Good evening, SF.

While visiting The Lovely Girlfriend's family last weekend, this little pistol came up in discussion. I know next to nothing about it, but we'd like to know more. I grabbed a few pics so I could ask about it here.

It could use just a bit of cleaning, but it appears to be in not-bad shape overall. We didn't shoot it at all. The slide moves easily and smoothly. It's a neat little gun, I think. It feels solid, and all the surfaces are smooth.

Anybody have experience with or knowledge about these?

Thank you.

I don't know anything about it either, but this Wikipedia article sounds like the right company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galesi-Brescia
In addition to 6.35mm (better known as .25 ACP), they were made in .22 Short, .22 Long and .22 Long Rifle, so "Cal .22" could be any of those, and they won't interchange.

Yessir, that's one of the things I want to figure out -- which .22 is correct?

(I have some .22 Short around here somewhere....)

I did see the Wikipedia article you mentioned. Are these side plates considered "white?" They're for sure not mother-of-pearl. I can rule out a few of the model numbers listed, but I'm not sure I can rule one in. Models 504, 507, 513, and 516 seem likely.

22 Long, perhaps

Cool!

I was able to trade a few radio tubes and the guy threw in a Galesi pistols

Mine is chambered 25 Auto, but I had to make my own magazine and the grips are hard to find.

Given the length of the 25 round, I'd have to say that the 22 long would be a good first guess.

The proof date is 1961.

CAR, how do you know that?

(I'm not challenging you -- I'm trying to learn what all the marks mean.)

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
I had to make my own magazine

You made your own? Cool!

I have a few older Berettas with the older Roman numeral date codes, so I had already done some research on this.

Thank you, CAR, that'll be good information for me to hold onto.

In my third pic, there appears to be some "bubbling" around the trigger guard. Suppose that's rust underneath the chrome? Or something else?

Today's learning: It's chambered in .22 Short.

Aaaaaand, I'm wrong!
It's .22 Long instead.

Yes, in the period that pistol was produced, these little European autos were found not infrequently in 22 Long.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Cool!

I was able to trade a few radio tubes and the guy threw in a Galesi pistols

Mine is chambered 25 Auto, but I had to make my own magazine and the grips are hard to find.

Given the length of the 25 round, I'd have to say that the 22 long would be a good first guess.

I have a blue .25 with the white grips. One grip panel is chipped and I re-blued it. I bought it on a string of saturday night specials at a gunshow long ago. I had to sort through a case of magazines to find one that fit but it was too long so I shortened it and re-peened the base plate. It is all steel and seems to be a half decent quality. I later tried to sell it to a gun shop along with a few other guns. They said it was worth maybe $20 bucks and if they bought it they would actually destroy it rather than sell it. It's just a novelty to me now.

I thought .22 Long was obsolete and discontinued, but apparently CCI-Speer still make it.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
apparently CCI-Speer still make it.

Good to know! Thank you for pointing that out.