Schwarzlose 1898 Semiauto Pistol
The model 1898 Schwarzlose was a self loading pistol definitely ahead of its time. It was simple, powerful (for the period; it was chambered for 7.63mm Mauser), and remarkably ergonomic. It used a short recoil, rotating bolt mechanism to operate, and very cleverly had one single spring which did the duties of primary recoil spring, striker spring, trigger spring, and extractor spring. Why it failed to become a commercial success is a question I have not been able to definitively answer - I suspect it must have been due to cost. Edward Ezell theorizes that it was unable to compete with the Borchardt/Luger and Mauser pistols because those were able to be made with much more economy of scale. It is really a shame, because the Schwarzlose 1898 is the best of all the pre-1900 handguns I have encountered.
i love how casually he mentions that its serial number one
Ian is a casual kind of guy. You won't see him get to animated or giddy over things. Just another day on the job so to speak.
I think you might want to watch a few more of his videos there.
@@williamcattr267 except over a full auto makarov
Should have seen him fire an M14 in full auto: "Wow!". 😁
He could get a spitfire for that
Seriously. a Modern reproduction of this criminally underrated semi auto would be amazing
On it. Please let me know if you'd be interested in what's currently pre-order due to the speed at which I'm moving this along. I've almost got some builders lined up to make these weapons, just hammering out the details and agreements, dotting the Is and crossing the Ts, so it won't be long now in any case. My goal is to get things up and running smoothly before Feb. 2019, so I can compete with this new-fangled semi-auto "assault weapon" ban that's coming, and give people great and legit ways through it so people aren't mostly defenseless in 2019, plus I'd make a little money for myself in the process. As the government buys up everyone's modern semi-autos, people will be able to turn around and use that money for some legit options that'd do about as well but without all the red tape. Spread the word, too. This is happening, even if that ban doesn't happen. This still looks like a great pistol and a decent opportunity.
I'm interested.
Please Email your full name, city, State and country of residence and citizenship to kys1@rocketmail.com or message me on Twitter @75_kal. Disclaimer: I only sell to US citizens and residents. You are responsible for knowing your local and State regulations. I am in full compliance with Iowa, Federal regulations and local ordinances.
@@kennynoble1223 Do you have an estimated MSRP?
@@beelz5932 I'm not a business, so no. I build and sell on a private basis only, at least for now. In the future, if I get the resources to take on the overhead and liability of business, that might change. For now, this is more of a private hobby and activism sort of thing than anything else.
I really feel terrible for many of the gun designers whose work you showcase. They created these beautiful and functional firearms with much of their time and money, yet fade away in the pages of history...
Remember Schwarzlose's MG was successful. So it's not all bad for him.
@@physixger yes
@@physixger yep, but its basically just a Maxim chambered for 8x50R Mannlicher if I am not mistaken
roteroktober420 the Schwarzlose MG is a delayed blowback machine gun. Not anyway related to the Maxim gun.
@@jackandersen1262 oh sorry my bad, so doesnt this technically make the Schwarzlose more reliable than a Maxim? I mean the Maxim has a lot more moving parts
Considering its age, this little pistol is way ahead of its time. It's an absolute mystery as to why it did not sell. Even if it was pricey, one would have thought there were a sufficient number of wealthy people to buy such an advanced, reliable handgun. With a reinforced backstop, I would be quite happy to shoot it. As you say, Ian, I wish a replica was manufactured.
On it. Please let me know if you'd be interested in what's currently pre-order due to the speed at which I'm moving this along. I've almost got some builders lined up to make these weapons, just hammering out the details and agreements, dotting the Is and crossing the Ts, so it won't be long now in any case. My goal is to get things up and running smoothly before Feb. 2019, so I can compete with this new-fangled semi-auto "assault weapon" ban that's coming, and give people great and legit ways through it so people aren't mostly defenseless in 2019, plus I'd make a little money for myself in the process. As the government buys up everyone's modern semi-autos, people will be able to turn around and use that money for some legit options that'd do about as well but without all the red tape. Spread the word, too. This is happening, even if that ban doesn't happen. This still looks like a great pistol and a decent opportunity.
@@kennynoble1223 Updates?
@@jamesletendre6456 Looks like I'm going to be doing this on my own, so I did redesign the replica to be something I could build with my skill level and available tools at this time. No longer to be chambered For Bordchardt, after much research and tweaking of my design for an antique replica, of this pistol, for legal and practical reasons, some changes were made: -The chamber would be for .41RF (.41 Short), in a smooth bore barrel made of brass to increase velocity* and to prevent it from safely firing modern ammo. -Black powder only, but I suppose .410 hulls (no shell), 15 grains FFFG black powder, 209 percussion caps and lead slugs would do in a pinch. Without the shell, it technically wouldn't be modern ammo. Chamber's not long enough to hold even the shortest .410 shell -magazine capacity 6 rounds internal or 5 round removable -4" barrel length for the 6 round "compact" and 6" barrel length for the "full size" variant. This would ensure an ideal balance between pistol size and the round's velocity. -Also, the action is a bit different than the original. DAO, but still would retain a very similar look and feel to the original weapon from the outside just picking up and looking at it. Even the firing pin would function about the same. No rotating bolt or movable barrel, though. Straight recoil and fixed barrel, for simplicity, keeping cost and potential risk for issues low, for the relatively low energy of the round (think the original .36 cal. brass framed 1851 Navy and it'd be a good approx.), and to make it even further prohibitive to try modifying this weapon to use modern ammo. A rotating bolt would likely result in failures to eject or to fully recoil the slide/bolt unit, anyway. -I've also been able to set a specific price to build this replica antique firearm on demand, and have decided private sale, up to 2 transactions yearly, would be the most I can handle at this time. -$750 per unbranded, privately crafted replica of Schwarzlose 1898 antique firearm/pistol, built and shipped. -$5.50 + shipping cost per package of 5 spent/unprimed and clean brass hulls/cases, and 5 .41" di. lead slugs/bullets, about 96 grains each. Contact me kys1@rocketmail.com for questions, payment instructions, process or other information. I do not make ammunition, sell or ship primers, caps, powders or other explosive/hazardous materials. *EST up to 672 FPS or 96 ft-lbs with suggested load, 6" barrel and black powder substitute.
@Heatalatur Think what you want. In my opinion people shouldn't just level baseless accusations out of the blue like you just did. If you must know, 1 reason I don't do videos is because the last time I made a detailed, specific public post about any of my work about as neat as this, somebody bigger and richer than I am copied it and screwed me out of 1 of my best inventions. I try not to make the same mistakes twice. Your reply seems ironic, because I don't want to get ripped off! However, if you shoot me an Email, and if you sign an NDA and non-compete agreement, I might share.
@Heatalatur No. To me, you look like somebody randomly slandering/defaming others. I don't know why some people troll ambitious people over the internet. Could it be that you're jealous? Maybe you should channel that energy into something more positive, for yourself. Just my 2 cents or so. Good luck and good bye.
Looks like Ian just found his new carry gun. :^)
nice meme face
REMOVE MUGABE :^))))))
+REMOVE MUGABE Emoticon*
that meme face when you love a gun that might shoot the bolt back into your face.
Not available for less than 2,000 is my guess.
The slow-mo is like watching clockwork machinery. Simply beautiful.
So this legendary pistol was made when cowboys were still roamin' around, that's so wild.
I think to most Europeans it's wild how late cowboys were a thing.
@@tamlandipper29 As an American, I usually think of 1890 being the end of the "Wild West" era.
Hey now, cowboys are still roaming around. Six-shooters maybe.
@@tamlandipper29 cowboys are still a thing. We're still out there wrangling cattle. And yep, we still mostly dress the same. You should see my hat, you can set up camp under it.
Cowboys are still around. Maybe you’re thinking of outlaws/gunslingers.
Seems like Germany was very early in making semi-auto pistols.
"Marky Mark" Markus Gaming something somethin germany something engineering something something
"Marky Mark" Markus Gaming Yes, and also manual repeating pistols. Germans and Austrians were definitely on the bleeding edge at the time.
Forgotten Weapons Could the Mars be considered one of the first automatic pistols? I mean, it's from 1897.
leonardo tavares dardenne Early, but not quite one of the first.
"Marky Mark" Markus Gaming germany was very early into everything,so much so it makes ppl believe in aliens :) UFO "experts" use the tech explosion in 1950's USA as proof of alien contact, totally ignoring the tech grab of ww2 by russia and usa from germany,that fueled the space race and cold war between usa and russia/ussr.
Really impressive for being nearly 120 years old. Also, the potential weakness with the slide retainer could be easily fixed by making it have a reinforcing web on the thin area below the drilled circle that runs in line with the barrel. That would make the part longer at the base where it interacts with the receiver. That little bit of extra length would then allow that assembly to be placed into the receiver via vertical dovetailing, and finally, a pin that only has to keep the part in the receiver, but is under no other stress. Very little machine time added to remove any chance of that part failing.
In the recent Polenar Tactical video Ian mentioned this gun and I was curious to know more but had no idea on how to write it, thankfully the algorithm provides.
Impressive gun, never even heard of it which is a disgrace, should be widely praised. Thank you so much. And thanks Steve.
I saw it in a roblox game
I once owned a High Standard Duramatic .22LR Semi-auto that looked a lot like this pistol, the same time I also owned a Ruger Standard model .22, I much prefered the High Standard, it shot better, was more accurate and, just a better made pistol even with the large screw under the frame that held the barrel on the Duramatic. I miss that pistol almost as much as I miss my Luger and Model 25-5 Smith in .45 Long Colt, and Llama .380 mini M1911.
I love how casually he just mentions that this is serial no 1
Ian: your pronunciation of Schwarzlose is actually excellent. It can still be perfected, but I don't want to be pedantic either... =) I just want to say that your constant efforts to get the pronunciation of foreign names right are exactly one of the things I appreciate most about your videos. Keep up the good work!
T
BeyondTagusLynx
BeyondTagusLynx Just remember to pronounce "W" as though it were a "V" and you nailed it.
Yes, if Ian will pronounce the second 's' like English 'z' sound, and 'e' like in word 'end', it will be perfect!
You are actually all wrong. It’s pronounced “Shh-warzt-los”
I came here after the Polenar Tactical podcast video. Love it
Came from the colab with Johnathan Ferguson the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries museum in the UK which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history to see it fire.
Im honestly amazed at how modern this gun seems! Seriously, wow! If I didnt know the date and someone asked, id take a guess at maybe the interwar years or WWII era!... But 1898?!? The 19th century!! Holy crap, im amazed. The Germans truly were at the forefront of designs. The simple action with modern thumb controls, single spring and rotating bolt (like an AR?)... I cant see how this failed either unless it was purely and singularly cost based like you said, Because it cant be because of the design! Also Ian, youre an awesome presenter. I dont think you get enough thanks. Ive learned so much from your channel/videos, theyre a great resource! You remind me of a teacher I had in school whom everyone liked because he explained things in a way that was clear, fun and everyone understood. You are informative without being condescending. I like that. Its refreshing. Really well made video guys. BTW this probably is a bit random, but please continue to upload your videos to KZhead! I understand the need for a video site like full30 that is just for the shooting sports, but most of your audience is on youtube. Id rather watch vids here. (Just consider it please, because ive seen a lot of links leading back to full30 lately!)
I'm amazed also. I didn't think modern machining required to make such a weapon even existed at that point.
Despite being almost 120 years old when this was recorded, the reliability is quite incredible
Forgotten Weapons and Hickock45 - two best gun reviewers/channels on KZhead. Imagine if they got together for a video....
No crossover episode
This pistol is better-designed than some things you'll find on the market today. It really is a shame it didn't take off- I guess it was too far ahead of its time. Imagine a reproduction with modern materials and a more solid design on that blocking ring.
and just imagine what it would look like with a red dot or a laser.
I'd love to get one!
Best gun and history channel on youtube. Good job. =)
That slow motion was a thing of awe and beauty.
no kidding on the modern design. schwarzlose was onto something. some great engineering there.
that's so cool. Looking at the lugs lock-in while leaving the striker pin behind, ready to fire, was very satisfying.
Thank you Ian for making the video and thank you Steve for letting Ian make the video. It looks pretty balanced and fun to shoot.
3:53 touch here if you want to see the shooting. 6:18 also shoot here 7:20 magazine and how to reload the gun
wow this design is impressive! extremely well thought-out.
I can see such an advanced pistol being reproduced, and in 7.63 Mauser or, as an alternative, 9mm for marketing purposes.
9mm might be too much for this design. Maybe with modifications. I would love to see a reproduction also.
I think the design could actually handle 9 mm fairly easily; the internal ballistics of 7.63 Mauser and 9 Parabellum aren't all that different (as long as you don't insist on feeding it 9 mm +P+); the main problem would be that obvious weak point at the back of the frame.
@@nindger4270 Too much of the 9MM ammo out there is NATO or +P to depend on people "knowing better." .380 or .38 Super would be the best option -- available but not in really hot loads. Really a .32 would work, given that its already a 7.63 design. (or even just keep 7.63 -- the ammo IS out there)
Please don't spoil the concept by raising the bore to 9mm, she is fantastic in 7.63, what a wonderful cartridge, I have had both a broom handle, and a Tokarev not the cheap crap from recent China manufacturer, but a bring home from a GI, who captured it in Vietnam. After the GI found that I had ammo for it, he begged for it back, so I sold it back for what I had given, and sold him the 300 round of surplus mauser ammo I had picked up in Shotgun News. He had been trying to feed it on 30 Luger and having some funny shaped cases after firing them. Ah well, he is gone now, as many of my friends. Wonder what happened to his pistol, he also had a capture SKS still in the paper that he dug out of a pile of rice in a village in Nam, it never made it into combat, and he would not part with it. Nice SKS as well with the blade bayonet and Russian markings, like the pistol.
Excellent video! I really love getting the in-depth view of the mechanics in some of these old guns.
Ways I think this could be turned into a modern pistol 1: add a modern slide system 2: shorten action so it fits within the slide 3: swap safety and bolt release lever positions 4: solid milled aluminum or steel frame 5: double stack feed system 6: .22 LR, 9x19mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP chamberings
So...a glock?
Tuton25 No. The Glock uses a tilting barrel locking system whereas this uses a rotating bolt. I would keep the rotating bolt.
the most natural caliber for this pistol would be Tok, if you shortened the action, you could perhaps lengthen the barrel too, that would also be a plus.
skeleton Yeah, but if you're buying his revised version you're probably getting it because it's unique and reliable, not because it's a perfect replica of a really cool 19th. century pistol.
fascinating to watch the slow-mo and the mechanism of the pistol in action
Wow, you got to actually shoot a Serial #1 weapon! Super-Duper! I'm horribly envious.
Thanks so much for posting! I've been searching for a video of this pistol shooting for so long! This made my day :)
Looks like an amazing little handgun, very innovative. Thanks to Steve and Ian for coming together to show this to us ^^ I can see why you'd want one, though I would personally want to do a little research into preventing that slide problem :P
Never seen this pistol. Love this postol. Thanks
Wow, what a magnificently ahead of it's time design!
Long time fan of FW's KZhead Channel but just seen this video. Well worth the watch. Criminally underrated is what I describe this pistol as, has to be cost
The machine work looks very smooth indeed. Very high quality build. I wish a lot of these older designs were reproduced. In fact, if I had the capital to play with, I would try create such a company, specializing in reproductions of older designs.
Jesse Sisolack So, like Pietta/Uberti? Because that's what they do. And if you can get your cost/safety ratio right, it can be a pretty profitable venture.
DFX2KX Yes, but they have a specific nitch they fill, mostly late 1800s designs.
Me to bro I'd love to get one!
What a fantastic piece of design. Simple and elegant. Great vid.
Another solid review of an awesome gun. Keep up the work!
I'm just astonished (and grateful !) that the owner would let you fire and disassemble this early (!!) pistol. Many thanks...
As all the other commenters here and on Your other vids... Top notch quality. Interesting and fun to watch. Respekt. Thanks.
Pretty neat design from a hundred and 15 years ago. I feel better now I got my forgotten weapons fix. Its been a few days.haha. I am subscribed to a lot of firearms channels and forgotten weapons is my favorite.
Also, don't forget that the early Beretta M9's had problems with the slides breaking and hitting the shooter in the face. One thing I don't really like about this pistol is the short sight radius. Other than that, it's quite nice and brutally simple.
Cameron Jenkins I hypothesize that that rifle like sight mounting helps with sight aquisition
Shane K Not so. If you simply search "beretta m9 slide failure" you'll find plenty of evidence to the contrary including government-produced reports on the failures. The problem doesn't exist anymore now that some manufacturing problems have been eliminated.
Oh ok, I understand. I personally think it's a quite nice handgun.
Cameron Jenkins I was in the Army when the Army switched to M9s. I can support the fact that the m9s did have that problem. the simple solution was to put a half moon piece of steel (stopper) in the frame. Problem fixed. I wish the Army (Military) had chosen the Para Ordinance 15 (.45) f15 shot .45 variant. but they did not and the M9 is now it.
VERY interesting video Ian. These early designs are fantastic.
The rails design almost remind me of a CZ 75, my favorite modern pistol. I carry an SP-01 Every day. I'm definitely in love with this classic.
this is the most impressive pistol i have ever seen on your channel, except the lorenzoni of course. thank you very much for sharing this with us.
Great stuff Ian, really enjoy your vids.
That really is a cool gun! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you very, very much! I really enjoyed that. It was absolutely fascinating.
I had surgeries on my right shoulder and knee today and now I need to spend some downtime recovering. The Schwarzlose 1898 is a very interesting design. Thanks for posting this video. It was a wonderful distraction. Mike
I will be looking for one of these for the rest of my life. A beautiful pistol and piece
Dude your videos are to educational and formal for the average youtube audience, you should be on the history channel or discovery lol Great video by the way!
***** Thanks, but the History Channel doesn't actually do history anymore. There is much better history on KZhead, compared to Ancient Aliens, Hunting Bigfoot, and whatever else they have on cable anymore. Television is a dying medium.
Forgotten Weapons agreed.
That wasnt dig at you by the way!
Forgotten Weapons they still have a reasonable amount of of actual history on History, but most of the good stuff is on the more expensive H2... I'll put my vote in for PBS, because at least they still have plenty of documentaries.
nah a pro show would stop him from rambling and going off on tangents,,,which is the best part
That pistol is incredible. Hard to believe that such a modern style and innovative new mechanism was first used prior to 1900.
That pistol is really well thought out and designed
The thing about that "flaw" with the back piece being a potential failure point for the gun is that it looks like it would be fairly easy to remedy by just beefing up that little rear loop and/ or the cross pin that holds it in. It would only add as much extra length and weight to the gun as it was deemed necessary to be strong enough. There's probably other ways to accomplish the same reinforcement by adding lugs to the frame that could help in catching the bolt, as well, but just beefing up the rear _seems_ to my uneducated eye as being the most straightforward way to do it without adding any additional complexity to the design or manufacturing process.
Amazing mechanism! Ingenious!
Wow this is a beautiful piece of machinery
This pistol is so flipping cool and it’s just so insane how modern this pistol is. 1898! That’s just ridiculous that it was made then. What a cool pistol
Such a brilliant and elegant design! I wouldn't mind having one of those as well.
A simple elegance in how this firearms form and function come together.
What a great video! Kudos!
That's a fantastic piece.
Awesome! Finally a full shooting review. ^^
I love the fact that the spent cases just jump straight out before they start spinning
another awesome video, thanks for uploading and thanks for the good information!
I was researching pistols for a dieselpunk 1930s story,, and I think I'm in love... The others I've looked at include a Charola y Anitua in 7mm, and a Webley Fosberry (sp?) in 455, but this is an actual service pistol. And a very nice one at that!
Yes, Remanufacturing it in stainless steel would be real nice :)))
What a really cool design!
What a gorgeous pistol!
Prime example of "I guess you're not ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it"
That is a damn clever design.
Excellent video, I love seeing this very clever designs from generations ago. That pinned ring at the back makes me wonder...if most of them ended up in Russia, did they hang around long enough in second-line service for somebody to eventually try loading one with 7.62 Tokarev? That seems very likely to cause the bolt to launch off the back of the pistol into the shooter's face. In fact, if somebody were to make a reproduction, it might be nice to engineer it for 7.62 Tokarev for safety and cross-compatibility.
wow a beautiful piece especially for its time. one of my favorite gun was not around for 13 more years.
I would buy one of these! Such a truly leading edge design. It would be nice to have a virtual trial of this vs the two or three contemporary pistols of the time and show each gun as the desinger would then play the role of the inspector and find the reasons why one is better than the other.
that is just stunning
Serial no. 1 original Schwarzlose? Damn Ian, this might be the sleeper video on your channel for THE coolest pistol to which you've had access.
Thanks Steve!
That is an extremely gracious action.
This is the first time i hear about this weapon. Thanks for showing this great example for german gunsmithing art.
the 1 spring.... wow just wow for a gun older than 100 yrs old... just amazing.
This is one of my favorite F W videos.
What a beautiful gun. I wish they were more available
if a hand gun can be handsome, this is it. lethal elegance....
Very informative look at a fascinating piece
Such an elegantly outstanding pistol,even more so due to how early it was created!👍
I would love to own one. If a company begins to manufacture them in the future I will definetly buy one as soon as it becomes available. What an awesome design and beautiful execution.
Thanks for showing us the Schwazlose 1898. I love the simplicity of the design. Watching the action in slow motion, I can't see how that bolt would ever break away and slide off the back. The pin and the guide both seam to be too thick to shear. The guide would probably bend 1st, causing the slide to get stuck, and disabling the pistol to fire. Hence the pin is designed into the mechanism to replace that part. (my guess) Is there any recorded reports of that shear-off ever happening? I'm doubting it.
This handgun is one of the beacon of hopes of early handgun design and today in 7.63 mauser with something like that I would happy with paying for it.
My friend has a 22.lr luger that was built in like 1910 or something it can actually cycle all 10 rounds it looks a lot like this. Crazy how semi auto pistols used to look like a tube with a pistol grip.
This very interesting pistol has a lot of small and intricate machining in it. Quite impressive for the age of the design, also it's probably why it was not produced in large numbers. Machining and tolerances like that are very time consuming to do and thus expensive. Also that one pin in the rear that keeps the slide from comming of and hitting the shooter was most likely realized way back when and did not inspire confidence in those who would want to purchase one. Some minor design changes for durability and this would be an equivalent of modern pistols. Very cool!!
I like watching the ejector just *yeet* the case out.
Damn, I fell asleep when you were shooting that little blow forward jewel, only to awaken to my favorite pistol of ALL TIME, GOD HOW I WANT ONE OF THOSE!!!
Early innovation and coolness factor -- +10.
I like this gun, wouldn't mind it if the few minor problems were ironed out but it seems very capable and could be a respectable gun among more modern pistols
Impressive pistol! Good looking too! 👍
I am always fascinated how the designers made the disassembly puzzle without the use of tools with these guns
The design is ingenious, but one can imagine each step of machining at the turn if the century...yeech! It's pretty amazing that such designs were the order of the day, and also pretty easy to see why governments were the primary buyers. Buying one of these would have been the same as buying a motorcycle or a solid used car.
this man deserves his own personal one of these pistols
I'd say it's about time they bring this design back, though probably with less enormous safety and bolt hold up lever and more bolts to prevent catastrophic slide launching failures. It is a very aesthetically pleasing gun, apart from the odd looking slide grips at the back just jutting out. And to whoever let you borrow the gun and fire it - Thank you.
Very nice looking pistol.