doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Beretta hammerguns?

I thought I saw a thread on this a while back? Tried the search, did not see it in the results? Reason I ask is I saw a very nice one in 20ga with a sraight grip at a gun show....dealer did not have a price for it as he was unsure what it was worth!

Any ideas of the range of dates they were produced?

Value?

Best,
Mark

Did he know what he had paid for it?

Think he said it was on consignment from an estate.....said something about it being a "bring-back".

Could be...but I thought they still made them post WW2?

Looked like nice gun, just do not have a clue about it.

Thanks,
Mark

Try this link

http://bbs.shootingsportsman.com/viewtopic.php?t=30206&highlight=beretta+hammer

Beretta Hammer guns....Homer Clark'World Champion Live Pigeon Shooter! Possibly the best ever!...Gave me a Beretta 12b With external hammers at one of Fritz Gierhart's Pigeon shoots, Way back in the1971-72 season, I cut the stock and fitted a Pachmayer"Pigeon Shooter"(nasty bastards, big serations on the but-end,grabbed your shoulder pad and stayed there)Can't remember who he gave it to, but we were at at Pigeon shoot in San Antonio, Billy Perdue was shooting his Really Buggered-up Purdey and the owner of the'Beretta Hammer gun" Was running 'Straight'Beat the crop' out of everybody for 3 days That gun had the reputation of the'Majic Gun'One of the "Biggies of the period" offered a 'Purdey' 20b 4yrs old in trade! As the Old time pigeon shooters used to say....Money no Object for the Majic Gun!!!!I think I saw that very Gun in 'Godfather '1' when the gent in the movie was doing guard duty around the "Compound" (The BBls had been cut and it had sling swivels fitted and had a sling) Good quality'Farmers Guns' The Italian Resistance in WW2 used them to kill many of the Enemy..Still 'Lagging' behind'Brummie'Quality of the 1930s....Food for Discussion here????CC/dt.

The problem is figuring out which model. These are the most common models seen in this country.
They started producing these guns in the mid-1920's until sometime in the 1960's. If it is not one of these get some pictures.
There 500 years worth of Beretta's out there.
Notice the differences between the 401 BIS and the 401 Vittoria.









Check the proof for the date code.



Then depending on the condition and gauge you can begin to determine a value.
It sounds like this dealer is trying figure out the same thing.
They obviously know what the gun cost them.
I recently missed a 403 Stella in 28 gauge, the asking price was $2,500 in 90% condition.


Pete

Wealth of info, thanks guys!

Best,
Mark

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/yobyllib07208/berettapicsx005.jpg

403 stella

Yo...thats it or pretty close to the one I saw. Hope I see it again with something to offer.

Thanks again,
Mark

not wanting to hijack this thread but here is a picture of my Gamba hammergun it looks a lot like a beretta which coiming from Italy is probably not that surprising could this just be a common pattern of Hammergun from the area? or maybe actions were out sourced by some makers?

It is more likely that Gamba is copying the Beretta 403 & 404. The 401 was in production for a very long time. I have always assumed the same is true of the 2 upgraded models as well.

Though early on, Beretta was more into competition models. Eventually fully embracing the o/u. The hammer gun was more nostalgia in their eyes.

Pete