Mauser WTP
Mauser-Werke A.G. · Pistol · Discontinued · 1922
Also known as: Mauser WTP I, Mauser Westentaschenpistole
Overview
The Mauser WTP is a German blowback-operated semi-automatic vest pocket pistol chambered in .25 ACP (6.35mm Browning). Its name is an abbreviation of Westentaschenpistole, German for 'vest pocket pistol'. Designed in the early 1920s and produced from 1922, it was a compact, easily concealable self-defense handgun with a six-round magazine and a one-piece wraparound grip. It competed in the booming German pocket-pistol market against designs such as the Walther Model 9 and the Colt Vest Pocket.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 340 g (12.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 115 mm (4.53") |
| Barrel Length | 60.7 mm (2.39") |
| Height | 79.5 mm (3.13") |
| Width | 20.6 mm (0.81") |
| 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 | 96 J (71 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 |
| 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: Vest Pocket Size, Fixed Sights, Wraparound Grip
Variants
- Mauser WTP II - Compact
Service history
Operators
- Civilian market
Production
Estimated total produced: 50,500 · Production years: 1922-1939
Approximately 50,500 WTP I units were produced; the later WTP II added roughly 27,300 more.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: Mauser-Werke A.G.
Discontinued: 1939
Notes
Often retroactively designated WTP I after the smaller, lighter WTP II was introduced in 1938. Production of the WTP I continued until 1939.
Background
The WTP was Mauser's answer to the interwar German craze for tiny, concealable self-defense pistols. Marketed as a 'vest pocket pistol', it was small enough to be carried discreetly in a waistcoat pocket, a hallmark of the genre that flourished between the world wars.