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On 26 May, 1970 I bought a Browning "9mm Parabellum Automatic Pistol" (description on the manual) at a local sporting goods store for $108.
My wife and I shot it frequently, and a few years later, when my sons turned eight and nine, they started shooting it as well. We put several thousands through the very accurate and trustworthy pistol.
At the time, we did not know enough to really appreciate it. Whether with commercial ammo, hollow points, or my reloads, it never failed to function well. As I had always done with all my firearms (and continue to do, but even more so), I thoroughly cleaned the Browning after each trip to the range or to the field.
Fast forward to 1990. By now, both my sons were US Marines, and we shot together only occasionally. After one session with the Browning among others, I set to clean the trusty handgun. Lo and behold, I noticed what appeared to be a hairline crack on the barrel, right at the chamber. I finished clean it up and set it aside – carefully.
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A few weeks later, I took it to a gun show where there was a Browning collector. I showed him my gun and asked him for an appraisal. I also told him that I was not really interested in selling it – just then, anyway. He looked it over briefly and asked me if I had ever shot it. “Yes”, I replied. He then look it over more closely, and said, “Oh yes, but it has been cleaned well,” so I thanked him.
He then looked at the ‘crack’ and said, “Oh, you got a keeper, young man.” I asked him if he was referring to the hairline crack. “Yes,” he said, “but it is not a crack at all.” He explained that Browning had used a method in the late 1960’s of fusing two parts to make the barrel assembly, and that it was supposed to be an improvement. After a year or so, however, Browning determined that it was too costly and did not really make that much difference, so they stopped using the two-part method. He said they were made like that for just a couple of years, which made my gun worth quite a bit more.:rock:
IS THIS TRUE?
I have never fired the gun since then, and probably never will.
BTW, the gun is 99.5% - no blemishes, scratches, wear marks - looks as it did when I bought it. ( 99.5% because I suspect that someone may find something...) I do have the soft case that came with it as well as the orginal manual.
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Thanks for you inputs!
Alex
My wife and I shot it frequently, and a few years later, when my sons turned eight and nine, they started shooting it as well. We put several thousands through the very accurate and trustworthy pistol.
At the time, we did not know enough to really appreciate it. Whether with commercial ammo, hollow points, or my reloads, it never failed to function well. As I had always done with all my firearms (and continue to do, but even more so), I thoroughly cleaned the Browning after each trip to the range or to the field. Fast forward to 1990. By now, both my sons were US Marines, and we shot together only occasionally. After one session with the Browning among others, I set to clean the trusty handgun. Lo and behold, I noticed what appeared to be a hairline crack on the barrel, right at the chamber. I finished clean it up and set it aside – carefully.
A few weeks later, I took it to a gun show where there was a Browning collector. I showed him my gun and asked him for an appraisal. I also told him that I was not really interested in selling it – just then, anyway. He looked it over briefly and asked me if I had ever shot it. “Yes”, I replied. He then look it over more closely, and said, “Oh yes, but it has been cleaned well,” so I thanked him.
He then looked at the ‘crack’ and said, “Oh, you got a keeper, young man.” I asked him if he was referring to the hairline crack. “Yes,” he said, “but it is not a crack at all.” He explained that Browning had used a method in the late 1960’s of fusing two parts to make the barrel assembly, and that it was supposed to be an improvement. After a year or so, however, Browning determined that it was too costly and did not really make that much difference, so they stopped using the two-part method. He said they were made like that for just a couple of years, which made my gun worth quite a bit more.:rock:
IS THIS TRUE?
I have never fired the gun since then, and probably never will.
BTW, the gun is 99.5% - no blemishes, scratches, wear marks - looks as it did when I bought it. (
99.5% because I suspect that someone may find something...) I do have the soft case that came with it as well as the orginal manual.
Thanks for you inputs!
Alex
