Does Bauer Firearms = Jennings + Junk???
I was looking at a pocket gun -.25acp Bauer Fire Arms, Fraser Michigan and I was wondering this manufacturer was in the same category as Jennings or Raven or other such junk. Can anyone advise??
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NO NO NO- Please don't confuse the Bauer with any of the low quality cast zinc pistols. The Bauer's were an all stainless steel copy of the Browning Baby and were introduced in around 1970 when the Gun Control Act of 1968 made the Browning unimportable. I had a little Bauer for many years and it worked very nicely- it had the simulated pearl grips, although these little "baby's" are so tiny that even with my small hands it was tough to get a good grip on the pistol. Bauer closed up shop some time in the mid-1980's but these little pistols are still around at about half the price of the near indentical Browning. If you are okay with a tiny .25 automatic I'd say go ahead and make the purchase.
Mark T. Christian0 -
And, whatever you do, NEVER, EVER remove the grips; you'll never get the darned thing back together again.
Neal0 -
Mark christian is right bauer interchange with the baby browning i like it better because mind is stainless steel. ? What was the price of the one you found.
rusty10 -
The Bauer,
As Mark advises, is not a Jennings, Raven or Jenning's family arm.
The Bauer, as Mark stated is a SS arm-copy of the Browning baby.
A suggestive only: the .25 ACP is a piss me off cartridge. Truly not recommended for self protection but better than nothing. There was a
Bicenteenial Model-that was acid engraved,and came with a box and a belt buckel that, as I remember, sold fo about $380.00 +/-. 1010 -
I bought one a year ago in excellent shape with the box, rug and paperwork for $165 + tax. I recommended one to a gentleman in the General strings looking for a Christmas present for his wife. He paid $225 with a rug (he didn't say if he got the box).
RE: the .25 is a piss-me-off cartridge - small autos are easily concealed, not a burden to carry, and have often been used to lethal effect. An Indiana State Trooper stopped to investigate a couple of drunks pissing by the side of the interstate and was killed by a single shot from a 25. I load mine with alternating rounds of ball and hollowpoint.
Does anyone know if the Bauer is/was made under license from Browning?
The only thing necessary for evil to triump is that good men do nothing. Recruit someone for the NRA today! Semper Fi0 -
The patent for the baby browning long expired when Bauer made it. The Bauer probably competes with any Browning in quality. I carried one for years in a handcuff case. Also had a murder where the guy shot the fellow in the head with a Bauer and the victim dropped like a rock and never took another breath. It's about placement. We chased the suspect and he fired at us a few times but never came close to hitting any of us pursuing him. It fired all five shots just fine. One case isn't a trend, but I was impressed. 0 -
Darrell is of course correct (and I LOVE those cop stories) that the patent for the Browning Baby had long since expired and can be built by anyone. Of course even when the patent was in force, that did nothing to stop 100+ Spanish gun companies in Eibar from making and marketing copies! If I recall, the Bauer was actually made by an outfit called R.B. Industries (or something like that) In Michigan. When Bauer went under the RB folks marketed the pistol as the Fraser. Later RB went belly up and some group called Precision Small Arms out of Virginia began making the guns and selling them through KBI and called the PSP-25. Around the mid 1980's PSP began selling the guns themselves. Stainless was out and you had your choice of blued at $250 or hard chrome at $299. By 1987 The guns were being built by some folks called Precision Small Arms out here in Beverly Hills, CA as the PSA-25. These guys offered something like 8 different finishes and the prices ranged from $269 all the way up to an astronomical $3600 for the super limited Imperiale Model- inlaid with gold and carrying scrimshawed ivory grips.
As far as I know the pistol is still being made by PSA. If anyone knows more about these pistols PLEASE help me out! Updare: I just checked and PSA is still in business and these pistols are still available. The company is now in Irvine- about 10 minutes away from me! Call 949-768-3530 if you want information...and to order that $3600 limited edition.
Mark T. Christian0 -
Eibar made it's fortunes copying guns like Colt and S&W. Some had the rampant pony on them. S&W thanks to Eibar put "Marcus Registradas" on their guns as a result I was told.
Eibar's aren't that bad of a gun. I had a few. One was a .32 LONG that I had cut to a 2/5 inch bbl and put nice grips on it. Hell of a shooter. I then got a .32-20 and did the same thing. What a BLAST from the 2.5 inch bbl. On occasion you see them around.
Gun cloning is pretty popular. I had a Browning High Power clone made by hand in China or someplace in the orient. Crude as a rock but it worked. I also saw a Webley .38 S&W made in pakistan by hand. Bauer was indeed one of the better ones. I'd grab one today if the price was right.0 -
Darrell is the price right at $225.00
rustie@comcast.net
rusty10 -
Rusty, that in my view is a little steep. I'd be far more comfortable at about $150 ONLY if you have a use for it. But I'm a cheap bastard. Have CASH in hand and tell em that is all there is and there ain't no mo and see what happenz. 0
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