Semiauto pistol - Forgotten Weapons

Bergmann 1908, 1910, and 1910/21 Pistols

January 18, 2017 Ian McCollum 20

By the time Bergmann found a production subcontractor in AEP for the Spanish order of 1903 Bergmann pistol, the Spanish had added a few new changes to their order, which became known as the Model […]

Magnificent Engraved Bergmann Pistols

January 16, 2017 Ian McCollum 9

Today we are taking a brief side trip in Bergmann development to look at a couple of magnificent engraved Bergmann pistols – specifically, a pair of model 1896 No.3s, a Bergmann Mars 1903, and a […]

Bergmann Mars 1903

January 15, 2017 Ian McCollum 33

The military breakthrough for Bergmann finally came in 1903 with a new locking system for the pistol, designed by Louis Schmeisser (who had also designed the previous Bergmann handguns). In 1901, Schmeisser developed the new […]

Bergmann Transitional No 4/5 Pistols

January 13, 2017 Ian McCollum 3

Another pair of transitional Bergmann transitional prototypes today, this time ones that sit between the 1896 and 1897 designs (No2/3/4 and No5). One of these is basically an 1896 frame with an 1897 upper assembly […]

Bergmann No.5 / 1897 (Video)

January 12, 2017 Ian McCollum 8

The Bergmann #5 was the first pistol in the Bergmann line to have a locked breech action, taken from one of Schmeisser’s machine gun patents. This model was introduced in 1897 using a more powerful […]

Bergmann No. 3 & No.4 1896 Pistols

January 10, 2017 Ian McCollum 14

Of the three calibers available in the 1896 model Bergmann pistol, the 6.5mm No.3 was the most popular. Approximately 4,000 of these guns were produced, and they found a worldwide following. The No.3 pistol was […]

Bergmann Transitional No 1/2 Pistols

January 8, 2017 Ian McCollum 6

Today we have a pair of interesting transitional Bergman factory prototypes which fall between the early No.1 / 1894 design and the 1896 No2/3/4 commercial production guns. These are both in the white, and show […]

Bergmann No.2 pistol in 5mm Bergmann, with folding trigger

Bergmann No. 2 / 1896

January 6, 2017 Ian McCollum 20

The No.2 was Bergmann’s first offering of a civilian pocket pistol, introduced in 1896 alongside the larger-framed No.3 and No.4 pistols. It was chambered for a truly anemic 5mm cartridge, using a simple blowback system […]

Bergmann No. 1 / 1894 (Video)

January 4, 2017 Ian McCollum 28

The initial patent for what would become the Bergmann pistols was actually a delayed blowback mechanism, and it was quickly revised to simple blowback by Louis Schmeisser. The first actual production pistols, designated the No.1, […]

Bergmann Introduction (Video)

January 3, 2017 Ian McCollum 8

Theodore Bergmann, despite having his name on a lot of different guns, was not actually a gun designer. Bergmann was a financier and industrialist, in many ways like Eli Whitney in the US decades earlier. […]