Langenhan FL Selbstlader
Gewehr- und Fahrradfabrik Friedrich Langenhan · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1914
Also known as: Langenhan Army Model, F.L. Selbstlader, Langenhan Army Model Pistol
Overview
The Langenhan FL Selbstlader (self-loader), often called the Langenhan Army Model, is a German .32 ACP blowback pocket pistol produced as a substitute-standard sidearm during World War I. Built by the bicycle and air-pistol maker Friedrich Langenhan of Zella-Mehlis, it is a derivative of John Browning's FN Model 1900 with a recoil spring mounted above the barrel. The Imperial German Army bought nearly all Army Model production as a stopgap when Luger output could not keep pace with demand.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 650 g (22.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 170 mm (6.69") |
| Barrel Length | 100 mm (3.94") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 290 m/s (951 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 190 J (140 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.65x17mm Browning SR (.32 ACP) · primary — also known as .32 ACP, 7.65mm Browning, .32 Auto
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Heel Magazine Release, Recoil Spring Over Barrel, Screw Retained Breech Block
Service history
Operators
- German Imperial Army · adopted 1914
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Estimated total produced: 55,000 · Production years: 1914-1917
Estimates range from roughly 55,000 to 70,000; the first ~4,000 were built to the original design before minor modifications such as the addition of an ejection port
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: Friedrich Langenhan
Discontinued: 1917
Notes
Notorious design flaw: the separate breech block is retained by a pivoting yoke (which also forms the rear sight) held by a single threaded screw. On the FN M1900 this used two screws; Langenhan's single screw could work loose under firing vibration and let the breech block and firing pin blow rearward out of the pistol toward the shooter's face.
Background
A bicycle-and-air-pistol maker's wartime crash program: pressed into pistol production for the first time, Langenhan cloned the Browning FN 1900 but replaced FN's two-screw breech retainer with one, producing a sidearm with a reputation for occasionally firing its own breech block backward into the user's face. It served the Kaiser's army anyway, purely because Germany needed any handgun it could get.