Ruby Extra
Gabilondo y Urresti · Pistol · Discontinued · 1915
Also known as: Ruby, Eibar pistol, Spanish Ruby, Ruby type
Overview
The Ruby Extra is a Spanish blowback semi-automatic pocket pistol chambered in .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning), marketed under one of the many trade names applied to the Eibar-type Ruby family produced in the Basque arms region during and after the First World War. Like all Ruby-pattern pistols it is a close copy of John Browning's Colt/FN Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless: a fixed barrel with a straight-blowback slide, but distinguished by a nine-round detachable box magazine (one more than the Colt 1903's eight), released at the heel of the grip. The original Ruby was developed by Gabilondo y Urresti in 1914 and adopted by the French Army in May 1915 as the 'Pistolet Automatique de 7 millimetre 65 genre Ruby' to address a severe shortage of officer sidearms; French contracts ramped from 10,000 to as many as 50,000 pistols per month, drawing in dozens of Eibar subcontractors. It weighs roughly 875 g empty, measures about 157 mm overall with an 87 mm (3.25 in) barrel, and fires the .32 ACP round at around 300 m/s. The 'Extra' name was one of the commercial trade names stamped on these pistols for the civilian and export markets.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 875 g (30.9 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 950 g (33.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 157 mm (6.18") |
| Barrel Length | 87 mm (3.43") |
| Height | 110 mm (4.33") |
| Width | 30 mm (1.18") |
| Sight Radius | 120 mm (4.72") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 9 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 300 m/s (984 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 200 J (148 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| 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
- Features: External Extractor, Heel Magazine Release, Slide Grasping Grooves, Fixed Sights
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1915 · as Pistolet Automatique de 7 millim.65 genre "Ruby"
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Production years: 1915-1925
One of the many Ruby/Eibar-pattern trade names. The French Army contracted Gabilondo y Urresti for 10,000 pistols a month from May 1915, rising to 30,000 and eventually as many as 50,000 a month, met by subcontracting at least four other Guernica/Eibar makers. Close to one million Ruby- and Star-type pistols were built for the French between 1914 and 1918; the 'Extra' commercial variant has no separate documented production total.
Origin
Country of origin: Spain
Discontinued: 1925
Notes
'Ruby Extra' is one of dozens of trade names stamped on Eibar-type pistols, a family so prolific that its markings are described as a bottomless pit. Build quality varied widely between the many small Basque workshops that produced Ruby clones.
Background
A gap in Spanish patent law let Basque workshops freely copy Browning's pocket pistol, and the Ruby name spawned a flood of trade-marked clones — 'Ruby Extra' among them — sold wherever an inexpensive .32 ACP self-loader would find a buyer.