Firearms International Model D 380 Pistol Tabletop Review - Episode

Описание: Firearms International (or FI/García) Model D 380 is a 1911 style pistol that has the appearance of a reduced version of the Colt Government model. With an interesting history dating back to the 1960s, it begins with the Spanish gun manufacturer Star’s production of a very small and light, aluminum frame version of its Model SI locked-breech .380 auto, the “Starfire” or model DK. At the time, it was the smallest locked-breech .380 made, but with the enactment of GCA'68, the Starfire was sadly ban from import to the US. A few years later, the famous US gun manufacturer, Colt began negotiating for a “Colt Pony” 380 pistol to be designed as a market replacement for the Star “Starfire”, but with a steel frame to be built by another company for Colt, to Colt’s specifications. Unfortunately Colt ended up dropping the projects early on and it would be another 20 years before producing their own Colt Pony model in the later-1990s. However during the mid-1970s, identical guns bearing the "FI Model D" and the serial prefix "CPA" (perhaps for “Colt Pony Auto") entered the market and soon appeared in FI/García catalogs as the FI Model D. Later, Iver Johnson would continue production of this pistol as their Model X300 until 1992. It would appear that the FI Model D had indeed been intended to be made by FI for Colt and to be marketed as the Colt Pony. For its time, the FI Model D was considered an excellent firearm. Includes range activities as well as demonstrations of disassembly and reassembly.