Blue Book of Gun Values

The Melior (Latin for "Better") was a tradename of Louis Robar. Louis Robar founded the company in 1906, the company remained in business under various corporate names for over 50 years. The Melior pistols resemble FN Browning pistols externally but are mechanically different, these do not infringe on Browning patents and are therefore not Browning copies. All pistols were designed with barrels affixed to the frame, resulting in good accuracy.
Robar manufactured the pistols under the Melior tradename but also made a variant of its models for Janssen Fils & Co. (Janssen Sons & Co.) under Janssen's "Jieffeco" tradename. Both Melior and Jieffeco pistols were sold worldwide. In the U.S. the Jieffeco pistols were successfully distributed by Davis Warner, New York and Fred Biffar & Co in Chicago. The Janssen company ran into trouble and restructured on January 1, 1935, ending the Jieffeco branded pistols. Some captured pistols were used by German forces in WWII. The postwar years saw diminished production and decline in finish.

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