|
The Browning 1910 and a Spanish Copy, the Bufalo
by Ed Buffaloe
 Just as the Model 1900 FN Browning, the first .32 caliber self-loading pistol ever made, set off a wave of imitations, so
did the Model 1910 Browning which, with the Colt 1911, is one of the most copied pistols of the 20th century (think Bayard, Bufalo, Danton, DWM, Melior, and the Czech
Praga). The Model 1910 was one of the first production self-loading pistols with the recoil spring around the barrel. Like the Colt 1903 Pocket Model (also designed by John
Moses Browning), it had a grip safety and a thumb-operated manual safety, and added a magazine disconnect safety as well. The Model 1910 was manufactured continuously from
1912 to 1983, and is still highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability.
Most sources state that the Bufalo was manufactured by Gabilando y Cia from 1919 to 1925. However, there is a Bufalo in the Museo de la Industria Armera in Eibar which is
said to have been made by Beristain y Cia of Eibar under contract with Gabilando y Cia, with production beginning in
1920. To further confuse matters, A.B. Zhuk says that the gun was made by Gregorio Bolumburu of Eibar. It may well be that several companies made the Bufalo at different times. Whoever made the
gun, the Browning design was simplified so that it could be manufactured with fewer steps, replacing the striker ignition
system with a concealed hammer, and redesigning the grip safety. Gabilando produced a similar (but apparently not
identical) pistol called the Danton between 1925 and 1933. The Danton was also made in a smaller .25 caliber version.
(After 1931, Gabilando made pistols primarily under the Llama trade name, all of which were based on the Colt Model
1911, another design by John M. Browning. The Llama pistols were very successful and are still produced today.)
Both of these pistols are quite reliable with hardball ammunition. They both occasionally have trouble feeding hollow-point
ammunition, but this isn’t unexpected since they were produced prior to the advent of hollow points. Browning was
somewhat fanatic about making his weapons handle all sorts of ammunition. I was stunned by the accuracy of the
Browning. The other two guns I tested produced 3 inch groups at ten yards, and are certainly accurate enough for self
defense, but the Browning’s group was hardly more than an inch across. (I threw in the Walther Model 4 here because it is a very similar .32 caliber handgun from the same era.)
|
|
1910 Browning
|
Bufalo
|
Walther Model 4
|
|
Cartridge
|
7.65mm / .32 ACP
|
7.65mm / .32 ACP
|
7.65mm / .32 ACP
|
|
Magazine Capacity
|
7 rounds
|
7 rounds
|
8 rounds
|
|
Overall Length
|
6 inches / 153mm
|
6.11 inches / 155.3mm
|
5.94 inches / 151mm
|
|
Overall Height
|
3.91 inches / 99.4mm
|
3.85 inches / 97.8mm
|
4.05 inches / 102.9mm
|
|
Grip Depth at Base
|
1.67 inches / 42.4mm
|
1.84 inches / 46.8mm
|
1.62 inches / 41.2mm
|
|
Barrel Length
|
3.44 inches / 87.5mm
|
3.42 inches / 86.9mm
|
3.46 inches / 88mm
|
|
Slide Width
|
.8 inches / 20.3mm
|
.8 inches / 20.4mm
|
.8 inches / 20.5mm
|
|
Weight Empty
|
19.6 ounces / 554.8g
|
21.52 ounces / 609g
|
18.42 ounces / 521.2g
|
|
All three pistols are single action only. The Walther and the Bufalo have internal hammers, whereas the Browning utilizes a striker. The Walther has no grip safety.
|
|
Copyright 2007 by Ed Buffaloe. All rights reserved.
|
References
John M. Browning, American Gunmaker, John Browning and Curt Gentry, Doubleday & Co., 1964.
Spanish Handguns, by Gene Gangarosa Jr., Stoeger Publishing Co., 2001.
The Walther Handgun Story, by Gene Gangarosa Jr., Stoeger Publishing Co., 1999.
|
|
|
|
|
