Menz Menta 7.65mm
August Menz · Pistol · Discontinued · 1915
Also known as: Menta, Menz Menta
Overview
The Menz Menta 7.65mm is a compact blowback-operated, striker-fired semi-automatic pocket pistol chambered in 7.65x17mm Browning (.32 ACP). Produced by Waffenfabrik August Menz of Suhl, it is the Beholla-pattern service pistol sold under the Menta name; the design uses a fixed barrel pinned to the frame beneath an open-top slide, feeding from a seven-round detachable box magazine. It served as an inexpensive substitute-standard sidearm for the Imperial German military during World War I and continued in commercial production into the 1920s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 640 g (22.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 141 mm (5.55") |
| Barrel Length | 74 mm (2.91") |
| Height | 103 mm (4.06") |
| Width | 25 mm (0.98") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 275 m/s (902 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 175 J (129 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| 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
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: 7-Round Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Lever
- Features: Fixed Barrel Pinned To Frame, Open-Top Slide, Fixed Sights, Hard Rubber Grip Panels
Service history
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1915-1930
Produced in relatively small numbers by August Menz; exact figures unknown. Beholla-pattern total across all makers estimated in the tens of thousands.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: August Menz
Discontinued: 1930
Notes
Mechanically identical to the Becker & Hollander Beholla and the Stenda and Leonhardt copies; all descend from the same wartime German ordnance pistol design.
Background
When demand for the Luger outstripped supply during World War I, the German government turned to simple .32 pocket pistols as substitute sidearms; the same Beholla design was produced by four different Suhl firms under the names Beholla, Menta, Stenda and Leonhardt, sold through government stores for about 35 marks.