Yet another rarity....
 

...that MIGHT have seen some limited use in WW1-
- Schwarzlose Standart Pistole Modell 1897.
It`s a fascinating pistol and very "hi-tech" for its time.

As I see it in ten points:
1) Caliber 7.63x25,pretty much the standard in pre-9mm years*- Good
2)The world`s 2nd semi-auto pistol fed from a 8 round magazine inserted into the grip -Good
3)The world`s 1st semi-auto pistol equipped with holdopen catch - V. Good
4)Consists of only 20 parts including four springs - Very Good
5)Thanks to grip located magazine and lack of toggle/spring assy, much handier than both the Borchardt and the C96 - Very Good
6)Short sight radius for a pistol of almost C96 size - Not so good
7)Sights prone to snagging - Bad
8)Heel located mag catch prone to be accidentally released - Bad
9)Breech locked by a 4-lug rotary bolt.Overdone for a handgun cartridge,
but undoubtedly strong = Good
10) Could be fitted with a detachable buttstock,a seldom used accesory
but... why not? - Good

So, having significantly more "Good"s than "Bad"s I`m now interested in some more info about the Modell 1897. Reliability, accuracy, internal built, pics, well...anything, as the above points cover all I know about this gun.

*Or was that 7.65x25 Borchardt....anyway,the same case for both rounds.

It`s really a pity that Andreas Schwarzlose`s workshop was too small to compete with firearms industry powers like Mauser or DWM.
There would be much more collectable 1897s around these days.

Regards

I believe the Schwarzlose was 1896, contemporary with the C96 but without the marketing base. Three pistols I have always wanted to own but probably never will are the 1892 Schoenberger, the 1893 Bittner and the 1896 Schwarzlose. All monumental design pieces.

Schwarzlose's little 1908 blow-forward pistol is also neat little departure from the norm.

Compared to the Borchardt and the C96, the M96 Schwarzlose was a race car!

Hello,
Sorry for the late response.

I`m a bit surprised(in plus) hearing that the Schwarzlose`s Standart Pistole is/was introduced a year earlier than I thought

:cool:

"Three pistols I have always wanted to own but probably never will......."

Oh my!If I can share my wishes, the 3 pre-1908 pistols that I`d love to own would be:
1)Schwarzlose Standart Pistole Modell 1896(;) )
2)Colt M 1902 *
3)FN M 1903*

*I think both of them could be adapted to shoot 9x19mm ammo although the 1903 would require short OAL & mild pressure loads IMO.

"Compared to the Borchardt and the C96, the M96 Schwarzlose was a race car"

Well said!!!
I wholeheartedly agree :cheers:

RKBA!

I know nothing about these so I did a web search and came up with this site: http://guns.connect.fi/gow/QA17.html

It has a couple of good drawings and text about the pistol. They look very nice. Vaguely reminding me of a Steyer.

Steve

WOOW!!

The link is great! Excellent info!
Exactly what I was looking for
:) :D

Thank you Steve
:cheers:

RKBA !