Garate Anitua La Lira
Gárate, Anitua y Cía · Pistol · Discontinued · 1910
Also known as: La Lira, Sistema La Lira
Overview
The Garate Anitua La Lira is a Spanish blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol chambered in .32 ACP, produced in Eibar around 1910. Loosely based on the Austrian Steyr-Mannlicher Model 1901/1905 pistol, it abandoned the original's fixed internal magazine and proprietary cartridge in favour of the widely available .32 ACP fed from a detachable box magazine, and dispensed with the Mannlicher's delaying mechanism in favour of a simple blowback action.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 650 g (22.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 155 mm (6.10") |
| Barrel Length | 90 mm (3.54") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 290 m/s (951 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 195 J (144 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right-Hand |
| 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: Fixed Sights, Detachable Magazine, Mannlicher Pattern
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,000 · Production years: 1910-1914
No documented production records survive; estimates range from roughly 500 to 1,000 units.
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Designer: Gárate, Anitua y Cía
Discontinued: 1914
Notes
An early example of the Eibar gunmaking trade that boomed before and during the First World War. Markings include the 'GA' monogram trademark, 'SISTEMA / LA "LIRA"' on the left of the slide and 'PARA CARTUCHO / BROWNING 7.65' on the right. Dimensions are approximate; surviving examples are rare.
Background
Produced by Gárate, Anitua y Cía of Eibar, the La Lira represents the Spanish gun trade's habit of adapting foreign designs to popular cartridges. Where the original Mannlicher fired a bottlenecked 7.63mm round from a stripper-clip-fed internal magazine, the La Lira reworked the layout around the ubiquitous Browning 7.65mm pocket-pistol cartridge and a removable magazine, making it cheaper and easier to feed in the commercial market.