Semmerling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Semmerling LM4 is a five shot, manual repeating double action pistol designed for backup purposes. It is the smallest, most powerful multi-shot .45 ACP ever offered.
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[edit] Concept and History
The Semmerling pistol was first designed and manufactured in the early 1980s and marketed at a price of USD 750. It was first offered to the U. S. Army and government agencies.
The goal was to achieve a combination of the highest practical firepower in as small and light a gun as possible that could be concealed very easily. This was approached by selecting the service caliber of .45 ACP for its proven stopping power and opting for a manual repeating mechanism to minimize bulk and weight - basically the opposite approach of handguns like the Kel-Tec P-32 that combine a smaller caliber and semi-automatic operation.
The Semmerling has 33 parts (including screws), making it one of the simplest guns ever made. In the original design, every part except for the springs was made of high-quality S-7 tool steel.
Each pistol was essentially hand made to order with production averaging a little over ten pieces a month, while maintaining very strict quality control procedures to ensure a high degree of reliability and functionality. Of the original model, only about 600 were ever produced.
Although the Semmerling was intended for close-quarters combat and self defence rather than long range shooting, a practiced shooter can achieve an outstanding shooting performance.
A stainless steel reissue version has been available at request from the American Derringer corporation since about 1995.
[edit] Finish and Accessories
The original standard color was matte black with highly polished slide frames. A complete high polish blued finish or a hard chrome plating were optional.
[edit] Grips
[edit] Accessories
[edit] Operation
The Semmerling fires from a static, fully-locked breech, producing considerable recoil. The barrel mechanism is manually pulled forward to eject the fired round, then pushed back to chamber the next round. This can be accomplished by thumb.
It has no safety, decocker, or slide release.
The number of remaining rounds can be checked by removing the grips.
[edit] Specifications
- Caliber .45ACP
- Overall length 132.1 mm (5.2")
- Barrel length 87.63 mm (3.45")
- Overall height 93.98 mm (3.7")
- Overall width below 25.4 mm (1") (21.59 mm (0.85") with "thin kit")
- Capacity 4+1
- Weight fully loaded 560.4 g (19.77 oz)
- Partridge sights
- Accuracy: 3" groups at 25 yards, 6" groups at 50 yards
