Borchardt C93
| Borchardt C93 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| general information | |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Hugo Borchardt, Loewe |
| Manufacturer country: | Germany |
| Production time: | 1894 to 1898 |
| Weapon Category: | Self-loading pistol |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 279 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 1.1 kg |
| Barrel length : | 165.1 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.65 × 25 mm Borchardt |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 8 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | single-row bar magazine |
| Fire types: | Single fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right |
| Closure : | Knee joint closure |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Borchardt C93 was one of the first self-loading pistols to be produced in significant numbers . The weapon was also one of the first firearms to have an interchangeable magazine .
History and technology
The C93 was developed by Hugo Borchardt in 1893 and mass-produced by the Ludwig Loewe & Company weapons factory (later Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken AG DWM) in Berlin. The knee joint lock of the weapon was borrowed from the Maxim machine gun . On the Maxim, the joint bent downwards, but by rotating the mechanism Borchardt created space for the ammunition feed from the magazine located in the pistol grip.
The moving part of the Borchardt pistol consists of the barrel bolted to the fork piece; this carries the clasp and the knee joint. The knee joint is hinged to the front of the lock and to the rear of the fork; if it is overstretched, it prevents the slide from rewinding. The rear leg of the knee joint is extended beyond the axis and carries a roller at its rear end. After the shot, the system slides back until the roller runs onto a guide curve in the housing, is pressed down and thus releases the lock. The legs snap together and the lock runs back.
A striking feature of the pistol is the protruding housing bead at its end, which houses the guide cam and the closing spring. The handle is arranged almost at right angles to the barrel axis. A wooden stock was included as an accessory.
In this form the C93 was an immature construction. In several tenders for military service weapons , it was rejected with the following reservations:
- the weapon was extremely long and heavy
- unfavorable grip angle
- too weak cartridge
In addition, the production was quite complex, so it was discontinued after 3000 copies.
Further development
The real importance of the weapon is that it became the basis for another pistol. Georg Luger presented the C93 to the US Army's witness office on behalf of DWM, but was unsuccessful. Even after attempts in Switzerland on 22./23. In June 1897, the size and weight of the weapon were complained about: "The weapon has more the dimensions of a carbine and a corresponding weight". Thereupon Luger constructed his own model, in which he eliminated the disadvantages mentioned.
Of these weapons, now known as Borchardt-Luger 1898 transition model, only images from patent specifications are known. The somewhat more compact joint lock still corresponded to that of the predecessor with the friction roller attached to the rear, the recoil spring was behind the magazine in the inclined handle. As with the Parabellum model 1900 , which was later mass-produced , it was designed as a leaf spring.
5,100 of the Parabellum Model 1900 were sold to Switzerland, and with its successors it remained an orderly of the Swiss Army until 1948 . The weapon, which was later introduced in the German Reich and still used in World War II, is known as the Pistole 08 .
Short-barreled Borchardt pistol in a box
Borchardt C93 with stop piston
Carl Peters with Borchardt C-93 on the belt
Borchardt-Luger model 1898, image from patent specification No. 17977 of October 3, 1898
literature
- Chris McNab: Small arms of the 20th and 21st centuries , New Kaiser, new edition from 2009
- Kriss Reinhart, Jürg A. Meier: Pistols and Revolvers in Switzerland since 1720 , Stocker-Schmid, Dietikon-Zurich 1998, ISBN 3-7276-7128-9
- Eugen Heer: The handguns from 1850 to the present , Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz, new edition from 1976, ISBN 3-201-00967-9
- Patent CH7296 : Repeater pistol activated by recoil. Filed September 16, 1893 , published February 28, 1894 , Applicant: Borchardt, Hugo (CPC F41A3 / 50).
