English: Borchardt C93, 7.65mm Borchardt cartridge, S/n 2119, left side, manufactured c. 1897-1902, by Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM), Berlin, Germany. Located Houston, Texas, 2025. See separate file for the other side of this firearm.

This Borchardt has a peculiar history. It has been professionally refinished with very fine replacement grips. Although it doesn’t matter for purposes of reproduction, the barrel appears to be modified, and it is not known if this is a rare factory Borchardt adapted for a different cartridge, or some other change; however, the safety is not able to be engaged as the sear-bar does not clear the edge of the safety on the left side (again, this does not affect visual use of the image).

The Hugo Borchardt 1893 is famous as the first widely manufactured (<3000 made) handgun, and the first to incorporate a detachable magazine located in the grip of the gun, and unique is using a toggle action to secure a locked breach, a mechanical action that will be advanced in the famous and more compact Lugar pattern.

The 7.65mm Borchardt cartridge is the first successful pistol cartridge. It is a centerfire, rimless, smokeless powder, bottleneck cartridge case fining a jacketed lead bullet. This cartridge becomes the basis of the Mauser C96 7.63mm cartridge, and the early Lugar 7.65mm cartridge. These only differ in bullet weights and power loads and are, or are not, interchangeable, depending upon the expert you seek advice from.

Permission: You are free to make cutouts of the gun on a white field under the terms of the Creative Commons License, but please save as a separate page and do not overwrite this file, as the artistic statement of the gun is also defined by the gray field that surrounds it.