Q: I’ve acquired an older, semi-automatic .32 ACP pistol that I’ve never heard of. The gun is stamped “STOCK” on the stock panels, and the slide is stamped “FRANZ STOCK – BERLIN. D.R.P.” Can you help identify this pistol?
A: These are well-made, blowback-operated pistols that were introduced in the 1920s by Franz Stock of Berlin. The D.R.P. stamped after his name is the abbreviation for Deutsches Reichs Patent (Patented in Germany). They were in production for about 15 to 20 years.
Fieldstripping the Stock pistol was addressed on p. 84 of the June 1971 issue of The American Rifleman, and is available online at americanrifleman.org. It was noted that the trigger pull is clean and quite light for a pocket pistol. Also, the barrel is fastened rigidly to the frame, and the slide fits the frame and barrel closely. These features, and the excellent proportions of the pistol, aid in accurate shooting.
--Michael F. Carrick
