Arostegui Azul
Eulogio Arostegui · Pistol · Discontinued · 1915
Also known as: Azul, Azul 7.65mm, Eibar pistol, Spanish Ruby
Overview
The Arostegui Azul is a Spanish blowback semi-automatic pistol chambered in .32 ACP, one of the many Ruby-type sidearms made in the Basque town of Eibar around the First World War. Built by Eulogio Arostegui under the 'Azul' trade name, it follows the Eibar pattern derived from John Browning's FN Model 1903: a fixed barrel, straight-blowback action, a detachable box magazine released through a heel catch, an external extractor, slide grasping grooves and a safety lever above the trigger. Arostegui was among the dozens of small Eibar workshops contracted to feed the French Army's vast wartime demand for inexpensive service pistols, and the firm later applied the Azul name to its 1930s Mauser-pattern machine pistols.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 750 g (26.5 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 850 g (30.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 150 mm (5.91") |
| Barrel Length | 87 mm (3.43") |
| Height | 108 mm (4.25") |
| Width | 28 mm (1.10") |
| Sight Radius | 115 mm (4.53") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 9 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 300 m/s (984 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 200 J (148 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .32 ACP · primary — also known as .32 Automatic, 7.65x17mm Browning SR, 7.65mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: External Extractor, Heel Magazine Release, Slide Grasping Grooves, Fixed Sights
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1915 · as Pistolet Automatique de 7 millim.65 genre "Ruby"
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1915-1936
One of at least 45 Eibar-region firms producing Ruby-type pistols; roughly one million Ruby pistols were made in total during and after WWI.
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Discontinued: 1936
Notes
The Azul trademark was registered by Eulogio Arostegui of Eibar and applied to a range of pocket pistols in 6.35mm (.25 ACP) and 7.65mm (.32 ACP) as well as the later Azul Royal and Super Azul (M-34) Mauser C96 copies. Quality of the wartime .32 ACP Azul varied widely, as with all Eibar Ruby-type pistols.
Background
A loophole in Spanish patent law let small Basque workshops copy Browning's pistol freely, and when France desperately needed sidearms in 1915 Eibar makers like Eulogio Arostegui flooded the front with cheap .32 ACP pistols under colorful trade names — 'Azul' being Spanish for blue.