Erma Subcalibre set: getting there

Vlim · 02-09-2010, 11:53 AM

Forum member G.T. was kind enough to get me a magazine for the set, so here are some preliminary observations, as it is the first set I got to handle freely

Initially I didn't understand why the ejector spring should have been removed permanently, as the toggle action of the set clears the ejector spring in a way that suggest that it was designed with the ejector in mind. Of course, for placing the barrel, the ejector must be removed.

After I got the magazine I noticed why the ejector is indeed best removed: The magazine is a complicated little device that not only serves as a magazine, but it also doubles as an ejector and a holdopen device. Truly a 3-in-one design. Clever.

What I also liked about the design is the inclusion of a spring loaded receiver stop. The construction of the firing pin is somewhat complex and also the extractor design is a bit overengineered.

Some 50 test rounds showed that even without a magazine to serve as an ejector the pistol would actually eject the rounds about 50% of the time, so I expect that with the magazine it will function much better. It is a pity that the barrel insert only supports 9mm barrels, it would have been fun to be able to install it in a .30 luger variation as well.

Shooting cheap lead bullet .22lr rounds does produce an unwanted side effect. The inside of the pistol's frame looks like it was never cleaned in 70 years, just after shooting one box

So a good cleaning set is a requisite if you shoot the .22lr set regularly.

All in all I am pleasantly surprised by the design and the accuracy it produces at the range. No wonder that Mauser seriously contemplated reviving the .22lr version as part of their post war Parabellum range in the 1970s.

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02-09-2010, 11:53 AM	#4
Vlim Moderator Lifetime LugerForum Patron Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Europe Posts: 5,053 Thanks: 1,036 Thanked 3,991 Times in 1,205 Posts	Forum member G.T. was kind enough to get me a magazine for the set, so here are some preliminary observations, as it is the first set I got to handle freely Initially I didn't understand why the ejector spring should have been removed permanently, as the toggle action of the set clears the ejector spring in a way that suggest that it was designed with the ejector in mind. Of course, for placing the barrel, the ejector must be removed. After I got the magazine I noticed why the ejector is indeed best removed: The magazine is a complicated little device that not only serves as a magazine, but it also doubles as an ejector and a holdopen device. Truly a 3-in-one design. Clever. What I also liked about the design is the inclusion of a spring loaded receiver stop. The construction of the firing pin is somewhat complex and also the extractor design is a bit overengineered. Some 50 test rounds showed that even without a magazine to serve as an ejector the pistol would actually eject the rounds about 50% of the time, so I expect that with the magazine it will function much better. It is a pity that the barrel insert only supports 9mm barrels, it would have been fun to be able to install it in a .30 luger variation as well. Shooting cheap lead bullet .22lr rounds does produce an unwanted side effect. The inside of the pistol's frame looks like it was never cleaned in 70 years, just after shooting one box So a good cleaning set is a requisite if you shoot the .22lr set regularly. All in all I am pleasantly surprised by the design and the accuracy it produces at the range. No wonder that Mauser seriously contemplated reviving the .22lr version as part of their post war Parabellum range in the 1970s.