstopping scale, awful dismantling procedure for a soldier 

14th May : Fabrique Nationale Model 1910

Name     :     FN Model 1910

AKA       :     Pistole Modell 626 (B) = WW2 German Military Designation

Caliber     :     7.65x17mm Browning (.32 ACP), 9x18mm Short (.380 ACP)

Capacity   :     7 Rounds (7.65mm)

Weight     :     21.25oz or 600g

Length     :     6in or 152mm

Action      :     Blowback operated, Single Action, Semi automatic

Origin      :     Belgium

Designed by world famous firearms designer John Moses Browning the FN model 1910 was a popular and well liked defensive arm found in many arsenals during the first part of the 20th Century.  John Browning made regular trips between the two major manufacturers of his designs, namely Colt for the U.S. market and Fabrique Nationale of Belgium for the European market.  Browning approached Colt to make his new pistol design that was to become the Model 1910, but Colt was not interested, perhaps due to the success of the Colt Model 1903.  Fabrique Nationale no doubt saw considerable potential for the design and the pistol went into production eventually arming much of Europe.

Though first produced in 1910 this pistol did not come into widespread availability until 1912.  John Browning's first financially rewarding venture into the defensive pistol field was also made by FN in the Model 1900, an unusual pistol in that the recoil spring was located above the barrel, it was a sturdy and reliable defensive pistol.  Combined the models 1900, 1903, 1906 and the 1910 had been sold in excess of one million by 1914, making vast fortunes for the large firearm distributors in Europe.  

The 1910 has a smooth overall appearance and semi-compact feel about it, this is due to a small trend that was started with this pistol, the recoil spring is positioned around the barrel instead of a traditional plunger or guide rod, making the pistol smaller than some of its contemporaries. The pistol's safety is nothing special in the respect it is simply pushed up into a notch in the slide to put the weapon on safe, and the pistol also sports a grip safety.  The sights on the pistol pictured are of non-snagging type and are a groove that runs in the top of the slide, and though not target shooter material they are adequate for defensive purposes. Some Model 1910's did have windage adjustable rear sights that are retained via a wedge base that are slid into traditional slide cut outs.  

A variant of this pistol appeared in 1922 this model was known as the Model 1910/22 after a Serbian Army requested that the 1910 have a longer barrel and slightly improved ammunition capacity thus FN lengthened the barrel and simply attached a large retaining ring in front of the slide and increased the magazine capacity for an extra 2 rounds.  The Serbian Army happy with these improvements made a large order.  During World War Two the German Army having occupied Belgium had FN make Model 1910s and 1910/22s for the Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht.  The 1910 went out of production in 1983 and was widely copied by many arms manufacturers around the world.  Popular with civilian shooters it was also big in European Law Enforcement with some police forces choosing to keep it in front line service until 1985.  In the James Bond movie "Dr. No" the 1910 is used as a stand-in for a Walther PPK due to the movie makers having issues adapting the PPK to fire blanks, though the change over went un-noticed by much of the movie going audience.

INTERESTING FACT :  It is said that the great war may have been started by the pistol but it was the rifle that fought it.  Well the 1910 has an interesting part in that fact -  it was that pistol in the hands of Gavrilo Princip, who shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the precursor to World War One.

PRO's   :   Compact and Easy to Use, Kinda accurate, Collectable, 

CON's   :   Magazine disconnect safety, some have rough trigger pulls.

COOL FACTOR : 7/10

April 19th : Beretta 3032 Tomcat

Name     :     Beretta Model 3032


AKA       :     Tomcat, The Flip Top

Caliber     :   .32ACP (7.65x17mm Browning)


Capacity   :   7 Rounds


Weight     :   14.5oz or 410g


Length     :    4.9in or 125mm


Action      :    Blowback operated, Double Action, Semi Automatic


Origin      :    Italy 


The Beretta 3032 finds it origins in the Model 950 "Jetfire" first created in 1952, a single action pistol that originally had no safety lever.  The success of the little Jetfire which was available in .22LR and .25ACP (6.35mm) spanned until 2003 when production ceased.  With the need for a more powerful chambering and/or incorporation of improvements the 3032 "Tomcat" was born.  The main changes from the model 950 lay in the caliber of .32ACP and the implementation of a double action mechanism.


The little Tomcat features a tilting barrel, not fixed like most blowback pistols,  the barrel is released by pressing forward on a lever located above the rear of the trigger guard on the left hand side of the frame.  This allows the user to inspect that the pistol has no round chambered.  Though some people "top off" the pistol in this fashion by inserting a full magazine of seven rounds, releasing the barrel to tip up and manually loading a round into the barrel to give the pistol one extra round.  The Tomcat has a rather long double action pull, then every subsequent shot is double action. The double action mechanism in this pistol can be seen as an advantage over double action only (DAO) pistols when it comes to getting some reach, with the lighter single action pull available for those longer range shots can improve accuracy.  The lack of a decocker is unusual however, implying that the double action feature of this pistol could be just a double strike capability if the round fails to fire after the first pull of the trigger.  Releasing the magazine is an interesting process for those who have never handled a Tomcat or jetfire, the release button is found on the left hand grip just above the bottom grip screw, though it does need a positive push to release the magazine, preventing an unwanted magazine departure.

A Model 3032 with the barrel tilted

.32ACP is at the low end in terms of a self defense caliber, though interestingly that is what it was designed for, European police and even some military's around the world used this caliber for some time up until the 1980's.  Invented in 1899 the round has been around for a long time and in full metal jacket form is unsuitable for someone wanting to carry this pistol for personal protection, but with good jacketed hollowpoint rounds such as Winchester Silvertips it can have potential with good shot placement (shot placement is important with any caliber).  The Tomcat is capable of consuming large amounts of ammunition due to it's quality construction though it must be noted that it is not rated or recommended for +P rounds.


Available in stainless type finish Beretta calls INOX and a two tone finish, the Beretta Tomcat is a fun little shooter, and when it comes to self protection : A tomcat in hand is better than a .45 left at home.


INTERESTING FACT : NO EXTRACTOR, this pistol has no extractor to remove rounds, racking the slide will not remove chambered rounds, so use that tilt lever.


PRO's : Compact, Reliable, fun, quality, surprisingly accurate, windage on sights 


CON's : No extractor, unusual magazine release, no decocker, 


COOL FACTOR : 7 / 10