Liliput (pistol)
| Liliput (pistol) | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Arms factory August Menz, Suhl Lignose AG |
| Manufacturer country: | Germany |
| Production time: | 1920 to 1927 |
| Model variants: | 4.25mm / 6.35mm |
| Weapon Category: | gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 89/108 mm |
| Total height: | ? / 70 mm |
| Total width: | ? / 19 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 0.226 / 0.290 kg |
| Barrel length : | 46/51 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : |
4.25mm Liliput 6.35mm Browning |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 6 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Bar magazine |
| Fire types: | Single action |
| Number of trains : | 6th |
| Twist : | Right |
| Visor : | Open sights |
| Closure : | Mass closure |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The German Liliput is one of the smallest commercially manufactured semi-automatic pocket pistols . It was manufactured in Suhl in the 1920s and 1930s by the company Waffenfabrik August Menz and from 1937 by Lignose AG . It fires cartridges in the caliber 4.25 mm Liliput , in later versions 6.35 mm Browning (25 ACP) . Other trade names for the same weapon are Bijou , Kaba , Kaba Spezial and Okzet .
The Liliput should not be confused with the Hungarian 6.35-millimeter pocket pistol "Frommer Liliput", which also dates from the 1920s.
history
With the Liliput, which appeared in 1920, the August Menz weapons factory created its own weapon for the new 4.25-millimeter cartridge. This cartridge is known today as the "4.25 mm Liliput"; However, this designation is misleading because the cartridge was developed and launched on the market by Franz Pfannl as early as 1918 for his Erika pistol . Like the Erika, the Liliput received a six-section, single-row magazine .
In 1926 a slightly enlarged version of the Liliput appeared for the more common pocket pistol caliber 6.35 mm Browning. In 1927, production of the 4.25-millimeter variant was discontinued.
In 1937 the manufacturer of the arms factory August Menz was bought by the Berlin Lignose AG . The production of the Liliput was continued with the same machine tools at the Suhl location. The old serial numbering of the Menz company was also continued without any gaps.
The Menz weapons taken over by Lignose were sold under the label "Theodor Bergmann Erben" for marketing reasons. Theodor Bergmann was a well-known arms manufacturer that Lignose had already taken over in 1921. As a result, the Liliput also received grips with the Bergmann logo and a different embossing on the slide. Remaining individual parts from "Menz" production were still used, so that from 1937 Liliputs with Menz sledges, Menz grips or both came onto the market.
Presumably, the production of the Liliput was stopped during the Second World War in favor of arms production .
construction
The Liliput is a simply constructed recoil charger with a fixed barrel and an unlocked ground lock . This type of closure can be found in many pistols designed for low-level ammunition, e.g. B. the Walther PPK .
Trivia
- Adolf Hitler owned a gilded Liliput. It is now on display at the West Point Military Museum .
- Liliput made a brief appearance in the classic film Metropolis .
- Lilliput is mentioned in some of Alistair MacLean's novels .
- Liliput plays a key role in the novel Der Nasse Fisch by Volker Kutscher, scheduled for mid-1929, and the TV series Babylon Berlin based on it . However, it is mentioned there under the name Lignose, which was not used until 1937.
Web links
Pictures of the 6.35 mm version:
