Longines Pistol
Cooperativa Obrera · Pistol · Discontinued · 1925
Also known as: Spanish Longines, Longines 7.65mm
Overview
The Longines is a Spanish .32 ACP blowback semi-automatic pistol produced by the Cooperativa Obrera, a workers' cooperative in Eibar, Spain, in the late 1920s (examples are dated to 1927) primarily for export sale to the United States. It is a typical Eibar 'Ruby-type' pocket pistol, closely copying John Browning's FN Model 1903/1910 layout: a straight-blowback action, an internal hammer, and a 9-round detachable box magazine in the grip. The slide is marked 'CAL. 7.65 AUTOMATIC PISTOL LONGINES'; grips bear the Longines name and are found in both pressed steer-horn and hard rubber. Comparatively large for a .32, it measures about 173 mm (6.8 in) overall and weighs roughly 737 g (26 oz) empty. Many examples reached the U.S. commercial market, and the broad Eibar 'Ruby' family from which it derives saw service on both sides of the Spanish Civil War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 737 g (26.0 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 800 g (28.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 173 mm (6.81") |
| Barrel Length | 87 mm (3.43") |
| Height | 120 mm (4.72") |
| Width | 30 mm (1.18") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 9 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 282 m/s (925 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 188 J (139 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 | Hard Rubber |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .32 ACP · primary — also known as .32 Auto, 7.65x17mm Browning, 7.65mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Fixed Sights, Internal Hammer
Service history
Operators
- Spanish Republican forces
Conflicts
- Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
Production
Production years: 1925-1927
Sole product of the Cooperativa Obrera of Eibar; surviving examples are dated 1927 and were made for U.S. commercial sale. Exact production figures unrecorded.
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Designer: John Browning (original FN M1903 pattern)
Discontinued: 1936
Notes
Longines was a trade name unrelated to the Swiss watchmaker of the same name. Dealer references (Triple K, Gun Digest, Collectors Firearms) consistently give 26 oz weight, 6.8 in overall length and a 9-round magazine (magazine length 4.22 in). Barrel length is not published by sources and is estimated at the typical Eibar/Ruby-pattern ~87 mm. The Cooperativa Obrera is reported to have made only this single product.
Background
Eibar 'Ruby-type' pistols originated when Gabilondo y Urresti's Ruby was adopted by France in 1915, prompting dozens of Spanish workshops to mass-produce near-identical Browning copies; the Longines was one of many such trade-name variants that followed in the 1920s.