history of this handgun

Question
semi auto pistol 32 auto calibre (7.65) made by fabriqued'armes de'guerre cal7.65 and marked paramount cal 32 with a serial #2215...what can you tell me about the manufacturer, where and when it was made and the date it was made...

Answer
William,

I can't be sure without seeing some detailed photos of the gun, but I suspect what you have is a Browning Model 1903 or one of the Spanish copies of the Model 1903 which is referred to as a "Ruby".  I suspect it is a Spanish gun since the number of Brownings produced was pretty limited.  

Quite a few of the Spanish guns were made and exported to the US just after WWI.  The Paramounts came out of the Elbar region of Spain and were made by at least three different companies.  Most were made in the 1920s.  If yours has "Spain" stamped on it, it was made prior to 1923.  If it says "Made in Spain", then it would be post 1923 since the import regulations in the US at the time required the "made in" stamping on any imported pistols.

Obviously, the gun's caliber is .32 ACP.  It may be possible to shoot it, but I'd have a qualified gunsmith check it out first.  Some of the older Browning clones were well constructed and should be fine, but it is a good idea to have someone check it to be sure.

Rather than plagiarize, I will direct you to an excellent article written about these guns.  Here is the link...

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?88044-Pistolet-Automatique-de-7-milli

I hope this helps you out...you have an interesting little piece of history in that gun...

Best regards,

Doug Little