Complete Borchardt Kit | First Semi-Auto Pistol!

[@matthiashellmann6211]

I appreciate your clip about the Borchardt pistol and have to point out that you really bring back forgotten German engineering in firearms to the public. I think these rare inventions are better kept in the USA than anywhere else in the world. The main reason is that the majority of US Americans take more care of these valuable items than people of other countries. These guns deserve to be kept in collections and need proper care and storage. Greetings from German engineering, stay safe and may god blesy you all....

[@thomasconklin8027]

I saw that pistol on a table for sale at the Tulsa gun show a few weeks ago. I am glad it went to a good home.

[@terrypullen1272]

How much were the sellers asking?

[@mikerueb6179]

Absolutely unbelievable to buy something like that in the day. Thanks for sharing Tom. You do an outstanding job in your presentations. Much better than watching TV...

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

*The cleaning kit box does go in the mag well. It holds the bolt open.*

[@xx1590]

I find it difficult to post here and will never use Twitter but congratulation on a true treasure.

[@cameronmccreary4758]

When I worked for John Martz the Luger maker from Lincoln, CA he bought one at the Reno Gunshow which needed restoring which he did. He had Mike Krause make the ammunition to fire through it; it was .30 cal Luger loads put into .30 Mauser cases with 86 grain full metal case cupronickel bullets. It functioned flawlessly and was very accurate out to 50 yards even though the bore was very frosted looking. It came with the stock and that made it very controllable on the distance shots. While holding the C96 Mauser pistol you said that it was a "blowback;" it wasn't it was a locked breech design. If you take it apart you will find the rocking breechblock connected to the barrel extension. Please do take a look!

[@alastairmulholland-cox345]

Great video. More on what we can learn from history from your previous job please! I met Flt Lt John Foley who was the youngest F16 aviator and then went on to be the stunt pilot in Top Gun (amongst many other things). His call sign is Gucci. “The difference between the top 1% and top 0.1% is gratitude and generosity. Gratitude is about awareness and grows the part of your brain where perceptions are formed. Generosity is about confidence and grows the part of your brain where self esteem is formed. Together they enable you to see the opportunities that others may not and the self confidence to act on them”. AKA innovation. I’m sure that’s open to a critical analysis…. but something for anyone to think about. Keep on trucking. I’d love to hear more on your take on the weirdness of history. ‘Thank you’. Best, Al

[@TheCristo68]

that ting with the cleaning kit inside does go into the mag well . while your cleaning it it keeps the action open and allows you to clean the bore

[@kevinjackson4933]

I was thinking there was no way that was a coincidence that if fit so perfectly.

[@LegacyCollectibles]

Thanks. Makes sense !

[@angrymike2423]

Now that is amazing, never saw one in the wild in my 30 years of gun shows !

[@bhoward9378]

I wonder why...

[@angrymike2423]

@@bhoward9378 Probably because there were very few imported.........

[@joeguzman3558]

It's super excited to look at that super beautiful working art I can only imagine what is like to hold that in your hands.

[@wgs6606]

At first I thought you were going to show us an old clarinet, but WOW what an amazing find, stunning machine work and finish.

[@93FORDMUSTANG]

I bet that wooden mag is intended to hold the bolt open when cleaning the barrel/bore

[@ThePerfectRed]

I wonder whether you can fit it in into the recess on the right side of the stock to carry it along.

[@blitzkrieg9408]

Exactly my thoughts

[@bhoward9378]

I bet that wooden mag is fake.

[@themonkysuncle]

That’s exactly what it’s for. this guy should know that

[@john-paulsilke893]

@@themonkysuncle give him a break. He know lots about many obscure guns. He’s not particularly interested in this kind of thing, (it’s a bit weird). Just because it’s obvious to you doesn’t mean it’s obvious to him. For example how much would you imagine a Singer 1911 in good condition be worth? He guessed just under $400,000 for the one he had although the last one sold for $275,000. Actual sale price was $414,000, so he’s clearly no dummy. (He did say he was given an estimate from another dealer it would sell for over $325,000 so he wasn’t just lucky, he disagreed with the low estimate and was far more accurate in his.

[@MrPh30]

And Borchardt worked at Winchester also for a few years, where he learnt the operation of the lever action mechanism which he used in the pistols later.

[@MrPh30]

And perhaps his best work was when he was at Sharps and modified the single shot rifle that became the Sharps-Borchardt.

[@deniscleaver7544]

WOW! Now that's one great looking handgun. If it only talk and the history it has survived. What is truly amazing is that this gun retains all the parts within the storage case. Fantastic find, thanks for the history of this weapon.

[@garyreiman856]

Thank you so much for sharing this one of a kind item that I would never had a chance to view on my own. You really give the average history/gun guy a chance to see crazy rare stuff. Love your channel.

[@luked2767]

All quality firearms should come like this. It's crazy how the first semi successful semi auto pistol got the caliber so correct the first time 7.63x25 was the most powererful handgun cartridge until the .357 magnum came along and in my opinion the 7.62x25 tokarev that was just a hotter load is the best semi auto pistol caliber still as its fast, flat shooting, accurate and can pass though both sides of 3A body armour using FMJ lead core. A shame that only a few nations make modern double stack pistols in this caliber. What's also really crazy is that the first semi auto pisols improvement the luger that was originally in .30 luger (a shorter version if 7.63x25) was asked to make a bigger larger caliber so all he did was use the existing case dimentionsx remove the bottle neck and 9mm luger was born. 9mm luger was a compromise cartridge but now its the most popular pistol cartridge today and I think its the 2nd or 3rd depending how you look at it oldest military cartridge in wide use today with the oldest being the 7.62x54r.

[@ItchyPilauBoto]

It looks a whole lot better with the stock!

[@synchrome62]

Very nice video!! I was fortunate to hold and inspect one at the Rock Island stand at the Wanenmacher Arms Show in Tulsa back in 2013, I believe. It was better balanced than expected and the engineering is so interesting! It came with the original stock and some accessories, but not in the compact secret agent bulbasizer case! You sir, are the first I’ve seen with aforementioned case…

[@Stevarooni]

You're so giddy! This is great, thanks for sharing. 🙂

[@MauserC1896]

Without making a remark against the cased Borchardt or your verbal description, the handle of the case is not factory original. The original handle appears to have been broken and then replaced. The only thing missing is an original Loewe instruction manual which are extremely rare ;-)

[@bhoward9378]

So rare as to be unobtainable at any price. Last time I checked, Swiss museums don't sell anything...

[@MauserC1896]

The two wooden parts in the case are the hold open magazine, and the cheek piece to attach on the side of the stock.

[@Chayonray]

Interesting observation at the end sir. Humility can pay dividends, especially when you arrived at where you are through the input and effort of other people. i imagine Mr. Luger learned much and used his experience with Mr. Borchardt as his counter-example. Outstanding overview sir, especially your humility in testing your hypotheses in real time for all to see!

[@jessestreet2549]

nice how he tied psychology to design.

[@john-paulsilke893]

@@jessestreet2549 he sells obsolete chunks of metal people used for killing each other. I pays dividends to understand why we might want one of these things and what exactly differentiates them fro each other in that appeal. No judgement, I absolutely love weapons/tools of death especially martial weapons. However that last thing I want to do is use them for their intended purposes. I have American black friends who collect slavery paraphernalia and Jewish friends who collect certain German artifacts from a certain Nationalist-Socialist Party. As an ex-soldier who was “changed” by his experience I am very interested especially in these things so I can use them to bring me joy by shooting watermelon and spoiled fruit on the farm.

[@jessestreet2549]

@@john-paulsilke893 whatever floats your boat. i own modern firearms but my favorite guns are black powder muzzleloaders. a Parker Hale reproduction of the type used by confederate snipers is on my bucket list. if one comes up for sale locally, horse trading will commence.

[@john-paulsilke893]

@@jessestreet2549 are you talking about the British Whitworth? Because if you are that gun is amazing. Incredibly accurate for its time and still would be considered extremely accurate in modern times, especially for a black powder gun.

[@jessestreet2549]

@@john-paulsilke893 yes i am. of course i can't afford an original but there were some high quality replicas made.

[@bobspistolsandpaydirt8607]

Tom…. This was an incredible video….. had never heard of this firearm before……. A beautiful piece of history…. Thank you so much. Best wishes to you and yours.

[@trapper-paul]

Tom your videos are great! Wealth of knowledge and what a great piece of history.

[@AxLWake]

Amazing kit. It's one of a kind I guess with all the accessories...

[@seanwhitty1335]

Stunning never seen one before love the cool case n kit 👍👍

[@MauserC1896]

The 'wheel' on the stock secures the attaching iron to the rear of the pistol.

[@Omnihil777]

I never shot a c-93 Borchardt, but I had the honor to shoot a 1898 Schwarzlose once and that gun is ingenious. Works like a charm & is imho one of the best early semi automatics. Made me a big fan of Andreas Schwarzlose.

[@chellybub]

Hey, let's call a spade a spade, this was an epic video 💜

[@rp8133]

I love the Borchardt even because of its extraordinary design which is the basic of all the beautiful Lugers. But, the Borchardt is more concerning the gun technology as you depicted very well.

[@denniswilson9317]

I had turned down many a milsurp firearm in the past in favor of brand new because I just wanted to shoot a lot and, besides, milsurp prices were just too damned cheap. After waiting over forty years prices had finally risen to the point that I felt comfortable to start collecting (he said with a wry smile). Even at today's prices though I am still constantly reminded by......well everyone that they (prices) are never going back down so better late than never. I am up to the point that the Luger is next on my list of collectibles. I started a book yesterday on the Luger with the first two chapters devoted to the Borchardt. I realized that I had only seen pictures of the Borchardt and never a video on the net. I thought wonder why of the hundreds of gun videos viewed I have never seen one? I guess it's because there were less than 3k made. But Tom does rare guns all the time. Wonder why he hasn't done one? Maybe he has and I just haven't seen it. I resolved to start searching for a Borchardt video. I turn on the internet today and..........viola. So cool to finally see one. Awesome video Tom! And yes the book I'm reading by John Walter on the Luger clued me in on what that wooden mag was for.

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

Thanks for watching!

[@tancarmartin6176]

Epic piece of history in epic video ! Well done

[@edwardtinker4406]

The wood dummy magazine is a wood hold-open, while it also holds the tools. At some point in the 60's or 70's, someone made exact replicas of the entire magazine, I had 2 of them.

[@piotrmroz7213]

Another great story and video! 😍 Thank you for sharing. 😊

[@wyyrdojim]

It was a better pistol caliber carbine than a pistol. A really amazing set!😎

[@jeepgeek1]

Another great video! Thanks for sharing that rare gem...

[@rebelray84]

Totally awesome. What a beautiful piece of history.

[@joeybeasenburg6595]

Another great video and talk about a rare find!

[@AdamosDad]

The cleaning rod assembly, wood part might actually go up into the magazine well after you get the rod out. It may be used to hold open the action for cleaning.

[@jfakoggl]

Incredible kit indeed! Beautiful.

[@dave.of.the.forrest]

I think that'll go for more than treefiddy. Beautiful!

[@MauserC1896]

Overall, a cased Loewe Borchardt in very nice condition. Quite a few went to South America.

[@mikepette4422]

Amazing kit ! This s so cool. Pretty good kit to give 4 magazines too ! Rare for a lot of pistols to have 4 proper mags. I am at 3:30 and those wooden blocks said Cheekpiece to me...lets see if I am right. HAH ! 13:40 and yes it was what i thought it was !

[@1Buddieo]

I believe that 93FORDMUSTANG is 100% correct, open the bolt and put the projection to the rear and it will hold the bolt open and leave room for the cleaning rod to clear the chamber

[@Sir_Baddington]

The Salvator-Dormus pistol was the first semi-auto pistol.

[@tighay8693]

you best Legacy

[@frankbutta9344]

Great Find! Thanks for Sharing! 👍👍👍👍

[@JoJoJoker]

Technically the Dormus was the first semi-auto pistol. Can only imagine the value of this complete set!

[@mauricemichiels6889]

$100 if the wife asks.

[@wetcanoedogs]

saw it in the Shotgun News when it was a kid in the 50's for 19.95. -------

[@michaelwest9205]

Wonderful review. Very interesting. You are a good communicator and historian. Bravo!

[@FirebirdDude]

Oh my god! What an absolutely incredible video. This video alone immediately holds significant historical value just for the sake of exhibiting such a fine rare piece. Good on you for sharing a Luger and C96 as well. As a proud owner of a C96 Red 9 kit and a Luger, this video brought me great joy. Thank you so much for sharing everything with your viewers. May I ask how much the C93 kit sold for?

[@grahamchalk4727]

Outstanding

[@michaelfitzell2741]

Excellent video!

[@535tony]

Borchardt spinning in his grave over you calling the main spring housing a bulbasizer. Just kidding! What a piece of history.

[@Umbreon-qn5cp]

Not the first semi auto pistol, but the first commercially successful semi auto pistol

[@rufusonderdonk4406]

That was great!

[@MilledSteel]

Mechanical beauty

[@katsu-graphics5634]

I always thought the Borchardt looked unwieldy, until this video. . . as a carbine, it looks a half step away from an Uzi. . . .give it a folding stock and a longer magazine and I'd bet it would have been a standard Wehrmacht issue. . . wonderful video. . .thank you. . . .

[@bruceevans8837]

WOW!

[@magpie6648]

Personally I'd treat the leather to preserve it.. so many times you see untreated leather crack and break because people are afraid to feed it. Treatment will not affect value, it will however ensure the leather survives a lot longer intact..great video, beautiful piece of kit😊

[@peter455sd]

I wonder how much something like that is worth,being that old and in such a wonderful condition with the kit and everything

[@BLECHHAUS]

AAAAAAAhhhhhhhh - a suitcase full of history :-)

[@robertdeen8741]

I don't think the brass tacks are original. I base that only on it looks identical to a clarinet case of the same period. I believe the case making factories contracted to make cases for all sorts of things.

[@bhoward9378]

The brass can't be original. Brass tarnishes quickly, even in modern climate controlled museum conditions, which did not exist for decades after the few Borchardt's were made.

[@robertdeen8741]

@@bhoward9378 do you think the case was factory or built by a case maker? I have worked on brass instruments that were 100 years old or older. Silver plating was very common back then but there still were many horns without. Of course musicians tended to keep them polished. Don't think the clear coats were all that good back then but waxing the brass instruments was fairly common.

[@kevinjackson4933]

And just like Borchardt, your wife doesn't want to hear any input about you, her perfect husband, and therefore you will be lost to the sands of time when a superior model is created.

[@АлексейФролов-в4ь]

Шикарный комплект

[@Misitheus]

I am willing to give you my kidney for this firearm...

[@jerryclark8636]

Does it have a distinct smell ?

[@kestaskiesza]

I'm inlove this barel

[@danbourg76]

This was so cool I schardted when I saw it...

[@rickcimino5483]

how much would something like that sell for?

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

$45,000

[@K0KR0K]

...HOLY SH*T BA*LS, ...WOW, ...just when I was contemplating an offer to buy this thing...

[@davidwallace5440]

Is that a complete kit 🤔

[@comentedonakeyboard]

magnificent 👍

[@xx1590]

How

[@KageNoTora74]

The C96 doesn't have a *detachable* magazine. Like other early semi automatic pistols it had an *internal, fixed* magazine fed from clips.

[@john-paulsilke893]

In 1926 they did produce detachable magazine guns, mostly for Chinese export.

[@john-paulsilke893]

They also do some experimental 20 and 40 round models in the late 1910’s. 1918 or something like that. I think they only made a few dozen though.

[@KageNoTora74]

@@john-paulsilke893 Kind of a developmental precursor to the Mauser 712 Schnellfeuer.

[@ChrisTopher-zo1vg]

Maybe if it was marketed as a carbine it would've done better.

[@pricklydingus8604]

I bet this thing is worth tens of dollars.

[@grayparatrooper]

who has these just laying around lol. How much is it?

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

$45k

[@K0KR0K]

...HOLY SH*T BA*LS, ...WOW, ...just when I was contemplating an offer to buy this thing...

[@john-paulsilke893]

@@thomaswhiteman4261 wow, that’s actually cheap considering. There are 1911’s that look like trash that are twice that price.

[@austindewalt3769]

I know that these aren’t as good as modern technology but I wish a company or different companies would make replicas of these, the Mauser C96 and Luger that actually fire. I’d like to get my hands on one of these but they are pricey.

[@Normannia]

🤛😀✌🏴‍☠

[@michaelatkin9649]

You need a better table to show these weapons. Too much stuff on that one

[@ElCineHefe]

If it doesn't take Glock clips, I wouldn't buy a weird off brand like that.

[@bhoward9378]

How could one authenticate such a rare bird almost a century and a half later? There are people with the skills and motivation to counterfeit these and other rarities, as you must know. "This strap looks original"; how could anyone know for sure without having an authenticated original box strap to compare it to? To me, the strap (and pistol and case) looks brand new, and that's a red flag. Forgive me, but I think at best it is more likely than not that you have been deceived. At best. That stock? I gotta call bullsh!t. No way it was made in my great-great-grandfather's era yet it has no dings, gouges, or other signs of age, unlike, say, a bookshelf from that era that sat passively in the living room. A real Borchardt (which was both extremely expensive and extremely rare when manufactured) that was stored in a climate-controlled bank vault in the US-- away from the temperature extremes in Europe and the tragedies of two world wars-- would not look this good, in my opinion. And climate controlled bank vaults did not exist back then. How many Borchardt's even made it to the USA in the first place? In my experience, a Borchardt in this condition could only have come from a handful of Swiss museums. Yet it didn't... Caveat emptor.

[@judge4all]

Wow !