Initially, Mauser had no plans to bring out a 5" version. The 4" and 6" were planned first, with the 4" 7,65 version giving problems with the 06/29 style opening curve, that explains why most early 29/70 pistols were 6".
Then Mauser got the idea to seek permission from the Swiss army to get the 5" Mauser Parabellum officially recognized as a Swiss Ordnance pistol (so it could legally be used by Swiss army personnel for shooting). This was denied by the Swiss army, stating that the Mauser Parabellum could only be used as a 'free pistol' in official shooting matches, but not as a 'service pistol'. Basically, this decision killed a large market for the 5" version.
In the end only a couple of hundred 5" versions were made, the majority as 06/73 versions.
Interestingly, the early 29/70 pistols in 5" used original Swiss barrels, which Mauser had purchased from the Eidgn. Waffenfabrik in Bern.
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