German Guns

Menta Pistol Thanks to Kyrie Ellis / Moderator - Cruffler_Forum on Yahoo Groups for his contribution for this page ... Menta_L.jpg Left side of a Menta self-loading pistol. The Beholla is a blowback pistol chambered for the 7.65 Browning. It was developed by Becker and Hollander of Suhl with production beginning in 1915 and ending in 1918 - this was a pistol produced almost purely for sale to the Imperial German army and almost all will bear some form of Imperial inspection and acceptance marking. The Imperial German Army acceptance stamp can be seen on this example, and is located between the frame serial number and commercial C/N proof. The Beholla pistol was also manufactured under the names Menta, Leonhardt, and Stenda. It is believed that the German army may have contracted with a number of different companies to produce the Beholla. After the Great War the firm of Waffenfabrik August Mentz of Shul continued to produce the Beholla as the Menta. The Menta pistol pictured has German commercial Crown over N proof. Menta_R.jpg Right side of the same Menta pistol. Someone, for some reason, has refinished this pistol in a baked on black finish. Acceptance_Mark.jpg Close up of the Imperial acceptance stamp. This stamp is present on approximately the first 15,000 pistols produced.