Menz Modell II

August Menz Waffenfabrik · Pistol · Discontinued · 1925

Also known as: Menz Model II, Menz II

Overview

The Menz Modell II is a German blowback-operated, striker-fired semi-automatic pocket pistol chambered in 7.65mm Browning (.32 ACP). Manufactured around 1925 by the Waffenfabrik August Menz of Suhl, it was a refinement of the maker's earlier Liliput design, featuring a more streamlined, tapered frame and a single-stack detachable magazine. Fewer than 1,000 were produced, making it a scarce interwar civilian self-defense and vest-pocket pistol.

Specifications

Weight (empty)454 g (16.0 oz)
Overall Length130 mm (5.12")
Barrel Length70 mm (2.76")
Action TypeBlowback
Firing MechanismStriker Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Action
Magazine Capacity6 rounds
Magazine TypeDetachable Box
Muzzle Velocity300 m/s (984 fps)
Muzzle Energy200 J (148 ft·lbf)
Effective Range25 m (27 yd)
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Frame MaterialSteel
Slide MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Service history

Operators

Production

Estimated total produced: 1,000 · Production years: 1925-1930s

Auction sources indicate fewer than 1,000 examples of the Modell II were manufactured

Origin

Country of origin: Germany

Designer: August Menz

Notes

Grips are checkered with brass medallions marked "7.65". A companion 6.35mm (.25 ACP) chambering was also offered in the Menz pocket-pistol line. Production ended when the Menz operation was absorbed into other Suhl gunmaking concerns before the Second World War.

Background

A modest refinement of August Menz's tiny Liliput, the Modell II was one of the many small Suhl pocket pistols that flooded Weimar-era Germany, where a compact 7.65mm automatic was considered essential personal insurance in uncertain times.