Bolumburu Rex
Gregorio Bolumburu · Pistol · Discontinued · 1920
Also known as: Rex Automatic Pistol, Bolumburu Rex .25
Overview
The Bolumburu Rex is a Spanish .25 ACP blowback pocket pistol produced by Gregorio Bolumburu in Eibar during the 1920s and 1930s. A copy of the FN/Browning Model 1906 vest-pocket layout, it was one of countless inexpensive Eibar-pattern automatics exported for the American mail-order market.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 397 g (14.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 114 mm (4.49") |
| Barrel Length | 54 mm (2.13") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 230 m/s (755 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 86 J (63 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 15 m (16 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .25 ACP · primary — also known as 6.35x16mm Browning, 6.35mm Browning, .25 Auto
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Fixed Sights, Pocket Pistol
Production
Production years: 1920-1936
Made for the civilian and American mail-order export market; exact production figures unknown.
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Designer: Gregorio Bolumburu
Discontinued: 1936
Notes
The Rex was one of several trade names (alongside Regina, Regent, Gloria, Marina and Giralda) used by Gregorio Bolumburu of Eibar, Spain. Quality of these unlicensed Browning copies varied widely.
Background
Eibar in the Basque Country was home to dozens of small workshops that flooded the early 20th-century market with cheap Browning-pattern pocket pistols. The Rex typifies these 'Eibar' guns: a near-direct copy of John Browning's 1906 vest-pocket design, sold under an evocative trade name to mail-order buyers in the United States.