John Dillinger's favorite

[DanGunner]

The famed Depression era bank robber and accomplished escape artist obviously had his pick of firearms but his favorite was an Ortgies .32 ACP semi-auto, which was only manufactured for a few years after World War I. An inexpensive pistol at the time, it nevertheless is prized for its ingenuity and high quality. I've wanted one for years and fortune smiled when a fellow Calgunner offered a sterling example. Its term in gun jail ends his week and I'm thrilled to add it to my collection of .32s that includes a Beretta, a Seecamp, a Walther PP and a Zastava. Fortunately, I also have a fairly good supply of ammo, which is hard to find these days.

[223556]

Very clean looking and sleek. Beautiful!
Congrats on the find!

[Bainter1212]

Nice. I had one for awhile back when I collected .32s. I sold them all except the Colt 1903

[Spaffo]

20190406_151512.jpgLove shooting mine. It's almost a target pistol. 1924 6th variation.

[Ora Serrata]

Congratulations, and welcome to the Ortgies club. My dad had one on his LA CCW back in the ‘50s. When I turned 21 he gave it to me. Besides my dad’s .32 version I also own one in .25 that used to belong to Darth Vader (James Earl Jones).

I’ve had to change springs over the years on my dad’s. It’s the only gun I’ve ever actually had a hang-fire with.

[Pofoo]

FYI, I believe that they sold about 400,000 of them in various calibers, in about 4 yrs., before the allies made them close down operations after WWI.
This would make them 1 of, or the best, selling civilian pistols sold at that time.
Most people now have never heard of them.

[Yetiultimate]

I've got a 1921 and it's really a cool little pistol. Fun fact...it is designed without any screws. (Some later models had a grip screw but we consider that a mod)

[M1NM]

They must have been proud of the Dillinger connection for them to have a stylized D on the grips.

[AR22]

Very nice example..

[81turbota]

That’s a really nice one Dan!