OT Full auto Luger or Broomhandle

[Ron Wood]

Ed,
Full auto Lugers were an experimental design, but full auto Broomhandles were designated "Schnellfeuerpistole" (which I think you probably have heard at one time or another) and were a production item. The earliest ones were created in 1931 and used the so-called "Nickl" patent mechanism. About 3000 of these were produced for China. This mechanism was somewhat unreliable so in 1932 the "Westinger" patent mechanism was incorporated. The total production estimate of Schnellfeuers is around 95,000. The Spanish companies of Royal and Astra also produced their version of the Schnellfeuer. The Astra Model F incorporated a rate-reduction mecanism in the grip to make fire more controllable.

The Navarro brothers of Mexico patented a modification to allow full auto on a Luger, and at least one prototype was developed. I have a photo of what appears to be a factory modification for full or selective fire of a Luger, that was taken in an eastern European police museum. I have to go back through my notes to try to find more details on this gun. This gun was written up in Automag at one time.

The biggest problem for full automatic pistols, in additon to controllability, is magazine capacity. Unless you have a very light and precise touch, one trigger pull is going to empty the gun. Consequently, the Mauser, Astra and Royal pistols quickly went to a 20 round magazine. The Luger never stood a chance unless a drum magazine was used.

P.S. All of these guns had to be used with a sholder stock in full auto mode. Without it, most of the shots end up headed for outer space.