Clement Model 1914
Charles Ph. Clement · Pistol · Prototype · 1914
Also known as: Clement 1914 Military Pistol, Clement 9mm Military Prototype
Overview
The Clement Model 1914 is a Belgian semi-automatic military prototype pistol designed by Charles Philibert Joseph Clement of Liege. It is a scaled-up development of his civilian blowback pocket pistols, enlarged to fire the more powerful 9x20mm Browning Long cartridge. The design retains the shrouded-hammer, simple blowback action of the smaller Clement guns but adds a notably long barrel and a slot at the rear of the grip cut to accept a detachable shoulder stock. Fed from a single-stack detachable magazine, it was submitted to the Belgian military for trials but was never adopted.
Specifications
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x20mm Browning Long · primary — also known as 9mm Browning Long, 9x20mmSR, 9x20mm SR Browning Long
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Shrouded Hammer, Detachable Shoulder Stock, Long Barrel, Fixed Barrel, Recoil Spring Above Bolt
Production
Estimated total produced: 15 · Production years: 1914
Approximately 15 prototypes made for Belgian military trials; only two examples are known to survive.
Origin
Country of origin: Belgium
Designer: Charles Philibert Joseph Clement
Discontinued: 1914
Notes
Only about fifteen examples are believed to have been made, of which just two are known to survive. The pistol was tested by the Belgian army but rejected, most likely in part because of the outbreak of the First World War. Exact weight, length, barrel length and magazine capacity are undocumented.
Background
Clement's attempt to break into the military-pistol market scaled his tiny pocket blowbacks up to a stock-fitted 9mm carbine-pistol, but the outbreak of World War One and Belgium's invasion ended the trials before it could go anywhere - leaving fewer than a handful in existence today.