Kolibri Pistol
Georg Grabner · Pistol · Discontinued · 1914
Also known as: Kolibri 2.7mm, Kolibri Car Pistol, 2.7mm Kolibri
Overview
The Kolibri Pistol is a tiny semi-automatic pocket pistol designed by Austrian watchmaker Franz Pfannl and built with financial backing from Georg Grabner. Introduced in 1914, it chambered the diminutive 2.7mm Kolibri centerfire cartridge and remains the smallest commercially produced semi-automatic pistol and cartridge ever made. It used a simple blowback action with an internal striker firing from a smoothbore barrel, and lacked a trigger guard. Marketed as a discreet defensive and novelty pistol, its roughly 0.2 g bullet at about 4 joules of muzzle energy made it ballistically ineffective, and it is remembered today as a collector's curiosity.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 218 g (7.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 67 mm (2.64") |
| Barrel Length | 32 mm (1.26") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 200 m/s (656 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 4 J (3 ft·lbf) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 2.7mm Kolibri · primary — also known as 2.7x9mm Kolibri, 2mm Kolibri
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Smoothbore Barrel, Internal Striker, No Trigger Guard, Worlds Smallest Centerfire Pistol, Vest Pocket Pistol
Variants
- Kolibri 3mm — Larger Caliber
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,000 · Production years: 1914-1938
Estimates conflict widely (fewer than 1,000 up to about 3,500); manufacture was disrupted by the First World War.
Origin
Country of origin: Austria
Designer: Franz Pfannl
Discontinued: 1938
Notes
Sources disagree on total production (estimates range from fewer than 1,000 up to about 3,500) and on the end of production (variously cited as the 1920s or 1938). Magazine capacity is given as five or six rounds; five (plus one chambered) is commonly cited. The barrel was unrifled, and the cartridges were so small they were reportedly loaded with tweezers.
Background
Conceived as a discreet self-defense weapon that could be carried in a purse or vest pocket, the Kolibri was often sold cased or in a small embroidered pouch. Contemporary and modern reviewers regard it as essentially a novelty: its 3-grain bullet could barely break skin at close range and was said to bounce off a heavy coat, making it more of a deterrent than a genuine weapon.