Semiauto pistol
RIA: Himmler Presentation Sauer 38H for Snipers
Note: I debated whether or not to use the Nazi flag in the thumbnail image, and opted to put it in there because it was in fact the German flag when this pistol was made. […]
Semiauto pistol
Revolver
British Pistol Use During WWI
Here’s an interesting piece of research, done in 2010 by one David Thomas as part of a degree in British First World War Studies: The Pistol in British Military Service During the Great War (pdf) This […]
Competition
Roth Steyr 1907 at a Run-n-Gun Steel Match (Video)
We have a monthly pistol competition here called Steelworkers – a bunch of stages of all steel targets. I finally accumulated enough stripper clips (3) for my 1907 Roth-Steyr to be able to compete, so […]
Mystery
Bernardon-Martin 1909 Pistol in a Chinese Museum
Note: I’m slipping! I initially identified this as one of the mystery Chinese pistols, having not recognized it as a Bernardon-Martin. A bunch of folks in the comments did, though, and I have corrected the […]
Gunsmithing
Q&A #5: Rollin White and Other (Better) Designers
Questions in part I of today’s Q&A: 1:04 – What was Rollin White’s revolver like? 7:09 – Why did pan magazines disappear? 10:14 – Why no pointed pistol bullets? 13:24 – Funky rounds like Trounds […]
Semiauto pistol
RIA: Praga 1921 One-Handed Pocket Pistol
This cute little pocket pistol was an early project of Vaclav Holek, who would become much better known for his work with the ZB-26 light machine gun and ZH-29 rifle. It is a very small […]
Semiauto pistol
RIA: Beretta 1915 – the First of the Beretta Pistols
The Italian military went into WWI having already adopted a semiautomatic sidearm – the Model 1910 Glisenti (and its somewhat simplified Brixia cousin). However, the 1910 Glisenti was a very complex design, and much too […]
Semiauto pistol
RIA: Ortgies Pistols
The Ortgies is a pistol whose interested aspects are often overlooked on the assumption that it is just another identical .32 ACP blowback pistol. Well, it is that – but it is also more. Mechanically, […]
Semiauto pistol
RIA: The Jager Pistol and its Complex Reassembly
The German military used a lot of different small-caliber pistols during World War One, and the Jäger is one of the most interesting of them. Its unique design was the result of needing to build […]
Semiauto pistol
RIA: Alkar Cartridge-Counting Pistol
Alkartasuna SA was a company formed in 1914 by a handful of disgruntled Astra (well, Astra was still called Esperanza y Unceta at that time) employees. This was a difficult time for the Eibar gun […]