Bergmann Simplex | |
---|---|
Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
Place of origin | Germany Belgium |
Production history | |
Designer | Theodor Bergmann |
Designed | 1897[1] |
Produced | c.1897-1914;[1] introduced to markets in 1901.[2] |
No. built | Est. 4000 or more[3][1] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 32.0 oz (1.0 kg) |
Length | 8.5 in (217 mm) |
Cartridge | 8x18mm Simplex |
Action | blowback |
Feed system | 5- or 8- round detachable box magazine |
The Bergmann Simplex was a compact firearm produced in the early 1900s, utilizing innovations from the earlier Bergman Model 1896 and 1897 pistols,[4] being essentially a down-scaled version of Model 1897.[2] It was chambered for the proprietary Bergmann-Simplex 8mm cartridge.
Although production began in 1897, the design itself was actually patented in 1901, with the gun beginning sales in 1901 as well.[2] After a few copies were manufactured in Austria, its designs would be sold to a unidentified Belgian company in 1904. This Belgian company would manufacture 4,000 copies and would discontinue it, after the German aggression against Belgium in 1914.[3][1]
The Simplex proved popular in Spain, to a point it prompted local gunsmiths to start making counterfeit copies of the Simplex.[3][1]
The Simplex, while doing better commercially than its predecessor design, the Model 1896/1897 family, was still not a successful firearm. It was considered under-powered, cumbersome and developed a reputation for poor reliability.[3] Additionally, it did not fare well against the other compact pistols in the market; particularly the FN-Browning designs.[5]
The Bergmann 1896 pistol was typical of the experimental weapons of the time – it had some promising features but also a few flaws. Among these was an ejection system that bounced the spent round off the next round in the magazine. This feature was dropped on the 1897 Bergmann Simplex model and subsequent designs.