Yet another rarity....

[Darth 44]

...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