Forgotten Weapons
Bernardon-Martin: France's First Commercial Semiautomatic Pistol
2019 • E39 Jan 12, 2019
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The Bernardon-Martin was the first commercially viable semiautomatic pistol manufactured in France; a .32ACP (7.65mm Browning) striker-fired pocket pistol competing with the FN Browning 1899/1900. The first model was introduced in 1907 with a fixed magazine, which rather quickly was changed to a 7-round detachable box magazine. In 1909 a few structural changes were introduced to the gun, including substantially grippier slide serrations and the addition of a lever on the front of the trigger guard to lock the slide open. However, the gun simply could not compete against the other designs in the market and the company was liquidated in 1912.
For more details on the Bernardon-Martin, I recommend Ed Buffaloe's page on them: https://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/B-M/b-m.html
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
PO Box 87647
Tucson, AZ 85754
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons
The Bernardon-Martin was the first commercially viable semiautomatic pistol manufactured in France; a .32ACP (7.65mm Browning) striker-fired pocket pistol competing with the FN Browning 1899/1900. The first model was introduced in 1907 with a fixed magazine, which rather quickly was changed to a 7-round detachable box magazine. In 1909 a few structural changes were introduced to the gun, including substantially grippier slide serrations and the addition of a lever on the front of the trigger guard to lock the slide open. However, the gun simply could not compete against the other designs in the market and the company was liquidated in 1912.
For more details on the Bernardon-Martin, I recommend Ed Buffaloe's page on them: https://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/B-M/b-m.html
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
PO Box 87647
Tucson, AZ 85754