SOLD - 1939 Czech F. Dusek Duo "Singer" - 6.35mm

Description

6/25/25 - František Dušek, born in 1876, established himself as a gunsmith in the town of Opocno in 1908. Interestingly, he refused to manufacture weapons or parts for the Austro-Hungarians during World War I, and he likewise refused to coöperate with the Nazi occupation during World War II. After World War I, he made rifles, shotguns, air rifles, and gunsmith supplies.  He bought some unfinished pistols from the Praga Zbrojovka company when it went out of business in 1926, and finished and sold them under the Praga name.  Then he began to import Spanish pistols under the trade names Singer and Ydeal. Around 1934 or 1935 he probably began to manufacture barrels for the Mars pistols made by the Posumavska Factory, and by 1935 he was selling .25 caliber Mars pistols with the Mars name removed and the slides marked ‘Automat Pistole “DUO”,’ which was an abbreviation of “Dusek, Opocno". This one has retained about 95% of its bluing with general minor high edge wear. Some very light freckling here and there. Fitted with correct black plastic grips and comes with one magazine. The bore has great rifling with light pin-pricking throughout.