Mossberg Brownie
I was at my favorite gun store last week, the owner had passed away about 10 months ago and his son had been helping him out/running it for the last few years.
He said he had been "finding" guns all over the place and in some weird places; last week he found 2 Mossberg Brownie pistols under a false bottom of a small drawer in his dad's old roll top desk. To make a short story shorter, he wanted to sell them together although they are consecutive, they are both very very nice and don't appear to have been shot much, and one maybe never but one has a bit of finish wear near the muzzle. He wanted $500 for the pair and was going to take them to Tulsa this weekend for the "big show" ... unfortunately, they didn't make it to the show as I bought them on the spot.
I can't find much info on them, one has a serial number of 14xxx and the other of 24xxx ... I didn't know Mossberg made pistols which was my main reason for purchasing them, I did find an old ad on line that showed them for sale new for $5 which was sometime between 1919 and 1932 which was when they were made. They remind me of a 357 COP as they are a 4-shot pepper box type barrel and have a rotating firing pin ... and they can fire 22short, long and LR.
Any help on what year they were produced and value would be appreciated ... I think they are fairly rare. They actually look brown, not blue and it doesn't appear to be patina ...
I've got a few more pictures but this is the only one I have in my photobucket:
He said he had been "finding" guns all over the place and in some weird places; last week he found 2 Mossberg Brownie pistols under a false bottom of a small drawer in his dad's old roll top desk. To make a short story shorter, he wanted to sell them together although they are consecutive, they are both very very nice and don't appear to have been shot much, and one maybe never but one has a bit of finish wear near the muzzle. He wanted $500 for the pair and was going to take them to Tulsa this weekend for the "big show" ... unfortunately, they didn't make it to the show as I bought them on the spot.
I can't find much info on them, one has a serial number of 14xxx and the other of 24xxx ... I didn't know Mossberg made pistols which was my main reason for purchasing them, I did find an old ad on line that showed them for sale new for $5 which was sometime between 1919 and 1932 which was when they were made. They remind me of a 357 COP as they are a 4-shot pepper box type barrel and have a rotating firing pin ... and they can fire 22short, long and LR.
Any help on what year they were produced and value would be appreciated ... I think they are fairly rare. They actually look brown, not blue and it doesn't appear to be patina ...
I've got a few more pictures but this is the only one I have in my photobucket:
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Anyone know where I might find an original pair of wood grips for a .22 Mossberg Brownie? Thanks for any help Terrill. 0 -
Somewhere buried in this mess is my copy of More Gun for Your Money- if I can find it, may have some more info.
Made 1920-1932.
Variation number 1 bears the legend on the right side of the barrels PAT. APPL'D. FOR.
Variation number 2 reads PAT. JAN. 27, 1920.
Variation number 3 reads PAT. JULY 27, 1920.
The second is the scarcest, and that is an incorrect date. If you paid $500 for the pair, you did very well. You can also drop a note to Mr. Mossberg- Victor Havlin at havlinsales.com. Victor and his wife Cheryl run the Mossberg Collector's Association, are the go-to folks for info and parts for Mossberg firearms- and are really nice people to deal with.
Oh- and Victor wrote that book.0 -
Thanks for that bit of info, both say Pat. July 27, 1920
Yesterday I saw one on the auction side that the bid is $300 and hasn't met reserve, I looked again tonight and there are several for even more, but none look as nice as mine. I don't think they're refinished, but I'm not an expert and I've never seen a brown blueing like these have.0 -
Don't mean to pee in your Cheerios. Seen a bunch over the years. Most of the time, in pretty rough shape. The finish(s) were mostly well worn blue, apparently from pocket carry. Not nearly as nice s this one, I got off the net. 0 -
The Brownie was the inspiration for the COP.
Yours have both been reblued. That's why they look brown/purple.0 -
Plum brown - too much chrome in the metal for the modern bluing salts.
$500 seems really high to me, but I'm a shooter not a collector. So if you're happy I'm ecstatic for you.0 -
The first pistol I ever owned was one of those I made a Firing pin to interchange with original That would fire all 4 barrels at one time sad to say after about 100 times of this it split one barrel Be aware I think it was made to shoot 22 short &long NOT long rifle 0 -
Thanks for all the replies!
Because of the age, I was thinking IF I shot it that I'd use 22 shorts ... and as it happens I have a couple boxes!
After I started this post, I got to thinking that the grips aren't in as good of shape as the metal and was thinking maybe they had been re-blued, I kind of wish that thought had occurred to me when I was looking at them ... still, at $250 each and seeing what they are bringing on the auction side I don't think I did too bad.
That's unfortunate but they still are in good shape without any major pitting or rust ... maybe I'll go with the shadow box idea, pull the firing pins and they'll make a nice wall decoration!0 -
I think you did alright. Not great, but alright!
They are cool little guns! I have one that I never shot but I'm tempted to!!
Enjoy!!0
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