Today on Gus’ Gear I continue with the second installment of handguns, starting with Austria and Hungary, moving on to Italy, Russia, Japan and a couple of the neutral countries. Next week the third installment will feature Great Britain, France, Belgium and the United States.
The Austrian 1911 Steyr Haun pistol, chambered for the 9 x 23mm Steyr cartridge is a well designed pistol with a rotating locking system between the barrel and slide. It has an integral 8 round box magazine that is loaded from an open slide with a stripper clip. This was the first pistol I acquired when I was 14. For years I looked for a holster for it and while traveling in Austria in 1972, I found a nice holster (shown in the next photo with a Roth Steyr) that cost more than the pistol. I suspect the holster is still worth more than the pistol, as holsters seem to be the hardest part to find.
The Austrian 1907 Roth Steyr pistol is chambered for the 8 x 18.5mm cartridge that was only used with this weapon. It has a rotating barrel locking system and has an integral 10 round box magazine that is loaded from the top with a stripper clip. The stripper clips are quite rare and I have not been able to bring myself to pay more for a stripper clip than I did for the pistol. This is the holster I acquired in Austria in 1972 for my 1911 Steyr, but it is possible to see from the wear patterns that it carried a 1907 Roth Steyr and that meant I had to buy another pistol. Any excuse to buy a gun is a good one (this will come up again in a future post involving a very large rifle cartridge.)
The Austrian 1898 Rast & Gasser revolver is chambered for the 8 x 27mm Rast & Gasser cartridge with an 8 round capacity. This weapon was produced up to 1912 and was to be replaced by the 1907 Roth Steyr for the cavalry and the 1911 Steyr Haun for the infantry, but the shortage of weapons at the outbreak of the war meant that this revolver would stay in service for the duration of the war.
The Hungarian 1912 Frommer STOP was manufactured by Fegyver és Gépgyár Részvénytársaság at Budapest and was used by the Hungarian Army. The pistol on the top is dated 1917 and is chambered for the 9mm Frommer cartridge which was more powerful than the .380 ACP cartridge of the same dimensions, the lower pistol is dated 1915 and is chambered for the 7.65mm Frommer cartridge which is also more powerful than the .32 ACP cartridge of the same dimensions. It is safe to use modern Browning cartridges in these pistols as they are lower pressure, but if the springs have not been modified (most have been) the pistol may not cycle well. The Frommer has a long recoil system that has the barrel and bolt both recoil fully, the bolt is held as the barrel returns to battery and then the bolt closes, making is a very pleasant pistol to fire as the recoil felt by the shooter is much less than a blow back pistol of the same caliber and weight. It also has a well designed grip safety but no other safety. The holster shown here is identical to the standard issue German small pistol holster, but has no markings.
The Italian 1889 Bodeo revolver was chambered for the 10.35 Italian Ordnance cartridge. There were two versions, the type shown has a folding trigger and there was another version with a solid trigger and trigger guard often referred to as an officer’s model. The small lever at the back of the frame above the grip is to allow quick disassemble of the revolver for cleaning. The holster shown is the canvas version of the standard pattern and may date from the second war, as this revolver stayed in service through both wars.
The Italian 1910 Glisinti pistol is chambered for the 9mm Glisinti, a cartridge the same dimensions as the 9mm Parabellum, but much weaker (less powder) and it is unsafe to use the Parabellum cartridge in these pistols. The Glisinti was adopted in 1910 and served through both wars. This example was manufactured in 1910.
The Italian 1915 Beretta pistol with a blow back system that was chambered for the 7.65 Browning cartridge. Those who are observant will notice that this pistol has the wrong safety catch.
This is a Russian 1895 Nagant revolver manufactured in 1915. It is one of the few gas sealing revolvers. When cycled, the cylinder indexes and then moves forward to the barrel, allowing the case to move into the throat of the barrel forming a seal when the cartridge fires. The cartridge is 7.63mm with the bullet seated fully within the brass case. This revolver has a 7 round capacity.
The 1893 Japanese Type 26 revolver chambered in 9mm Japanese was the first modern handgun used by the Japanese Army. It has a 6 round capacity and fires only double action. The holster is very similar to the French clamshell holsters used for the Mle 1873 and Mle 1892 revolvers. People often forget that Japan was a major force in the Great War as they drove the Germans from China and also sent a force of nearly a quarter million soldiers with the Americans, when the United States invaded Russia in 1918.
will cover a couple of neutral countries, starting with the Netherlands, an 1894 Hemberg revolver. A 6 shot revolver chambered for a 9.4 mm cartridge
This is a Swedish 1887 Nagant revolver, it is very similar to the Russian 1895 Nagant, but does not have the gas seal system. It has a 6 round capacity for the 7.5 x 22mm cartridge.
As a public service I am posting on how to determine if you have been infected by one of the many diseases that is going around during this pandemic. Here you can see the symptoms of kitten pox, it is not a deadly disease, but there is no known cure once infected.