Serbian/Yugoslav Ruby Pistol

utreon.com/c/f...
/ forgottenweapons
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.forgottenw...
The Serbian Army was essentially destroyed in 1915, and lost a massive amount of equipment. It was rebuilt with French assistance and reequipped with French arms in 1917, including about 5,000 Ruby pistols. These were standard French handguns at the time, and those that survived the rest of the war would remain in Yugoslav armories (as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia incorporated the former Serbian nation) well into the 1930s.
What we have today, courtesy of Mike Carrick from Arms Heritage magazine, is one of those Franco-Serbian Rubies, refurbished and remarked by Yugoslavia in 1933.
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle 36270
Tucson, AZ 85740

[@WebWolf89]

Let me help a bit, VTZ is today's Zastava Arms in Kragujevac, back then meaning Military Technical Institute. City name pronaunced Kraguyevatz.

[@drakcheslav]

@@samholdsworth420 actually, southern Europe.

[@WebWolf89]

@@samholdsworth420 What's to lol about? And it isn't really East Europe.

[@sevenus82]

I was about to write the same thing. You beat me to it. :D

[@_kodokami]

@@WebWolf89 don't mind them, simple folks from western Europe know only one alphabet :P

[@dragoljubzdravkovic1737]

​@@samholdsworth420So, they don't teach you geography and manners over there.. beside other relevant things. ...and its South Central Europe.

[@jawa011]

VTZ - Vojno Tehnički Zavod - Military technical institute (plant)

[@dude126]

I love how you include world history with the history of the firearm. It sets your channel above the rest.

[@caprise-music6722]

Exactly! Couldn’t agree more

[@swayback7375]

The history of the gun is the history of humankind

[@robinblackmoor8732]

I don't disagree. The other major thing is , NO POLITCAL STUFF. you have no idea how he votes and I love that. Just pure history and mechanical knowledge given out. Some channels lean in one direction and comment that way; it ruins the videos. These videos are how KZbin is supposed to work. Entertainment and knowledge passed on without a political slant.

[@chrisinstasis7986]

It's almost my favourite bit. With the modern weapons it's interesting to see the changes.or advances, but I love learning the history of pieces, especially the war era ones and how necessity drives design and manufacture.

[@preciselyinaccurate5460]

I still think the coolest French/Yugoslav arms were the Chauchat’s that the Serbs used in ww1 which they converted to 8x57. The bulk of Yugoslavian tanks were also french. Renault FT and M28 tanks.

[@ronaldbarnes8302]

Nice review Ian! My dad brought a Ruby pistol back from WW2. I found 2 mags for it online after some research as it was missing one. Fun shooter! Thanks for sharing!

[@Cyenjoyer]

I am so used to Ian having a very good grasp of the French accent and pronunciations that the "Foo" for Fire made me chuckle a bit

[@Gaehhn]

So the Foo Fighters are actually fire fighters, I see.

[@caprise-music6722]

@@Gaehhn you’re making me laaaugh, guy!

[@mynameisstilljafo4063]

Nice little pistol. I love anything in .32 ACP. One of my favorite rounds to shoot.

[@marcthomas2482]

Agreed! I have a ridiculous collection of. 32's 😁

[@AxLWake]

It's a great round that allows to make very small guns. It's a shame it is not used in modern handguns anymore.

[@wildcard3261]

@@AxLWake 🤔doesn't is the Glock42 made in 32?

[@AxLWake]

@@wildcard3261 It's chambered in .380 (9mm short). I'm no Glock expert but I'm pretty sure there is no Glock in .32ACP (7,65mm). There are very, very few modern guns chambered for the .32ACP cartridge and that is mostly because the biggest market for small concealable handguns is in the USA. And most Americans tend to think that anything below 9mm is just a toy and not a weapon.

[@wildcard3261]

@@AxLWake ah, o.k.. I thought a few guys where talking about a Glock 42 in .32 acp at the Range. Maybe i misheard it.

[@chateuxsoc7450]

I hope one day Zastava or the Serbian MOD will extend the same courtesy that the French Gendarmerie did by inviting you to view and document their collections, rarities and obscure prototypes which there are plenty of.

[@WebWolf89]

Hardly doubt it, they're closed for local journalists. Even the weapons they sell on the local market is utter junk compared to the things they export.

[@porterrockwell5287]

The movie King Petar the First is really good. The retreat through the snowy mountains is especially harrowing. Well worth watching.

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

For those wondering, Serbia routed and made for the sea in September/October/November 1915, in a fighting retreat. They had been fighting since the end of July 1914! So it was no collapse right away as Ian's TL:DR summery may suggest. But that is not the focus of this video so NO Griping in the comments.

[@LadyAnuB]

Actually, Serbia kicked the Austro-Hungarian Army's ass to start out. It was only after months of fighting and attrition took hold from Serbia's smaller population and almost continuous fighting since the First Balkan War that Serbia had to conduct a retreat. The Great War KZbin talks about this during their first year: kzbin.info

[@88porpoise]

To add, they quite clearly defeated the Austro-Hungarian empire offensives in 1914 holding their borders, it wasn't that they merely survived. It was a three pronged attack by the Germans, Austrians, and Bulgarians, led by one of the best generals of the war, against the already depleted defenders that Serbia had no way to stop.

[@genericpersonx333]

I had a Serbian associate in times past whose Grandfather claimed to be in that army during the Great War. Supposedly, he said that because he and other soldiers were throwing rocks over their shoulders while they ran, they were clearly engaged in a fighting retreat. Hard to say if the old man was being tongue-in-cheek or serious, but my experience of Serbs says that they are a strangely optimistic people who seem to always have an explanation for how things weren't as bad as they seem.

[@DPRK_Best_Korea]

@@88porpoise August von Mackensen in a famous speech told his men to be ready to fight some of the toughest men they ever would.

[@altergreenhorn]

Just to add a part to your story: Montenegro forces on the request of Serbain king held their positions against Austro Hungarian forces long enough for the Serbs forces to be evacuated, they were annihilated soon after by the Austro Hungarian forces. After the WWI Serbia took over Montenegro kingdom without asking too much, they had no military left to opose anyway .

[@NERVNOTO]

mr.Ian, that was a great presentation......greatings wrom Yugoslavia

[@RIcho1166]

Another fascinating piece!

[@johnstacy7902]

That's what she said!!

[@franky334444]

I’ve been waiting for you to do any kind of Ruby ❤️

[@onmilo]

Ruby pistols without the star acceptance stamps were from the vast batches of substandard guns the French received that did not meet French service standards for issue but were retained for colonial issue and for use as military aid. HTH.

[@keenanmcbreen7073]

The concentric slide serrations are very aesthetically pleasing.

[@SteamCrane]

I think they would be nice to use too.

[@unlearningcommunism4742]

Huh... I'm from Serbia and never knew this existed. Thank you!

[@ВанбродскиРеБтил]

1:53 VTZ or BT3 is Vojno Tehnicki Zavod or Military technical factory/institute.

Right, В.Т.З. - is not Be-Te-Ze, but Ve-Te-Ze in Cyrillic script.

[@dekipet]

ВТЗ (Војно Технички Завод), or VTZ (Vojno Tehnički Zavod) means a military technical institute. Today Zastava form Kragujevac, Serbia.

[@mathildadeer]

"lost most of its equipment on a march to the sea" oh my god... they lost their guns in a boating accident.

[@marcthomas2482]

I have a similar pistol marked "ALKAR". It has the short grip with only one screw and abalone grip scales!? The safety toggle has no hook on it but the cut out is on the slide. Has a green flap holster but only one mag. It's been difficult to find much information about it. Grandfather may have brought it back from WW2.

[@u.p.woodtick3296]

Sweet

[@kekoa_ok]

Should post it to Ian's subreddit!

[@marcthomas2482]

@@kekoa_ok haven't the faintest clue how to. I did do a video of it on my channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4HJcq2irL2YbKc

[@unclejohnbulleit2671]

My books are unfortunately packed away, so this is from memory. I sold my Alkartasuna Ruby a year or so ago. IIRC Alkar and Alkartasuna were the same company (remember I am doing this from memory, so could well be wrong) which were among the multitude of Spanish companies that flourished during WWI, supplying arms to France (the Rubies) and England, (varying models) but didn't do well after the war. Your gun sounds really interesting, wish I could see it!

[@marcthomas2482]

@@unclejohnbulleit2671 Thank you for the information Uncle John. You can see it in a video I did a while back. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4HJcq2irL2YbKc

[@criffermaclennan]

What a great looking little pistol

[@bwhog]

It's always interesting to see features on one pistol that are very reminiscent of other designs as an indication of what the thinking was predominant and a specific period of manufacturing and design. Also, as noted, where surplus arms ended up traveling to. The intersection of the history of firearms and broader world history has always been something I found intriguing and part of the reason I first became a collector.

[@akatripclaymore.9679]

Had a Spanish made copy, made in Eibar called the "Paramount" .32 acp/ 7.65mm.

[@colbullsigh6823]

The BTZ certainly appears to have some Browning influence!

[@milandjuric1257]

Serb here One small mistake at 1:56, it' not B.T.Z it's actually V.T.Z the "В" is actually "V" .. anyways great video!

[@Mrgunsngear]

Thanks

[@craigbenz4835]

Interesting pattern on the slide gripping surface.

[@danpatterson8009]

You make this all so interesting.

[@jameskazd9951]

early to mid 20th century 32 acp pistols are my favorites for some reason.

[@user-oi8sq6ci8j]

That grip looks like it has 100 years of hand crud and dead skin cells caked on. I imagine the crud gives more grip than the original checkering.

[@miljanvideo]

My grandpa owns one of these, I'd love post some pics somewhere, although my grandpa has dementia and I don't wanna end up like Tony Soprano :D

[@mikeblair2594]

For just a second when you rolled the pistol while looking at the underside of the grip, I could see what was left of the star that you had just mentioned. That would mean that this pistol was indeed a french issued firearm for the Serbs during the Great War.

[@clayb3765]

I have one, mine is in fantastic condition and still shoots. It was a WW2 bring back

[@nikitastsal6530]

Hey Ian I've been a fan of your channel for quite some time, and I was wandering if you could feature some Historical weapons of the Greek army

[@donaldknapik2706]

Ian, you talk a lot about the proofing of firearms for military acceptance. Can you do a video on that process? I think it would be interesting to understand exactly what was done to accept a firearm into service.

[@genericpersonx333]

The answer would be it varies by time, place, and service involved, so it would have to be a series or a really long video. Still, it would be a good topic to address since proofing is integral to the history that he is keen to preserve. I second this motion for more on proofing.

[@fungusamongus69420]

He had a two hour long video on proofing and proof marks. Look it up.

[@hristoapostolovski5407]

That gun is quite heavy , its overdimezod fore that weak caliber 7.65 , you can easy take out the barrel just by take the slide back and twist the barrel , think that the Ruby is spanish , they should made it in 9mm parabellum , Its very reliable and simple and durable .

[@sharpe67]

Thanks Ian

[@bryantadkins8720]

Have a good mid week every one.

[@danielburgess7785]

Arms dealers of any era "Ask me no questions..."

[@nullifye7816]

"The Serbian Army was pretty well routed, lost most of its equipment on a march to the sea and was refitted by the French." That's such a lie by omission that it really grinds my gears. A Corfu-issue French aid firearm that saw service through the Thessalonica campaign is pretty much sacred to Serbs.

[@JohnDoe-vm5rb]

So tell me what happened please? I don't meannthat in a smartarse way, I'm genuinely curious what you have to say

[@Vitosaurus]

@@JohnDoe-vm5rb Well, after the two borderline miraculous victories of 1914 over the numerically superior Austro-Hungarian army, it took the combined effort of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria in a three pronged attack in 1915, led by August Von Mackensen to finally force an all out retreat of the Serbian army with a great number of civilians through the mountains of Albania. It was an organised retreat, the army survived, but at great cost. Starvation, skirmishes with the Albanians (some tribes were in good relations with the Serbians, some not so much) led to great casualties to the Serbs. Finally they reached the Adriatic, and evacuated to Corfu island and Tunisia, and after that to the Salonica front, where the refitted Serbian army rejoined the war and finally liberated their country in 1918. In total, the WW1 was a cataclysm for Serbia. Almost half of the male population was dead. The estimates vary, but between a fifth and more than a quarter of total population of the country was dead. An entire generation was lost, essentially. Politics aside, it was a catastrophe Serbia still hasn't recovered, and it is still a sensitive subject in Serbia.

[@303machine]

B.T.3 in (Serbian) Cyrilic is V.T.Z in Latin. It means Military Technical Institute (Vojno-tehnički zavod). Cyrilic B is V in Latin and is different when written in cursive.

[@Paulysolo]

This is one of the few weapons on Ian's channel I had no idea existed until I played "Hotdogs, horseshoes & hand grenades" and it really stood out. The rest of the guns in that game I either picked up from my 90's copy of Jane's or years of watching this channel. It's really fascinating and fun to model the actions based on things I learned here (like the HK 11's clockwork charging.)

[@biggerbehindthetrigger2814]

Nice little handgun. I would make one for my collection.

[@admiralpercy]

Those slide serrations indicate an interesting tooling story

[@gwimbus4399]

Have just found one of these Yugoslav Ruby’s for sale in New Zealand, would love to know the story of how it ended up all the way down in New Zealand.

[@Alpacayourbags]

I have one of these, but by Paramount. It’s super heavy and clunky.

[@promiscuous5761]

Thank you.

[@christophersilsby7829]

Thank you for this informative video on this weapon. I have never heard of this before but I have heard of the SPANISH one.

[@Boban2003C]

BT3 is VTZ Vojno tehnički zavod. Militari tehical factory

[@Samuraj454]

Its VTZ in cyrillic.

[@thomaselmer9728]

The shape of the slide and grip are very reminiscent of a Hi - Standard semi-auto .22, just add a round barrel to the front. I wonder if this weapon influenced the Hi - Standard design.

[@serdradion4010]

BT3 in Cyrillic equals VTZ, Military Technical State Company.

[@Kingwoodish]

This gun would look at home on the streets of any American city.

[@unlearningcommunism4742]

В = V, Т = T and З = Z (Војно-Техничку Завод) = Military (arms), Machine (like military technique or Engineering) Factory (that is also doing innovation, testing and research)

[@KevinPatrickJr]

That character transliterates to the Latin "V" not "B."

[@agoogleaccount2861]

So it's a remarked Spanish ruby..

[@Jarlerus]

There seems to be a number in front of the original safety marking. Old serial number perhaps?

[@ahall1459]

Great vid

[@devilslamp7306]

I once sold a Ruby pistol (not Serb/Yugo) to an ATF informant for far more than it was worth because they were trying to entrap me. At least that's what everyone told me was going on. I bought it from a gun store for $65 on a whim, did some research, and found out it was actually one of the most rare manufacturers (I forget which), and in really good shape once I cleaned off what looked like ancient leather dust caked with cosmoline. So I decided to call it a collectors item, and list it on gunbroker. Everybody said I was crazy to list it for as much as I did. I think I was asking $750 which was a LOT in the early 00s for a pistol that, as Ian said, was manufactured by the bucketfuls. I got a buyer and all my gun friends were really surprised. Then the buyer started making some odd requests. All of the odd requests violated the law somehow, like "mail it directly to my house" when they didn't have a C&R FFL or anything, etc. The consensus in the forums I frequented at the time is that the buyer was an ATF agent or informant trying to get me to commit some sort of crime, which was a frequent boogeyman at the time. You know how every trip to the gun show had someone telling you to be careful because the ATF was out to get you? I don't know how much of it was true, but there were apocryphal stories of ATF agents/informants going around and asking people to make straw purchases, or waiting for someone to buy a gun then immediately offering them hundreds more to catch them "dealing without a license," or asking them for advice on how to convert a gun to full auto. That sort of thing. I ended up talking to one of my gun friends who was a lawyer, and consulting with two different FFLs, and we decided to string the buyer along, being extremely careful to not break any laws in the process. I got my money, mailed the gun, and never heard from the buyer again. Who knows what really happened. Maybe we were all just paranoid about an eccentric collector who didn't understand gun laws.

[@chrisxdeboy]

"...and lost most of its small arms in a really disasterous march out to the sea." So like... a boating accident?

[@joschmo1172]

Those Serbs know how to build great guns

[@capitanulloa5728]

Well, the gun is spanish, but the yugoslavians just remarked it. It was made for the french during WWI and for that reason it has the safety markings in french.

[@Goonygoon84]

@@capitanulloa5728 "You made this?" Grinds of markings. "I made this." Haha

[@capitanulloa5728]

@@Goonygoon84 XD

[@kenibnanak5554]

It kind of blows my mind that someone bothered to refubish Ruby pistols. LoL

[@TheStraycat74]

Ruby Ruby

[@mikepette4422]

yeah that pistol has seen some hard days maybe even a lot of combat.

[@manni5072]

What a museum piece

[@burnttoaster311]

DO A VIDEO ON THE SPANISH STAR PISTOL. Fm.22

[@Megames2012]

Just found out Stevens created 22LR. Could you do a history of their pump shotguns?

[@nathan3337]

I got one in .32 auto, very fun!

[@18IMAMGODINA]

В.Т.З. or V.T.Z. (Vojno Tehnichki Zavod) meaning Vojno-military Tehnichki -technical zavod-institute Or in English terminology technical military institute .

[@aleksandardjurovic1973]

Greetings from Serbia

[@blodjaformas66]

Smells probably moderately acidic With a touch of absinth

[@SteamCrane]

This begs to be disassembled. Is it striker or hidden hammer? Fixed barrel? Straight blowback? The markings are interesting, but the internals are interesting in their own way.

[@ductileiron98]

Everyone loves Aunt Ruby

[@voya8480]

Војно Технички Завод ВТЗ ( MILITARY TECHNICAL WORKS)

[@stuartburton1167]

Before watching Ian's channel I thought Ruby pistols were junk that would blow up if they could be persuaded to fire. Turns out like a lot of gun facts that was rubbish and the Ruby was sturdy reliable and probably the best pistol the French issued. It might only be.32acp but I wouldn't like anyone to point one at me

[@JustanOlGuy]

This tool has had a hard life from the looks of it.

[@tombogan03884]

Is that the same Goanaga who's family did the damascene work ?

[@thomaskwei9119]

Whatcis used to fill in the markings on these guns? A grease pencil or something else?

[@tw130]

Mike Carric has lent loaned so many guns to KZbin channels Im surprised his name isnt grounds for demonitization

[@TheKencoffee]

I know this doesn't pertain to the video but I want to ask the group a question I think you could give solid advice on. If I wanted to buy in the US a WW1 or WW2 rifle that I could take to the range and have fun with but would be about as cheap as you can get, what would you suggest? BTW I don't have a c&r obviously so I'd have to pay for the transfer.

[@TakeNoteOfThat]

Mosin-Nagant. Hard to beat the price especially on WWI/WWII rifles.

[@TooDeepForSleep]

gotta say it, at first YUGO was a named SHS Slovens Croats and Serbs, but then they changed it arround.

[@alexandertoshich765]

Interesting!

[@greycatturtle7132]

Cool pistol

[@mkshffr4936]

Very cool.

[@merakliu]

V.T.Z Vojno tehnički zavod Military Technical Institute

[@jehoiakimelidoronila5450]

The whole slide/upper portion is comically small compared to the grip/lower section...!

[@tocsa120ls]

that З (Z) will be some type of "zavod" - factory/plant

[@trucktruckin2291]

BT3 is actually VTZ in cyrilic.

[@robinblackmoor8732]

I am disappointed. I thought perhaps it was a pistol that shot bullets made of ruby.

[@grantpratt299]

Do import markings reduce the value or collectability of a firearm?

[@natsuccubus]

depends, but usually. Sometimes it suggests a story, which allows its history to be traced and could increase its value as well as other exceptions.

[@ChairmanKam]

"VTZ", but close enough.

[@activatekruger446]

Which category does the SKS fall under? The caliber is too light to be a battle rifle, but it’s not quite an assault rifle…. Help??

[@horaya7528]

Carbine i guess

[@ArcturusOTE]

The SKS afaik translates as a 'Simonov's semi automatic carbine', so that works

[@sandervanduren2779]

It would probably just be a Semiautomatic Military Rifle or Self Loading Military Rifle

[@TheStraycat74]

The SKS uses the same round as the AK-47.

[@sandervanduren2779]

@@TheStraycat74 but it’s not select fire, so it’s not an assault rifle, and it fires an intermediate cartridge so it’s not a battle rifle

[@NakushitaNamida]

You pronunce Feu , as in Burn or Furnace

[@sealove79able]

VTZ - Militaty Arsenal.

[@commi_guy]

как он смешно говорит Югославия)

[@StefanBlagojevic]

@Валерий Саркисян Почему, мой дорогой армянский брат? Я думаю, Ян довольно хорошо произносит это (Югославия). С уважением из Сербии =)

[@commi_guy]

@@StefanBlagojevic ну, просто мне так кажется) всё таки англоговорящие не до конца правильно произносят "славянские" слова. всем сербам привет, был у вас!

[@StefanBlagojevic]

@@commi_guy Мне просто было любопытно. Спасибо за твой ответ. Да благословит Господь Армению и ее благородный народ, наших армянских братьев! Люблю вас всех 🤗. Берегите себя и слава Армении! С днем 9 мая, с Днем Победы. Урааа!!!

[@commi_guy]

@@StefanBlagojevic С праздником! Удачи!

[@royale_spice7954]

My grandads got a real one.

[@thegrumpytexan]

Dumb question; what do they use to fill in white in the markings?

[@johnk1955]

You can use a china marker or grease pencil. Fill in the letters or logo and wipe off the excess. It's not permanent and will come off after a few good cleanings.

[@mohammedimran3670]

What is china marker?

[@johnk1955]

A China marker is just another name for a greese pencil.

[@nikkirazelli3250]

French pistols, bought from Spain? could it get any worse?

[@martinmeixner9047]

Look like a copy of a German Beholla Pistol from WW1 in 32 ACP

[@jackertl6416]

Was this video an accidental release

[@father_opan4358]

Since your comment is 3 weeks old, I'd say yes lol