Ortgies anyone?

[Logictox]

Max, I know you are a pistol guy, but I believe you are selling the Ortgies short. This little pistol came in three calibers and was incredibly well made and had a unique design. Like other pistols, once you shoot it and strip and clean it, you develop an appreciation for it. Perhaps if you shoot it and appreciate the complexity of its design when stripping it for cleaning, you would understand what I mean. Reassembly can be a bitch, but these are unique little pistols.

John it isn't a matter of selling the weapon short. It is good quality and well built. The problem is in terms of a combat weapon. It has almost no muzzle velocity and the kinetic energy from a weapon like this is pale in comparison to other sidearms. When I made the comment surrender or suicide weapon that actually came from veterans I have talked to over the years.

[relicz]

OK, I get his point and understand, it is certainly not a weapon of choice to take to a fight for either offense or defense. I don't think they were ever issued as a military side arm, and if they were, it was certainly foolhardy. It just one of a myriad of commercial "pocket" pistols of a bygone era that we now look back at and consider inept by todays ballistic standards. Even the .380 seems seriously under powered by todays standards, especially considering the choice of loads back in the day and the use of military ball ammo.

[lithgow]

There was almost no limit to the number of types of 7.65mm and 9mm Short 'pocket pistols' used by the German armed forces and related armed groups, both as official issue or private purchase-some as a badge of status, others as compact survival weapons and more as a simple self defence expedient for arming large numbers of garrison troops in occupied territories-that they were of little combat use was less a problem than they could at least go bang when required.

[guns ltd]

I have one with holster in my collection. See my photos in my profile.

John

[Bill Grist]

I have an Ortgies in my collection which is early 1930s period German police issue and marked, in a holster with two numbered magazines, holster is policed numbered to weapon as well... Very under rated pistol...BILL

[Rylan]

I had one in .25 acp, it was a super small sized pistol. I remember it was the only 'shooter' grade firearm I owned, that I wasn't able to get to shoot! In my case, the spring was likely to blame. I liked how you had to rotate the barrel and it came right out. But HATED how you had to rest the striker spring guide on that little cutout notch on the slide. I had the spring fly on me a couple of times, and I hated how you had to be so ginger with it just to get it back together. For whatever the reason, when I finally went to the range I couldn't get the slide to go back far enough so it could load a round into the chamber. Then at that point I just decided to sell it, and move on. If I did get another one, I would much prefer one in .32 acp... but I've never really looked back! I don't want to sound like I'm hating on this pistol, they just don't excite me too much... I must add your pistol looks nice and is in good shape. Mine was ugly, a real shooter, and as a shooter pistol I wasn't happy with it.