What exactly is this strange handgun?

[tazman]

I was looking through a box of stuff from my late father's estate and found this handgun. I don't understand how it works or what it is supposed to shoot.
There is no chamber that I can see other than the place in the back where the little trap lever opens up. I can't see how to load any projectile into it.
There is a pin that swivels down out of the butt that I don't know what it is for either.
The lands in the barrel don't appear to be twisted. They appear straight.
Does anyone have a clue?
16939616939716939816939916940016940116940216940316 9404

[sir_n0thing]

Hard to see but it looks like it says CAL 22 on the left side?

Further research indicates it is A Brevettata Model 1900 blabk-firing starter pistol.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

[bouncer50]

What you have is a blank gun. You are missing the loading tray to put the blanks in.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I believe it is a .22 starting pistol for races, gundogs or general self-expression. It is probably made for the short rimfire blanks, although few were .32. They would fit upward facing chambers in a strip magazine which would slide along, not semiautomatically but mechanically, as each shot was fired. The pin would be used to punch out the fired cases.

Those I have seen had a hole in the top of the slide, so that the hot gases would point in upwards, and reduce the chances of setting off any runners with a rather unpleasant flying start. Yours looks to have a dummy barrel, which should also be pretty safe, as the gases would be slowed down by their 90 degree bend. Yours is Italian, but I think the logo is meant to resemble that of RG in Germany, who made a lot of them.

Several dealers in the UK have the magazines. I don't know whether they would send one overseas, but it isn't like it was a firearm..

http://www.turnerrichards.co.uk/starting-pistols/

[Bulliwig]

This is looking as a clone of the Röhm RG3. Firing .22 flobert blank cartridges. Just look up Röhm RG3 in google, you'll find thousands and thousands of them!

[scattershot]

Yep. Blank pistol.

[mozeppa]

m-79 grenade launcher!

[500MAG]

169432This is what the magazine looks like. You can pick them up sometimes on GB. Find the listing under Rohm or RG2. I sold 2 of them years ago.

[Bob65]

I just looked it up on google and found this youtube clip. Looks interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuaoUtGDhx8

[FergusonTO35]

Some of those fired tear gas cartridges also.

[gray wolf]

Don't they shoot a blank called ( Acorn blanks )
http://www.lcsupply.com/images/BA1R.jpg

[tazman]

Thanks to all of you for posting. That you tube video was especially informative.

[Bulliwig]

There's even tear gas on the market for these guns (at least here in germany), but the amount of tear gas in those little blanks is only little. Not enough to make man cry...

[Multigunner]

Glad I saw this thread. I found one of these pistols in a box of junk in my shed many years ago. The grips are missing but the loading tray is there and last time I checked it the mechanism is intact and seems to work perfectly. I may obtain some blanks and tear gas cartridges for it soon. Not much of a deterrent but better than nothing I suppose.