Menz Model III
August Menz Waffenfabrik · Pistol · Discontinued · 1933
Also known as: Menz Modell III, Menz III
Overview
The Menz Model III is a German blowback-operated, single-action semi-automatic pocket pistol chambered in 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP), produced by the August Menz firm of Suhl from about 1933. It headed Menz's early-1930s series of police and self-defence pistols and used an external hammer with a single-action trigger set at the rear of the trigger guard, a slide-mounted loaded-chamber indicator that rose as a small blade, a rear safety lever, and a magazine release behind the trigger. It was the only member of the Model III/IIIA/IV/IVA series ever shown in contemporary catalogues and the only one to reach meaningful production.
Specifications
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 300 m/s (984 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 200 J (148 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .32 ACP · primary — also known as .32 Automatic, 7.65x17mm Browning SR, 7.65mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Loaded Chamber Indicator
- Features: Exposed Hammer, Loaded Chamber Indicator, Fixed Sights, Concealable
Variants
- Menz Model IIIA - Striker Fired
Service history
Operators
- Civilian market
Production
Production years: 1933-1937
The only Menz police-series pistol advertised in contemporary catalogues; production ended before August Menz was absorbed by Bergmann Erben in the late 1930s.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Discontinued: 1937
Notes
Take-down is via a lever on the right side of the frame just above the front of the trigger guard. The striker-fired Model IIIA dispensed with the external hammer, while the Model IV was a double-action-only version with a free-floating trigger and the Model IVA reportedly combined single- and double-action lockwork. No published dimension or weight table survives for the Model III itself.
Background
Of August Menz's short-lived early-1930s police-pistol series, only the single-action Model III ever made the sales catalogues; its double-action siblings survive today in single-digit serial numbers, hinting they barely left the prototype bench.