Campo-Giro Modelo 1913
Esperanza y Unceta · Pistol · Discontinued · 1913
Also known as: Campo-Giro 1913, Pistola Campo-Giro Modelo 1913, Campo Giro Model 1913
Overview
The Campo-Giro Modelo 1913 was the first production model of the Spanish Campo-Giro semi-automatic pistol, chambered in 9mm Largo and designed by Army Colonel Venancio Lopez de Ceballos y Aguirre, Count of Campo-Giro. Manufactured by Esperanza y Unceta beginning in early 1914, it used a delayed blowback action with a fixed barrel and a spring buffer to absorb the recoil of the powerful 9mm Largo cartridge. Like the Bergmann-Bayard it featured an external hammer and a top ejection port, but it carried its magazine in the grip. Only about 1,300 Modelo 1913 pistols were built before production was halted to incorporate improvements that produced the later Modelo 1913-16.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 950 g (33.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 225 mm (8.86") |
| Barrel Length | 165 mm (6.50") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 360 m/s (1181 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 525 J (387 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 150 m (164 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Horn |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x23mm Largo · primary — also known as 9mm Largo, 9mm Bergmann-Bayard, 9x23mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: External Hammer, Fixed Barrel, Top Ejection Port, Spring Buffered Recoil, Buffalo Horn Grips
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Spanish Army · adopted 1913 · as Pistola Campo-Giro Modelo 1913
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,300 · Production years: 1914
Approximately 1,300 Modelo 1913 pistols were made before production was halted to introduce the modifications of the Modelo 1913-16
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Designer: Venancio Lopez de Ceballos y Aguirre
Discontinued: 1914
Notes
The original Modelo 1913 is distinguished by its buffalo-horn grip panels and a frame-mounted magazine release; subsequent patents led to the redesigned Modelo 1913-16 with a relocated grip-bottom magazine catch and a reinforced frame. The rarity of the ~1,300 first-pattern guns makes surviving Modelo 1913 examples highly collectible.
Background
The Count of Campo-Giro had to make a powerful 9mm military cartridge work in an unlocked blowback pistol, so the Modelo 1913 leaned on a heavy slide and a clever shock-absorbing spring under the barrel rather than a true breech lock - a gamble that earned it adoption as Spain's first standard-issue self-loading service pistol.