Gaztañaga Destroyer
Gaztañaga y Compañía · Pistol · Discontinued · 1913
Also known as: Destroyer, Pistola Destroyer
Overview
The Gaztañaga Destroyer is a Spanish blowback-operated semi-automatic pocket pistol chambered in .32 ACP. Designed by Isidro Gaztañaga and built in Eibar in the Basque Country from 1913, it is a close copy of John Browning's FN Model 1906/1910 pistols and belongs to the Ruby/Eibar family of inexpensive Spanish automatics, featuring the characteristic Eibar-type safety mounted above the grip and a nine-round magazine. The 7.65mm (.32 ACP) version, with a roughly 89mm (3.5 in) barrel and 152mm (6 in) overall length, was produced in quantity to help fill French military demand for sidearms during the First World War; surviving examples carry an 'IG' in a circle frame proof denoting Gaztañaga manufacture and French acceptance.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 822 g (29.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 152 mm (5.98") |
| Barrel Length | 89 mm (3.50") |
| Height | 110 mm (4.33") |
| Width | 28 mm (1.10") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 9 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 280 m/s (919 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 180 J (133 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 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 Auto, 7.65mm Browning, 7.65x17mmSR
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Magazine Safety
- Features: Eibar Type Safety, Fixed Sights, External Hammer
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1915
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
Production
Production years: 1913-1936
Eibar-made commercial and military export pistol; large numbers supplied to France during WWI
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Designer: Isidro Gaztañaga
Discontinued: 1936
Notes
Originally introduced in 6.35mm (.25 ACP), where it measured roughly 108mm overall with a 51mm barrel; the larger 7.65mm (.32 ACP) model was the principal military and commercial version, weighing about 822g (29 oz). Magazines were nominally rated for nine rounds. The pistol was also issued to Spanish fifth columnists during the Spanish Civil War because its small size made it easy to conceal.
Background
Eibar gunmakers like Gaztañaga produced inexpensive Browning-pattern automatics in huge quantities, and when France ran short of service sidearms in 1914-1915 it turned to these Spanish workshops to make up the shortfall. Roughly a million guns of the Ruby/Eibar type were made in Spain for French and Italian forces during the Great War; the Destroyer's small size later made it a favoured concealment pistol for Nationalist fifth columnists in the Spanish Civil War.