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Manowar's Hungarian Weapons - Frommer Handguns |
Approx. 185,000 were manufactured by Fémáru Fegyver- és Gépgyár R.T. Budapest 1937-44
Appearing a year after his death, Rudolf Frommer's last design was an improved Model 1929 in 9mm Short chambering. Frommer's actual involvement in the design of this model was believed to be limited. The pistol was adopted by the Hungarian Army as the '37M.'
The principal difference between the 1937 and 1929 patterns lies in the abandonment of pinned-in cocking grips at the rear of the slide in favor of conventional grooving. The later gun also has a smaller hammer and an additional finger-rest on the toe of the butt. A Frommer-type grip lever provided the only safety device.
The grips are wood.
The pistol was also manufactured for a German Contract under the designation of Pistole 37(u) or 'P37'.
Frommer 37M Assembly Drawing and Parts List
Frommer 37M Large Detailed Assembly Drawing
Frommer 37M Disassembly Instructions
The slide is marked: FÉMÁRU- FEGYVER ÉS GÉPGYÁR RT 37M. Some time after serial 234943 the dash after 'FEGYVER' was dropped in the spelling. Please check your 37.M pistols with higher than 234943 serials if they have this dash or not.
Standard Hungarian Army acceptance mark located on the left side of the trigger guard.
St. Stephen's Crown acceptance mark on the left side of the trigger guard. Believed to be a non-military Hungarian mark: police/civilian/export mark.
An alternate Hungarian Army acceptance mark on the right side of the trigger guard. E = Elfogadva (Accepted). More commonly found on wartime Hungarian military rifles.
 | 7-round detachable box magazine. All original magazines have the finger-rest. The bottom of the original magazines are marked '37M' Frommer 37M Magazine Details |
 | Standard Frommer 37M straight grooved grip is shown on the far left. An alternate, possibly after market grip is shown next. |
 | A Frommer 37M leather holster |
 |  | Leather holsters makers' stamps. "BÖRGYÁR" (Leather Factory), shown on the far left, 'Mauthner' shown next. |
 | A different style Hungarian 37M leather holster. Photos courtesy of Al Gerth |
It appears that the 37M serial numbering continued the 29M serials approx. from 50000
Estimated serial number ranges, [known Serial Number ranges]: 1937 C1 - C1318 [C-121 - C-1318] (prototypes with unique serials - see below) 1938 50000 - 51000 [50557] 1939 51001 - 60000 [59021] 1940 60001 - 100000 [61352 - 95734] 1941 100001 - 150000 [101963 - 149804] 1942 150001 - 180000 [154975 - 177876] 1943 180001 - 210000 [184019 - 209142] 1944 210001 - 245600 [219193 - 245562] 1944 C-111800 - C-115700 [C-111877 - C-115677] (post German-Contract wartime mfg - see below)Please provide your pistol's info to update this list.
Observations contributed by Dave Ong (thank you):
- The early pistols had lightening cuts on the barrel that were dropped around 80,000.
- The pistols had a circle K proof on the muzzle until around 82,000, then changed to a circle E proof, which proof was eliminated around serial number 200,000. Serial 71xxx was reported with circle E proof
- The crown proof was dropped from the barrel around 200,000
- The short St Stephan proof was on pistols until around 190,000, then it was changed to the tall St Stephen proof.
- Somewhere around 234,000 the St Stephan proof is dropped for a FEG shield, and older barrels with lightening cuts and crown proofs are recycled in production with new circle E proofs?
- Two pistols, in the serial range 196243 - 1966xx were reported with no dash after FEGYVER.
- One quality nickeled pistol has engraving from Austria. Probably something the GIs were having done locally in Austria post war to their souvenirs.
