Dreyse M1907
Encyclopedia
The Dreyse Model 1907 is a semi-automatic pistol designed by Louis Schmeisser
. The gun was named after Nikolaus von Dreyse, the designer of the Dreyse Needle Gun
. The Waffenfabrik von Dreyse company was acquired by Rheinische Metallwaren & Maschinenfabrik Sommerda in 1901, although the Dreyse Model pistols were marketed under the Dreyse name.
The pistol had an interesting feature for the time: when the gun was ready to fire, the firing pin
projected through the back of the breech block, serving as an early handgun-cocking indicator. For cleaning, the frame, receiver and slide pivoted forward on a pin in front of the trigger guard
. The weapon its derivatives (Dreyse Model 1907 Pocket Pistol, Dreyse Model 1912 Parabellum) of simple blowback
recoil operation, though of unusual design.
The same company also manufactured a 6.35 mm pocket version (also named Model 1907). In 1912 the 9 mm Parabellum Dreyse Model 1912 emerged as the gun's successor. Marked as the RM & M Dreyse, it was chambered for 9 mm Parabellum.
Despite the gun's limited production time, the gun is relatively common today, in large part due to its use by Volkssturm
and Volksgrenadier
late in World War II
, enabling many Allied servicemen to bring examples home as war trophies.
Needle gun
for the Prussian Army
, and they also made needle-pistols and caplock
revolvers. The Dreyse Factory went into decline after the German Army
adopted the Mauser
in 1872. In 1901 Rheinische Metallwaren- & Maschinenfabrik of Sommerda purchased Waffenfabrik von Dreyse.
The Model 1907 Dreyse Pistol was designed by Louis Schmeisser
(who had previously worked with Theodor Bergmann
on the Bergmann Machine Gun) in 1905-6 and were marketed from 1907 onward. The first gun, the 7.65 mm Auto was the most unusual. Most of the cranked slide lay along the top of the barrel, with a short section projecting down behind the chamber to serve as the breech block. The breech block was confined within a flat-sided frame with a bridge to carry the back sight and arrest the upper section of the slide. The recoil spring surrounded the barrel, enclosed in the frame and held by a collar engaging the front end of the slide through a spring catch. Pulling back on the finger grips at the front of the slide brings the breech block into view behind the frame. The Dreyse pistol was fired by a striker whose tail protruded back through the rear of the breech block when the chamber was loaded. The entire top section of frame and slide could be pivoted on a pin in front of the trigger guard, being locked in the firing position by a catch at the rear of the frame. This final refinement was essential to dismantling; removal of the cranked slide would have been impossible otherwise.
The Dreyse design was strongly influenced by John Browning
's FN M1900
, though the Browning had its recoil spring above the barrel, while the Dreyse had a concentric recoil spring. Nonetheless, the overall shape was the same, as was the grip angle and surface design, the magazine release, the positioning of the manual safety and the breech blocks.
, especially officers of the Austro-Hungarian
Habsburg
Empire. Also used by officers of Imperial Germany during World War I
. Examples issued to the Imperial German Army will have an acceptance proof above the ejection port on the right as well as the normal Crown N commercial proofs on the left side of the frame and slide near the trigger. Examples saw use by Wehrmacht
troops (especially officers) during World War II
. Nearing the end of the war many examples were issued to the Volksgrenadier
e and Volkssturm
, the latter often with so-called "last-ditch" Presstoff holsters. Large numbers of these were brought back to the United States
by returning servicemen, which accounts for their availability in the country today. Typically the paper Presstoff holsters have not survived.
A few thousand were purchased by the Czech
military in 1921 and 1922, but they were removed from service in 1923 due to unspecified accidents with them.
In 1912 the pope's Swiss Guard
acquired thirty of these pistols for use by officers and non-commissioned officers. They remained in service with the Swiss Guard until 1990 when they were replaced by the SIG P225 pistol.
During WW2 this pistol found its way to the Norwegian resistance. Quite a few of these pistols have, alongside home-made Sten-guns and illegal radios, been found hidden within the house-walls of norwegian resistance members and sympathisers. There has not been described any action in Norway with any Dreyse-pistols. As for the unspecified "accidents" with these pistols, the rear latch which holds the hinged upper part, may come loose. If this happens, the striker WILL move forward and ignite the cartridge. An unconfirmed civilian incident happened in the 80`s, where the shooter pierced his foot with the 7.65mm as a result of the latch coming loose.
police
.
, but significant numbers of them were brought back by GI's following World War II
.
in Munster, Germany has an M1907 as the first display in its exhibit of German Army sidearms.
, mislabeled as a revolver.
Louis Schmeisser
Louis Schmeisser was one of the best-known weapon technical designers of Europe. He is associated with the development and production of the Bergmann machine guns used during the first World War. Additionally, he designed the Dreyse 1907 Pistol which saw use in both World Wars.Schmeisser was born...
. The gun was named after Nikolaus von Dreyse, the designer of the Dreyse Needle Gun
Needle gun
The Dreyse needle-gun was a military breechloading rifle, famous as the main infantry weapon of the Prussians, who adopted it for service in 1848 as the Dreyse Zündnadelgewehr, or Prussian Model 1848...
. The Waffenfabrik von Dreyse company was acquired by Rheinische Metallwaren & Maschinenfabrik Sommerda in 1901, although the Dreyse Model pistols were marketed under the Dreyse name.
The pistol had an interesting feature for the time: when the gun was ready to fire, the firing pin
Firing pin
A firing pin or striker is part of the firing mechanism used in a firearm or explosive device e.g. an M14 landmine or bomb fuze. Firing pins may take many forms, though the types used in landmines, bombs, grenade fuzes or other single-use devices generally have a sharpened point...
projected through the back of the breech block, serving as an early handgun-cocking indicator. For cleaning, the frame, receiver and slide pivoted forward on a pin in front of the trigger guard
Trigger guard
A trigger guard is a loop surrounding the trigger of a firearm and protecting it from accidental discharge.Some assault rifles can have their trigger guard removed or positioned as not to impair firing with gloves for example in Arctic conditions....
. The weapon its derivatives (Dreyse Model 1907 Pocket Pistol, Dreyse Model 1912 Parabellum) of simple blowback
Blowback
Blowback may refer to one of the following:*Blowback *Blowback *Blowback , vacuum effect created in the barrel of a firearm when it is discharged...
recoil operation, though of unusual design.
The same company also manufactured a 6.35 mm pocket version (also named Model 1907). In 1912 the 9 mm Parabellum Dreyse Model 1912 emerged as the gun's successor. Marked as the RM & M Dreyse, it was chambered for 9 mm Parabellum.
Despite the gun's limited production time, the gun is relatively common today, in large part due to its use by Volkssturm
Volkssturm
The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
and Volksgrenadier
Volksgrenadier
Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to...
late in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, enabling many Allied servicemen to bring examples home as war trophies.
Dreyse company
The Waffenfabrik von Dreyse was founded around 1841 to manufacture the famous DreyseJohann Nikolaus von Dreyse
Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse was a German firearms inventor and manufacturer. He is most famous for submitting the "Dreyse needle gun" in 1836 to the Prussian army, which was adopted for for service in December 1840 as the Leichte Perscussions-Gewehr M 1841—a name deliberately chosen to...
Needle gun
Needle gun
The Dreyse needle-gun was a military breechloading rifle, famous as the main infantry weapon of the Prussians, who adopted it for service in 1848 as the Dreyse Zündnadelgewehr, or Prussian Model 1848...
for the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
, and they also made needle-pistols and caplock
Caplock mechanism
The caplock mechanism or "percussion" lock was the successor of the flintlock mechanism in firearm technology, and used a percussion cap struck by the hammer to set off the main charge, rather than using a piece of flint to strike a steel frizzen....
revolvers. The Dreyse Factory went into decline after the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
adopted the Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
in 1872. In 1901 Rheinische Metallwaren- & Maschinenfabrik of Sommerda purchased Waffenfabrik von Dreyse.
Development
Louis Schmeisser
Louis Schmeisser was one of the best-known weapon technical designers of Europe. He is associated with the development and production of the Bergmann machine guns used during the first World War. Additionally, he designed the Dreyse 1907 Pistol which saw use in both World Wars.Schmeisser was born...
(who had previously worked with Theodor Bergmann
Theodor Bergmann
Theodor Bergmann was a German businessman and industrialist best remembered for the various revolutionary firearms his companies released. Like many entrepreneurs of the era, his activity was centered on bicycles and the nascent automobile...
on the Bergmann Machine Gun) in 1905-6 and were marketed from 1907 onward. The first gun, the 7.65 mm Auto was the most unusual. Most of the cranked slide lay along the top of the barrel, with a short section projecting down behind the chamber to serve as the breech block. The breech block was confined within a flat-sided frame with a bridge to carry the back sight and arrest the upper section of the slide. The recoil spring surrounded the barrel, enclosed in the frame and held by a collar engaging the front end of the slide through a spring catch. Pulling back on the finger grips at the front of the slide brings the breech block into view behind the frame. The Dreyse pistol was fired by a striker whose tail protruded back through the rear of the breech block when the chamber was loaded. The entire top section of frame and slide could be pivoted on a pin in front of the trigger guard, being locked in the firing position by a catch at the rear of the frame. This final refinement was essential to dismantling; removal of the cranked slide would have been impossible otherwise.
The Dreyse design was strongly influenced by John Browning
John Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
's FN M1900
FN M1900
The FN Browning M1900 is a single action, semi-automatic pistol designed ca. 1896 by John Browning for Fabrique Nationale de Herstal and produced in Belgium at the turn of the century...
, though the Browning had its recoil spring above the barrel, while the Dreyse had a concentric recoil spring. Nonetheless, the overall shape was the same, as was the grip angle and surface design, the magazine release, the positioning of the manual safety and the breech blocks.
Design Modifications
The only major modification concerned the firing mechanism. Prior to 1915, the cocked striker had been held by the sear before being released by the trigger; pulling the trigger subsequently pushed the striker back before releasing it, compressing the striker spring to a greater extent. This was inspired by the later 9 mm Dreyse due to insensitive wartime ammunition. It allowed a second strike if the first misfired. Another wartime change involved a recess cut in the top front of the slide to facilitate removal of the recoil-spring retaining bush.Variants
Early pistols were marked 'DREYSE Rheinische Metallwaren- & Maschinenfabrik ABT. SOMMERDA' on the left side of the frame and an 'RMF' monogram on the grips as shown above. Later pistols are usually marked 'DREYSE RHEINMETALL ABT. SOMMERDA'. A few pistols made in 1914 lack the 'DREYSE' marking. The pistol was also marketed commercially for police forces, including the Royal Saxon Gendarmerie, examples of which are marked as 'K. Sachs. Gend.'Military Users
Primarily used by Austrian troops during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, especially officers of the Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
Empire. Also used by officers of Imperial Germany during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Examples issued to the Imperial German Army will have an acceptance proof above the ejection port on the right as well as the normal Crown N commercial proofs on the left side of the frame and slide near the trigger. Examples saw use by Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
troops (especially officers) during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Nearing the end of the war many examples were issued to the Volksgrenadier
Volksgrenadier
Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to...
e and Volkssturm
Volkssturm
The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
, the latter often with so-called "last-ditch" Presstoff holsters. Large numbers of these were brought back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by returning servicemen, which accounts for their availability in the country today. Typically the paper Presstoff holsters have not survived.
A few thousand were purchased by the Czech
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
military in 1921 and 1922, but they were removed from service in 1923 due to unspecified accidents with them.
In 1912 the pope's Swiss Guard
Swiss Guard
Swiss Guards or Schweizergarde is the name given to the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. They have had a high reputation for discipline, as well as loyalty to their employers...
acquired thirty of these pistols for use by officers and non-commissioned officers. They remained in service with the Swiss Guard until 1990 when they were replaced by the SIG P225 pistol.
During WW2 this pistol found its way to the Norwegian resistance. Quite a few of these pistols have, alongside home-made Sten-guns and illegal radios, been found hidden within the house-walls of norwegian resistance members and sympathisers. There has not been described any action in Norway with any Dreyse-pistols. As for the unspecified "accidents" with these pistols, the rear latch which holds the hinged upper part, may come loose. If this happens, the striker WILL move forward and ignite the cartridge. An unconfirmed civilian incident happened in the 80`s, where the shooter pierced his foot with the 7.65mm as a result of the latch coming loose.
Civilian Users
The Dreyse M1907 pistol was the first semi-automatic weapon used by a civilian police force - the Royal Saxon Gendarmerie and the BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
.
Importation
The Dreyse M1907 was never imported officially by contract into the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but significant numbers of them were brought back by GI's following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Notable Examples
The Deutsches PanzermuseumDeutsches Panzermuseum
The German Tank Museum is an armoured fighting vehicle museum in Munster, Germany, the location of the Munster Training Area camp. Its main aim is the documentation of the history of German armoured troops since 1917....
in Munster, Germany has an M1907 as the first display in its exhibit of German Army sidearms.
Trivia
The Dreyse M1907 appeared in the earlier versions of the board game CluedoCluedo
Cluedo is a popular murder/mystery-themed deduction board game originally published by Waddingtons in Leeds, England in 1949. It was devised by Anthony E. Pratt, a solicitor's clerk from Birmingham, England. It is now published by the United States game and toy company Hasbro, which acquired its U.S...
, mislabeled as a revolver.