Mauser WTP

Mauser-Werke AG · Pistol · Discontinued · 1921

Also known as: Westentaschenpistole, W.T.P., Mauser WTP I, Mauser Vest Pocket Pistol

Overview

The Mauser WTP is a compact blowback-operated semi-automatic pocket pistol chambered in .25 ACP, built by Mauser-Werke of Oberndorf to give Germany a domestic vest-pocket pistol to rival the FN Baby Browning and Colt Model 1908. Its name abbreviates Westentaschenpistole, literally 'vest pocket pistol'. The striker-fired design feeds from a six-round detachable magazine, uses fixed sights and a left-side thumb safety, and was sold as a discreet civilian self-defence arm from 1921 until production ended in 1939.

Specifications

Weight (empty)340 g (12.0 oz)
Overall Length115 mm (4.53")
Barrel Length60.7 mm (2.39")
Height79.5 mm (3.13")
Width20.6 mm (0.81")
Action TypeBlowback
Firing MechanismStriker Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Action
Magazine Capacity6 rounds
Magazine TypeDetachable Box
Muzzle Velocity230 m/s (755 fps)
Muzzle Energy86 J (63 ft·lbf)
Effective Range7 m (8 yd)
Maximum Range50 m (55 yd)
Barrel Rifling6 Grooves, Right-Hand Twist
Number of Grooves6
Frame MaterialSteel
Slide MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialHard Rubber
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Production

Estimated total produced: 50,000 · Production years: 1921-1939

Roughly 50,000 WTP I pistols produced 1921-1938 before the WTP II succeeded it through 1939.

Origin

Country of origin: Germany

Designer: Mauser-Werke

Discontinued: 1939

Notes

Officially cased as W.T.P. The improved WTP II (1938) reduced size and weight further before output ceased on the eve of the Second World War.

Background

Marketed as a discreet gentleman's and lady's defence arm in interwar Germany, the WTP carried the prestige of the Mauser banner into the crowded pocket-pistol market dominated by Browning designs.