Special Presentation: Semiauto Pistols of the 1800s

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Today's Special Presentation is an overview of all the semiautomatic pistols that were actually put into serial production before the year 1900. We have looked at these individually before, but I think it is worthwhile to examine them together in context, to gain a better understanding of what the automatic pistol scene was really like in the last years of the 19th century.
Want to learn more about any of these? Here are some videos on individual guns:
Volcanic: • The Volcanic: Smith & ...
Luger: • Development of the Lug...
Schwarzlose 1898: • Schwarzlose 1898 Semia...
Mannlicher 1894: • Mannlicher Model 1894 ...
Mannlicher 1896: • Mannlicher Model 1896 ...
Bergmann No1: • Bergmann No. 1 / 1894
Bergmann No2: • Bergmann No 2 / 1896
Bergmann No3 & 4: • Bergmann No. 3 & No.4 ...
Bergmann No5: • Bergmann No.5 / 1897
Salvatore-Dormus: • 1891 Salvator-Dormus: ...
Schonberger-Laumann: • Laumann 1891 and Schon...
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[@BrooksSligh]

Ian all out there with the trifold board like he's competing in the Science Fair.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

He wins a blue ribbon!

[@lolzman228]

grown-ups science fair

[@BoldAlligator]

Gun Jesus always gets first place

[@LOUDcarBOMB]

Oh man, it'd be cool if there was a Gun Fair, maybe even being part of gun shows.

[@kennethmacneil686]

Hypothesis: old timey semi-autos are cool.

[@AlaskanUndead]

It's crazy to think semiautomatic pistols are older than pump action shotguns.

[@benparsons4979]

Damn. That *is* pretty insane

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

Ikr? One would think the pretty simple manual mechanism we know today would have been invented sooner.

[@themostokaypersonever84]

Spencer made a pump in the 80s

[@jat7989]

Its mad to think you can make a shotgun with two pieces of pipe sliding inside each other with a firing pin in the end of the outer pipe.

[@vaycansee]

According to my research the patent for a a pump/ slide action shotgun was issued to one Alexander Bain in 1854.

[@ringowunderlich2241]

There are 3 major reasons the Mauser C96 took off that well. 1. Mauser was very successful with its bolt action rifles, so the pistol had a name to it and customers were convinced, that this pistol must be a good one. 2. Due to the bolt action rifles Mauser not only had a foot in the door to military contracts. The company already sat on the table with the military, aka well established relations. 3. Mauser had the production facilities and capabilities to fulfill any contract in due time. btw, very nice display and quite valuable.

[@flatsurfaces1913]

Ringo Wunderlich it also worked really well and wasn’t a .22

[@franz_stigler]

I feel describing it like that takes away from the fact that its one of the few good designs in this video.

[@lysandermakhno5778]

It was also very reliable, had a higher capacity than most of its competitors, and was chambered in a fairly potent, low recoil cartridge. They seem ungainly today, but they were about the same dimensions, weight, and balance to most service revolvers of the time. I could certainly see officers purchasing it as a high tech upgrade.

[@51WCDodge]

Ry Hirdler I agree it works. Unfortunatley my one went because of the local poloticians vote hunting, but it was a joy to shoot. In British TV shows of the 1960's The Assasin! always had an attache case which when opened had a Mauser C96, stock and barrel extension with a telescopic sight in it. this was assembled and the fatal shot fired! That's what started me wanting one! :-) l

[@keithlarsen7557]

10 shots vs the 6 of a revolver.

[@oldesertguy9616]

Do you think the collector would consider adopting a 59 year old? I would be willing to do chores.

[@2wheeleddemon999]

A 59 year old with a 33 year old little brother?

[@SvendleBerries]

And a 36 year old dog? Im willing to do tricks if I can tag along to the range.

[@RockIslandAuctionCompany]

Great display! Hopefully I'll get to see it at a show sometime soon.

[@brianreddeman951]

Yes, museum quality display. Maybe you guys can put up a museum next to your auction house. A reference collection perhaps? :)

[@RockIslandAuctionCompany]

P.S. Mad that the MARS pistol just missed out.

[@confuseatronica]

Me too, even though i guess i can understand how impractical it would be to actually use in a war... hang utility, it's so cool looking. i was thinking about what pistols someone would want to put in a little extra side-display of all the guns that came out just in 1900-1910 or even 1905, just to show what those late 1800s guns led to or were developed into... but im afraid it would be a longer list than the guns in the 1800s display! Not to mention that most of them would be derived or inspired by just 2 or 3 of those 1800s autopistols. makes me begin to see what museum curators (and probably sometimes you auctioneers) have to figure out when designing exhibits or collection themes... complicated!

[@TakNuke]

I am still gawking at the wall in all it's glory.

[@chrisdooley6468]

Seriously. It’s like a kids science fair presentation on steroids and I love every inch of it. I could stand there and read that info and look for a long time lol. I hope he finds other overviews like that in the future

[@dfwai7589]

Honestly I really wish those who are anti gun could look at something like this and simply see several mechanically and historically significant pieces of engineering rather than "horrible deadly killing machines"

[@TheSummersilk]

@@afrog2666 you just proved his point with the last comment...

[@MrRenegadeshinobi]

Padmmegh Ambrela that is a pretty epic wall.

[@thelegendaryklobb2879]

That moment when you realize you can recognize most of the pistols shown Gun Jesus has taught us well

[@VRichardsn]

Same here! 5 years ago, I was a complete ignorant. Now, thanks to His teaching, I can recognize designs and models, understand some of the evolutionary trends and, above all, I gained an enormous appreciation for the engineering that goes behind the guns.

[@johnballs1352]

@@VRichardsn Same! Been following him for years, I've learned so much about guns from him he truly is a great teacher.

[@brosef4154]

The idea behind the Mauser C.96 came from a galaxy a long time ago and far, far away. But nobody wants to talk about that.

[@tisFrancesfault]

I still find it unfortunate that the Maxim-Silverman pistol never became a success. Such a sleek, beautiful pistol.

[@calanon534]

Same with me and the Schwarzlose.

[@silubr1]

I love the Maxim-Silverman, but it is essentially a blowback pistol in 7.63 Borchardt/Mauser. It would have worked a lot better in a smaller cartridge (even though military contracts were the goal all around). However, it seems that Maxim himself might have been less than enthusiastic about his minion’s invention, and that certainly won’t have helped. Ian has a great video, of cause.

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

Yeah. Both the Maxim-Silverman and Schwarzlose looks like a prototype for something like the Ruger Mk. I series or Colt Woodsman, with their slanted M1911-style grips and thin barrels. Browning must have been inspired by them while creating the M1911 prototype.

[@Brawler_1337]

Shorty Shorty The 1911’s grip angle didn’t come for a while, actually. In fact, it wasn’t added until the model of 1910. The Colt 1900-1909 all had much more vertical grips. If you’re interested, Ian has a video on the 1911’s development, and has since made two more videos looking at the 1907 and the 1909.

[@shadekerensky3691]

@@calanon534 God, I know right?

[@confuseatronica]

To the collector whose display that is: thank you for letting Ian film it so we could all see it, and also it's a very nice display and a really great collection. That's a really interesting set of pistols. (apologies if you mentioned the collector and I just missed it)

[@MajorMustang1117]

I'm actually surprised how many there were. I knew of only about 5 of those

[@felidiusz]

Still more than me :P

[@con6lex]

Ian did a whole series on the Bergman models. Some are amazing.

[@lucidnonsense942]

Who remembers, the week of Bergmanns...

[@mrd1433]

As soon as Ian mentioned Bergman it popped into my head.

[@felidiusz]

That was wonderful week!

[@JenniferinIllinois]

I thought of it as soon as this video popped up in my feed. 😉

[@johnn8223]

Bergmania was running wild, brother!

[@Hirosjimma]

The Bergman gospel... Yes, I remember those wonderful times.

[@12345NoNamesLeft]

Kickass elementary school presentation board.

[@con6lex]

12345NoNamesLeft I bet a parent did some work on it😝

[@Ralph-yn3gr]

Seeing all those pistols in one place is incredibly cool! I find these early self loaders to be much more interesting than the fairly boring hyper practicool super tacticool stuff we have today. I would buy registered stocked reproductions of all of these pistols (or I would if I had any money) (especially the C96).

[@WhataGunnR]

I was just thinking about this yesterday. "What semiauto firearms could've existed in the 1870s?" Now I know, so thank you Gun Jesus!

[@Varadiio]

Do autorevolvers count? With the black powder issue, I think they would be your best bet. Of course those never really took off, but I suppose it's possible that they'd be a success in the absence of smokeless powder.

[@joecary3586]

There were several double action revolvers back then. And frankly, DA revolvers are much better than most of these early semi autos.

[@michaelj595]

looks like the coolest school project ever.

[@terrydiller]

John Browning wasn't first, or even involved early in the process. But when he turned his mind to it, he created a system that is used by nearly every manufacturer today, designed iconic pistols along with new, popular cartridges that remain with us today over 100 years later. He dominated. There is a reason that he was referred to as a genius.

[@Zajuts149]

*cue music: Lou Bega's "Bergmann No. 5"*;)

[@JenniferinIllinois]

A little bit of Mauser in my life. Hehehe...

[@thepom572]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@EuropeYear1917]

@Little Jenny "A little bit of Kalashnikov, twice as nice, A little bit of Enfield's all I need, A little bit of Springfield, baby please!"

[@JenniferinIllinois]

HM The Tsar of Russia Nice job!!!! :)

[@sb-ant6457]

I've not to date, felt internet patreon was something worth consideration, I find Ian's quality, quantity on this special interest is worth some input. I'll think of it as the collection bow for the Messiahs new jet plane ....ticket.

[@SeanoMcCool18]

You upload a whole lot. You must have this recording/editing process down to a tee.

[@Landsharkitis]

SeanoMcCool18 dont you appreciate his work i love it

[@dfwai7589]

Honestly I would love to know what the whole forgotten weapons team looks like

[@samueldickenson2062]

@@dfwai7589 you've seen it (hint - they are all in the video) Having said that I think he may have recently hired someone, but very recently so most of the content is just him.

[@phillgizmo8934]

Actually his style of video don't require much editing. I think this video could be edited and uploaded in 1.5 hour time.

[@con6lex]

Phill Gizmo It would be simple to edit only by preparing so much that you can talk without stumbling for a long time. On a few videos you can see an edit where he uses multiple takes at the same angle, but it is pretty rare.

[@theodryche7294]

I'm scared to think how much that wall cost...

[@Roshake77]

And they said Infinity War was the most ambitious crossover

[@cameronmccreary4758]

Colt .45 ACP works alright with black powder. Really early Mauser C96 pistols had tight locking bolts so, they required an explosive powder to get them to operate correctly. I possessed an early Mauser C96 pistol when I was younger and tried reloading with standard American powders and it would fail to function. Highly explosive factory ammunition functioned perfectly.

[@hamm6033]

What a home run for a post! I was just discussing this subject with a friend so here comes a share! Just fantastic, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.

[@ShawarmaFarmer]

That is simply a splendid and well put together display. Absolutely informative and succinct.

[@meisenhut31]

Ian, what a great presentation! It's very interesting to hear about all these firearms together in the context of the industry at the time. I also quite enjoyed the discussion of technical capabilities of the day. Keep up the good work!

[@arachnonixon]

this is possibly the coolest presentation I've ever seen in my life. fantastic job, Ian

[@YegresAL]

Excellent video! Hope you'll bring something like this overview about other weapons: rifles, flintlocks, revolvers. I think that giving understanding of the weapon's evolution (with such a visualisation) is one of the strongest and most interesting part of your channel.

[@TristPerrin]

These historical overviews are always my favourite videos. Great job as usual, Ian. Thanks.

[@chriswarren1618]

What a great summary and comparison of 19th C Autopistols, Ian, with a real backdrop. For me, this tied all the loose ends on your previous individual presentations. You explained so well the reasons for adoption failure due to the shortcomings of gun and ammo, non-consistent manufacture, over this period. This is my second viewing and I pick up on something new each time. Brilliant work -keep it up!

[@lawrence3242]

Thank you this was a very interesting program. I don’t think I’ve seen such a presentation on auto loading pistols before. Great presentation.

[@krmould]

Amazing display and collection. Thank you to the collector for sharing it with Ian and all of us!

[@lwilton]

That was a very interesting display and very informative presentation. Great thanks to whoever has managed to "collect the whole set" and who let you show it off,and to you for making this much more visible to the world.

[@RhodeIslandWildlife]

No idea how I missed this one untill now. A spectacular collection and an excellent presentation. Thank you very much.

[@NateTheBrewer]

Props to whomever the collector was that set that up and let you film that. Looking forward to more videos!

[@lubossoltes321]

Thank you Ian. Thanks to your work I knew all the pistols on that wall and remembered most of he videos you did on them.

[@badcallsign4204]

I literarily drooled a little. Amazing collection there and a remarkable opportunity to make this video. Really great!

[@Joseph4499]

An absolutely amazing video Ian! Your channel is my favorite gun channel on KZbin. Really my favorite of any channel gun or not. I love history and guns and you always deliver the information very well. Thank you for all the great videos!

[@MU-oi1su]

I'd love to see some of these old looks come back

[@christianroberts8134]

Thanks Ian, some really beautiful guns!

[@villainousmaximus8775]

Impressive display. Thank you for bring it to the channel.

[@violakrone8429]

All the knowledge and the amount of uploads is amazing nothing to compare with thanks for that. You really love what youre doing👍✌

[@mikewysko2268]

Well done lecture. Fantastic display. Thanks Ian

[@BeasBotBonanza]

Insane collection! Absolute dream of mine haha I love all the early semi-autos both pistols and rifles.

[@JohnLeePedimore]

I have a small Berreta Minx that has no extractor. When I take the mag out of the gun and fire single shots the shell case jams in the action every other time. When I put the mag back in it ejects every time. It's clear that the mag plays a critical role in ejecting the case. I've always wondered if other non-extractor guns use the mag to push the case upward during recoil. If you have a non-extractor gun try using it without the nag and see if it jams.

[@svtirefire]

Sounds like you need to clean and lube it once in awhile lol

[@darthmichaelus6104]

Hell, a Glock will not eject 100% reliably without a magazine.

[@JohnLeePedimore]

The gun jams the same way every time it jams without the mag. The slide comes back and the case moves to the right about a quarter inch and jams between the slide and barrel creating a sort of horizontal stovepipe condition.

[@HughesEnterprises]

JohnLeePedimore Yep, with no extractor to kick it to the side and no mag to kick it upwards (hopefully) over your head the case tries falling in the mag well and jams. Does the same thing with my Italian 4” Minx

[@mattelder1971]

Even some modern guns with extractors use the magazine lips as part of the ejection system. The Ruger 10/22 is one example.

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Very informative. Great overview of the early self loading pistols. Learned a quite a bit.

[@jameskomsella7319]

Ok that was very cool of a collector to allow you to do that may this channel live long and continue to be the root of my morning edutainment.

[@MrRogsmart]

Thanks Ian. A lot of history concisely presented.

[@ryanchrapko700]

Keep it up. The amount of content you put up is great!

[@MrPetarted86]

Red dead redemption 2’s new DLC looks great

[@Cacowninja]

Ian be working as a consultant with Rockstar Games!

[@Dedfaction]

@@luckybassturd7260 It's too late, GTA: Online has pretty much guaranteed the ruination of all future Rockstar games.

[@Dixielinemuzik]

@@Dedfaction Just chiming in to tell you that I dig your profile pic. Red Faction was one of my favorites as a kid.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

I was skeptical, but the news today that Red Dead online won't be launching until November (after launch) and will be considered a separate product from single player gives me some hope that the single player experience might not have been tainted by GTA Online. Even red dead online is being touted as a smaller, less over-the-top experience with role playing and a focus on morality. We'll see if that's true or just some nice marketing talk, but if it is true, I might actually find myself playing Red Dead Online on a regular basis.

[@FloodExterminator]

@@Cacowninja I wonder if Dice had some help from Ian for BF5! Plenty of odd weapons in the Beta such as the KE7, ZH29 and the Drilling.

[@MistaDollaD]

Dude 800,000+ subs WOW good for you man I didn’t notice your boom I was around when you only had 500 subs. Proud of you

[@dobypilgrim6160]

Superb presentation Ian. Thanks.

[@kenhelmers2603]

Cool collection! I like hearing and seeing the timeline!

[@adaw2d3222]

Nice video Ian! These early ones have always interested me.

[@randywatson8347]

Nice! Big thanks to the collector. 18:46 provenance close-up 😄

[@techforhire7557]

Long video and I loved every minute of it, thanks Ian

[@calamusgladiofortior2814]

That's a very cool collection. It's neat to see the development of an idea from beginnings to maturity. Just having the idea isn't enough, you've got to be able to execute on it.

[@gmsherry1953]

I spent the whole video wondering why Ian hadn't told us which museum he was in. Then at the end, "the collector." That's a private collection? Not in an institution? Imagine having THAT over to one side of your living room or down in the basement den. That would be impressive scholarship and a praiseworthy level of display design at any firearms museum. That it belongs to a private collector (UNLESS he purchased it as is FROM a museum) is amazing.

[@Matt85ism]

great presentation!

[@TheVarzoth]

I love seeing the development of the technology over time. Super interesting thank you.

[@dwarsdryver1917]

Awesome presentation. Thank you.

[@raysmith1630]

Thanks Ian, I really enjoyed this video.

[@ZGryphon]

5:20 "Hello, Bergmann, my old friend; I've come to talk with you again."

[@rriflemann308]

Educational, illuminating and complete, this is collection display at its very best!

[@SuperAWaC]

this is really an incredible collection

[@hazakdds7366]

Love the history. Thanks Ian.

[@fairmanbockhorst1181]

Excellent presentation. You rock.

[@Leander_]

What a terrific collection of history and knowledge.

[@dandel351]

A truly excellent video Ian. I thought these were all your guns as we didn't start with "I'm at ... museum" etc. Well done sir!!

[@dezeekat]

i love long episodes

[@stefanmolnapor910]

Beautiful video!

[@stanwilliamson2375]

Interesting as always. Thank you!

[@KaletheQuick]

This video is awesome! Im working on a fantasy setting with pre ww1 flavor and have been going through your vids for inspiration on the small arms. So this vid was perfect :D

[@73honda350]

Great history lesson. Always fascinating to see how very new technology goes through various design iterations until the more successful ones emerge and evolve until they eventually become the design paradigms for many decades.

[@djd6666]

Excellent video. Keep up the good work.

[@alepal6692]

Great video. Thanks, Ian.

[@flyingfortress9822]

This video was perfect, whenever you say “if you have to have one it’s available for auction” I understand now but I’m always crushed when I see the video is 4 years old and they already auctioned off. I would love a piece of history

[@hamdog8872]

Great content as always! Keep it up Ian. HISTORY UP!!!!!!!!

[@BaronVonHardcharger]

Great, informative video! I learned a lot! Thank you!

[@RobertoDonatti]

All of your videos are good, but this one is outstanding.

[@tomray903]

really cool vid Ian!

[@rogerwilco2]

I think it's very nice that you got access to something like that. Whomever collected those probably spent a small fortune and must be reluctant to just let anyone get near.

[@kenibnanak5554]

Excellent review

[@jarink1]

That Mannlicher M1899 presentation gun and its case are incredibly beautiful.

[@Landsharkitis]

got up early for this awesome presentation. the special ones are always so cool

[@ClawPhD]

wow this is fantastic! If only they could make an interactive version for your website or online consumption because I learned so much from this vid!

[@jeffengland2791]

An amazing collection. I shudder at the cost of that display. lol

[@hawkeyeinthehouse2995]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for this INFORMATIVE, INTERESTING AND INSIGHTFUL VIDEO of early (pre-1900) semi-autos. I've had an Early C96 commercial pre-1915 (pre-NS) and at one time 3 P08's (1915 DWM, 1940 S/42 and commercial 1960's 1929 Swiss style (Original Mauser). GREAT PISTOLS from a LONG TIME AGO and somewhat FORGOTTEN.🤔😉😁👍😯😢

[@rossmum]

I'd seen most of these at Lithgow, but not the history behind them. Great video. Any sort of fledgling technology is great to look back on, because you can really see them throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. Early aviation (both civil and military) was another treasure trove of engineering hilarity.

[@aerofd]

Very interesting. Even modern ammo can have problems. The first time I had my Glock 22 to the range (Feb 2014) I had a box of Remington Green and White box jacketed hollow points. On around the 25th round I had a squib. Had to use a brass rode to beat the bullet out of the barrel. Shot the rest of the box and several more since and have had zero issues.

[@ponycarfan]

Well done, and very interesting!

[@Hillbilly_Papist]

always loved the way the Bergmann Schmeisser looked.

[@jimandaubz]

Thank you so much for correctly utilizing the term accurate, and correctly identifying that mass production in the late 1800's would be more able to hit the accuracy required. A feat requiring precision, and so many people mix up precision with accuracy, its very frustrating as modern CNC machinery is often as, or less* precise in metal cutting. (*Less because there just is not the need for tighter precision then accuracy on a CNC not so on a manual machine)

[@wayne1559]

Thank you very much for your fascinating video

[@deonmurphy6383]

Very informative, a similar board for the next decade (1901-1910) would likely also show a lot of changes and innovations.

[@hammerslammer3006]

That was when someone finally asked John Browning to make one....

[@joearnold6881]

Little Timmy in the next cubby over with the volcano model his mom helped him make is so pissed.

[@sarjim4381]

Dang. Do you have guards around that display when it's in public? Very professional looking execution.

[@matthewkrueger4786]

Yes now I don't have to answer questions about early semi-autos anymore! And by that I mean, now I only need to send them one link instead of ALL of the links. This video reminded me of the early Semi auto pistol video you posted 7 years ago. I still have a headache from the sound of the firing pins dropping.

[@SatansPooper]

Nice vid there Dr. Ian.

[@six000six]

Love the look of many of them.