Welcome to immediately’s Picture of the Day! This weird little goal pistol from Belgian maker Auguste Francotte takes the distinctive toggle-action from Luger/Borchardt pistols and reimagines it as a single-shot .22 goal gun. Serial quantity 10 suggests it’s from very early manufacturing, making it a fair rarer discover. What catches your eye instantly is that particular toggle mechanism on high. Whereas it seems prefer it got here straight off a Luger, this one is operated by hand reasonably than routinely biking with recoil. The shooter would break open the toggle to load a recent .22 spherical immediately into the chamber. These specialised European goal pistols had been constructed for severe aggressive taking pictures earlier than World Conflict II, when European pistol competitions had been extremely formalized affairs with very particular gear necessities. The Francotte identify was revered for high quality craftsmanship, although they’re far much less identified than contemporaries like Walther or Hammerli. The Belgian industrial crown proofs on the body and barrel verify its heritage, whereas the Francotte firm emblem on the left rear body above the serial quantity “10” helps date it to the early twentieth century when toggle-action pistols had been nonetheless thought of cutting-edge expertise.
“European Luger/Borchardt Model Francotte Single Shot Pistol.” Rock Island Public sale Firm, https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/4094/459/european-lugerborchardt-style-francotte-single-shot-pistol. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
