Beretta M-1934

[Stringtyer]

While not a true Today’s Find, I think it is interesting enough to post.

This story starts 55 years ago when my cousin and I buried an ammo can in his back yard. The can contained, among other things, a stuffed monkey named Zippy, a model airplane and a 45 rpm record. All our relatives living in our home town have passed away and we are working toward selling our respective home places.

We got together over Christmas and started talking about childhood memories and, naturally, the topic of Zippy came up. We decided that I should take my metal detector and try to find the can containing Zippy. The search was on. Alas, no Zippy. I figure that the ammo can has probably rusted away and Jeff (cousin) thinks we buried it pretty deep (2 feet or so). If that is the case, my old Bounty Hunter Tracker II will never see it.

Here’s the interesting part. While sweeping the yard I got a strong signal. Since I did not have a pinpointer at the time, I used my probe to gently poke around the area and soon got a solid hit. I dug down about 2 inches and was surprised to find a Beretta pistol. The hammer was back an the safety was on. It was extremely rusted.

For safety reasons and because of the possibility of the gun having been used in a crime, I called the police. They came and, after much discussion, took the pistol for investigation.

Jeff and I started talking about the gun and, with his sister’s input, we believe the pistol was a war souvenir brought home from Italy by my uncle Rocky. We are waiting for the police to conclude their investigation and return the pistol to the family.

 

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[uglymailman]

Hope you get it back. A lady on my mail route found a .22 revolver and turned it into the P.D. and never got it back. And Tom in CA- WW2 vets could jump through hoops and get guns back. In Pacific they could bring back one rifle or pistol. In ETO during war they could ship home small arms if ok'ed by a noncom and an officer in the Company. After war one rifle or one hand gun. Local museum has a Japanese Arikia (sp?) rifle and the paperwork needed to get it home. Good luck.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

Hope you get it back. A lady on my mail route found a .22 revolver and turned it into the P.D. and never got it back. And Tom in CA- WW2 vets could jump through hoops and get guns back. In Pacific they could bring back one rifle or pistol. In ETO during war they could ship home small arms if ok'ed by a noncom and an officer in the Company. After war one rifle or one hand gun. Local museum has a Japanese Arikia (sp?) rifle and the paperwork needed to get it home. Good luck.

Thanx for elaborating on that. Very interesting. As a kid, I talked to many WWII vets. And some had souvenirs from the Pacific or Europe. I guessed trinkets were ok (ie.: ignored, as they just fit in your luggage)

My thought that souvenirs weren't allowed, came from what one WWII vet told me. But perhaps his case was isolated : He was in the coast guard. And they went in, in the days following battles around the Pacific Islands. And their job was to dive on sunken ships, with helmet to surface diving. And in doing so, there was often dead bodies in the sunken wrecks. In one case, they were diving on a civilian sunken ship, with scores of dead on board. He proceeded to collect all sorts of rings, watches, etc... from the corpses.

Later, when his commanding officer saw an entire cigar box filled with jewelry, he realized his guys were hunting souvenirs down below . And told them , by some military rules, that they were not allowed to do so. So I just thought it was some sort of military rule. Didn't know there was actual protocol for grabbing and bringing home stuff, like even guns. Interesting.

 

[cudamark]

My Dad brought home a souvenir Japanese rifle from WW2 and had it stored until about 10 years ago or so. He sold it to a friend who liked stuff like that. The friend managed to find or have made some ammo for it. He went down to the range to try it out. When he pulled the trigger, he found out that it was a full automatic! Got some interesting looks from others at the range!

 

[hucklburry]

News on the pistol ... I just heard from the police department that has the gun in custody. They say it has been declared unsafe so, in order to get it back, I have to petition the court for its return. I suppose it was the right thing to turn it in for examination but it has turned into a lot of work to get it back.

I'd get a lawyer and go through the steps, but that is just me.

 

[chub]

I think it was this one or maybe a 950, .25cal? that cut my hand with the slide on blowblack. My father had one as standard issue by the bank ( in the days when a bank manager kept a gun!). We used to go out shooting it on weekends.

edit, just googled some pics. Was this available in the states or Australia? The beretta family of pistols all look so similar.

Chub

 

[junkhunt]

The police are not to trusted.

 

[lucky92]

The original target.

View attachment 1575998

I still have my zip ��

 

[lucky92]

News on the pistol ... I just heard from the police department that has the gun in custody. They say it has been declared unsafe so, in order to get it back, I have to petition the court for its return. I suppose it was the right thing to turn it in for examination but it has turned into a lot of work to get it back.

Can't trust big brother, they are the only ones they want to own guns

 

[GB1]

i wouldn't have even turned it in i know you don't get stuff back because my uncle once found a really expensive watch at the beach he tried to get it back to the owner but when he asked if they had found the owner the police said what watch

 

[Stringtyer]

i wouldn't have even turned it in i know you don't get stuff back because my uncle once found a really expensive watch at the beach he tried to get it back to the owner but when he asked if they had found the owner the police said what watch

Had the find not been a gun, I would not have involved the police. If it was an identifiable piece of jewelry (class ring, for example), I would do as much research as I could to find the original owner and, if possible, return the item. If it lacked any identification, I would call it fortunate and go about my business.

I called the police for several reasons. One is that my hometown is sometimes a bit "sketchy" and the gun could have been involved in a crime. I felt that it was my civic duty to allow the police the chance to see if that were the case. Another reason is that the hammer was back on the gun and the safety was on. That suggests that the gun was loaded and in safe mode. As the gun was rusty and filled with dirt, I thought it best to let someone with significantly more experience than I to unload and de-cock it.

Of course, after discussing it with my family, I should have kept it, taken it to a gunsmith to clear, and retained ownership of a piece of family history.

 

[Stringtyer]

I know this is an ancient thread but I have some news on the gun recovery effort. I got a call from the PD in my hometown asking if I wanted them to retain the gun any longer or if they could dispose of it. I told them that I wanted to get the gun back. I called the District Attorney in my home county and he gave me clear and concise instructions as to retrieving the gun. I have the appropriate paperwork in the works and, with any luck at all, should have the gun back in my possession by March. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Huntr1]

Did you get the gun back?

 

[A2coins]

That would be pretty awesome hope you get it . Thanks for the update

 

[PapaKins]

Wow! Can't believe this thread popped up again. The short answer is that I have not recovered the gun ... yet. There is some good news. I contacted the DA in the county in which the gun was found and he tells me that I can file paperwork to recover the gun. I have done so and am waiting for response from the DA. Hopefully will hear in the next few weeks.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I see I replied long ago - and I continue to wish you luck.

The pistol may be in worse shape now because it has been exposed to air for two years after being dug.