FIE 25 Auto - Looking for info

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RetiredMajor

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hey all, I'm normally pretty good at doing research but I'm not finding much on a small gun I just purchased. It's made by FIE, it's a small 25 auto. The slide is stamped: MOD A 27, CAL 25 ACP FIE Miami FL. It's in great shape. What I think I know is that it was made by in Italy and imported through Miami. But, I could be wrong. It appears to be of reasonable quality. Some research says they are pot metal, others say all steel and good quality. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it. Thank you! Major Here's a picture: FIE 25 Auto.jpg
 
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FIE(acronym for Firearms Import & Export) was just the importer. Out of business since 1990.
Supposedly after the GCA of '68 outlawed them as Saturday Night Specials, FIE was one of the many companies importing parts and assembling 'em in Florida. The M27 is said to be a copy of the Colt Junior.
Start here. http://stevespages.com/pdf/fie_a27.pdf
 
Do not know the manufacturer as FI at that time contracted for several weapons construction, all later projects such as their .25 and .22 offerings were cheaply made and prone to failure.
 
That gun is exactly the same as the Junior Colt, and it's all steel. The guns used no imported parts, to my knowledge. It is a US made copy of the Spanish Astra Cub.
Colt originaaly imported the Cub as the "Junior Colt." After the GCA-68, the Astra frames were no longer importable. Colt outsourced frames made in the US at that time, and eventually had the entire gun made in the US.
After Colt dropped the Junior, Firearms International (not FIE) sold the gun as "The Best."FIE came in later to market the same gun.
 
Bill, I agree FIE and FI are not the same companies but I had occasion to destroy many FIE products at the PD (and many firearms that brought tears) and found them to be of poor quality. I will not comment again on the pistol in question as FIE may have had more than one small .22/.25 auto as the years went by.
 
This video should help.

https://youtu.be/rpoiiDv8jDU

rpoiiDv8jDU


They are fun shooters, quite accurate at 7yds.
 
If I understand correctly, the Titans were made by Tanfoglio in Italy until 1968, and after that were assembled in the US from imported parts. I think some had a steel frame and slide, while some had an aluminum frame and steel slide. I think that a company called EXCAM may have manufactured or imported them as well.

I believe that one version of the Titan had a 27 in the model number.

I have no first-hand knowledge, but I did a little reading and it sounds like maybe there were earlier all-steel ones from Italy that some people describe as being decent guns. It sounds like the US-assembled and/or aluminum-framed models were a lot more iffy.

I appreciate BD for setting me straight. I have never owned a 25 and have toyed with the idea of getting a Titan just for grins. After reading up on it, I might take a chance on an older, imported, all-steel one, but wouldn't bother with other versions.

My stupid insomnia is acting up again. This version is called a "Targa". Appearances can certainly be deceiving, but it looks pretty decent.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/592860749

(It is an old expired auction.)

If I decide that I just "have" to have one of these, this is what I would keep my eyes open for. I looked at old auctions to try to note differences. It seems like maybe the older Italian guns might be the ones with wooden grips. The plastic-looking gripped ones seem cheaper-looking and more likely to have a box that says assembled in the US. Another difference is whether the FIE stamp is on the slide or frame.

Forgive me for rambling.
 
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The FIE "Titan" was an Italian Tanfoglio product. They were not high quality.
Click to expand...
Mine was bought new in 1974 or 75, well after the GCA of 1968.
It did, as far as I recall, have the name "Titan".

Overall, the quality was pretty good. The only thing of really poor quality was the bottom located magazine catch.
That was chromed pot metal.

Also when I say "pretty good", it's all relevant.
Compared to a Colt or Beretta, it was junk.
Compared to a Raven, it's pretty good.

IMHO - a lot of the confusion over a lot of these guns comes from the fact that so many of them were out there, that all looked the same and all had different names/models.
Not just the .25, but, the .32 and the .380.
 
I used to have one of them FIE Titans. It shoots good but I learned later that the firing pin will peen over and become full auto. I got rid of it and got a Raven 25.
 
Thanks for your help guys! My gun isn't a TITAN, but I get that there were a lot of these types of guns made and imported. Sounds like some are better than others. I'll keep looking online to see if I can determine more about my gun. Major
 
The important thing is how well does it shoot! I love the little 25acp pocket guns, got a few Beretta's and Bauer's and they serve as my walking the dog gun.:) Congrats on the addition.
 
RetiredMajor - Does this look familiar?

I have the version of your gun marked as a Colt. This one is not a Colt Junior. A serial number lookup on the Colt website shows it to be from 1970 as marked or 1973 if marked as a Colt Junior. It seems the serial number was used twice. I have never encountered two dates for the same serial number lookup.

This USA Colt seems to have a brown anodized aluminum frame. Yours seems to have a steel frame. This matches everything written by Bill DeShivs in an earlier post. He is spot on as usual.

Mine has never failed and I will bet that yours is solid as well. Fair warning - that beaver tail isn't enough to protect you from slide bite.

20170122_150915_zpsbsrvj567.jpg
 
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Ark Hog, your little pistol is a copy of a .25/.22 short made by Astra and so marked with the Astra name and imported to the US. They also produced them for Colt until the ban at which time Colt continued to buy parts kits from Astra using a contracted frame. I doubt Colt ever went to the expense of producing parts that were available cheaply from Astra. They are really nice pistols with either name rolled on the slide.
 
Ibmikey-

Actually, they did eventually make all the parts here, or at least all the major parts. Arkhog's slide is one of the US made ones. The Astra slides were thinner. I don't think Colt did anything other than market these guns.
 
I have the same FIE Excam imported .25 auto. The frame and slide are steel - you can test it with a magnet. Quality is not bad. Do not confuse these with Lorcins, or the predecessor to Lorcin. The only concern I would have with this guns is keeping in "locked and cocked" - The safeties work, but are not know to be rock-solid.

I really don't know what a decent example of an imported FIE 25 would go for. My guess (without looking it up) would be about $150.
 
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Passed the magnet test

Bill, you are a treasure to TFL. I doubted you. I did the magnet test and it is steel. What threw me was the reddish brown very polished finish.

I agree with Skans. Considering the Colt recall, cocked and locked would be a sketchy idea.

RetiredMajor - Years ago I found and downloaded an owner's manual for these guns. Time has passed and I can't remember where I found it. Enjoy your .25 sir.
 
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