COSTOS Y PRESUPUESTOS (CONTADOR) 4. OBREROS

S&A (SPAIN)

An insignificant gunmaker of whom nothing is known, Suinaga y Aramperri of Eibar manufactured a ·38 revolver based on the Smith & Wesson Military & Police model in the 1920s. The guns are distinguished by the 'S&A' trademark.

S&A: Maker: Suinaga y Aramperri. Eibar. Type: solid-frame revolver. Calibre ·38. Length overall: 9·25in/235mm. Weight, unladen:

28·9oz/820gm. Barrel: 4·25in/108mm, rifled. Magazine: six-chamber cylinder.

SAKO (FINLAND)

Sako's name is an acronym of the Finnish words for 'Civil Guard Arms & Engineering Workshop' formed in 1921 and, after various manoeuvres, became a commercial company based in Jyvaskyla. It has done much military work in the past but is now principally concerned with sporting rifles.

Model 22-32: Developed in the late 1970s, this competition pistol—as the name suggests—is convertible between

·22 Short, ·22 LR, and ·32 S&W, the three major ISU competition-shooting cartridges. The pistol is a simple blowback with a separate bolt moving inside the slide, supplied as a package containing a butt/frame unit and slide/barrel units in each of the three chamberings.

Various sight and grip options are available.

Triace: The 22-32 was supplemented in 1978 by the improved Triace version, with a cast-alloy frame, fully

adjustable grips and sights, and an improved adjustable trigger mechanism.

Triace: Maker: Oy Sako Ab, Riihimaki. Type: automatic pistol (blowback). Chambering: ·22 LR rimfire. Length overall: unknown.

Weight, unladen: 44·3oz/1,255gm. Barrel: 5·91in/150mm, rifled. Magazine: five-round detachable box.

SALAVERRIA (SPAIN)

Operating from a small workshop in Eibar, Iraola Salaverria y Cia made the 7·65mm Ruby blowback automatic under contract to Gabilondo (q.v.) during the First World War. The company's activities may not have continued after about 1921.

SALSO (SPAIN, BELGIUM)

This sales name was applied to the Echeverria 6·35mm Victoria pistol for sale through Belgian dealers.

SALVATOR-DORMUS (AUSTRIA-HUNGARY)

Archduke Karl von Salvator and Georg, Ritter von Dormus, both resident in Vienna, were distinguished army officers. Working in collusion, they invented the Skoda machine-gun and an assortment of rifles. The Salvator- Dormus pistol appeared in 1894; von Salvator had died in 1892, but von Dormus always insisted that his development work be commemorated in the name.

The pistol was one of the first blowbacks, chambered for a special 8mm cartridge. The fixed

barrel was surrounded by the recoil spring and a barrel jacket. Beneath the barrel lay a cocking handle attached to an operating arm whose rear end, passing into the receiver, and was connected to the bolt. The pistol had an external hammer and was loaded by placing a five-round clip into the integral butt

magazine through the open action. A follower forced the rounds into the bolt-way from the clip and, after the last round had been chambered, the empty clip fell through a slot in the bottom of the butt.

A few Salvator Dormus pistols were made, probably in the Skoda factory tool room. Unfortunately, the military authorities of the time were demanding large-calibre locked breech guns; the Salvator-Dormus could not compete.

SAN PAOLO (ITALY)

Armi San Paolo of Concesio, Brescia, took over production of the S&W-style revolvers developed by J.P. Sauer & Sohn (q.v.) when the German company became involved with the SIG-Sauer automatic pistols in the late 1970s. It also makes Western-style cap-lock revolvers based on Colt and Remington prototypes.

Service Special: Maker: Armi San Paolo, Concesio, Brescia. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·38 Special. Length overall:

9·06in/230mm. Weight, unladen: 31·7oz/900gm. Barrel: 3·94in/100mm, rifled. Magazine: six-chamber cylinder.

Sako: ·22/ 32 Triace.

Salvator Dormus:

Experimental 8mm.

SAUER (GERMANY)

Founded in Suhl in 1751, J.P. Sauer & Sohn had gained a reputation for first-quality rifles and sporting guns by the end of the nineteenth century. The company's earliest involvement with series-made handguns came with the Reichsrevolver (q.v.). The first commercial pistol was the Bar (q.v.), introduced about 1900, followed by the Roth-Sauer (see 'Roth'). This attracted sufficient interest to persuade Sauer to produce a pistol design of its own in 1913. More than twenty years design work culminated in the Model 38H, one of the best designs of the 1930s.

After 1945 the company 'voted with its feet' and was eventually re-established in West Germany, making the Western Six Shooter, a single-action revolver broadly based on the Colt M1873, from the mid 1950s onward. This was followed by similar guns intended for export to the USA at the time of the fast draw craze; most were sold through Hawes (q.v.). Sauer then produced two Smith & Wesson-style solid-frame revolvers, the TR-6 being a six-shot personal defence weapon, while the SR-3 was a target gun with a heavy barrel, a ventilated rib,

adjustable sights and an adjustable trigger. Guns were also made for others, in particular for Sterling Armament Co. (q.v.).

In the late 1970s, Sauer entered into an agreement to produce SIG (q.v.) designs in Germany under the name 'SIG Sauer'. This allowed SIG a greater firearms-export market than would be permitted by restrictive Swiss laws. Commitment to SIG designs gradually weakened Sauer's commitment to revolvers until rights were sold to Armi San Paolo and Sterling Armament Co.

Sauer: The first Sauer pistol, introduced in 1913, was a 7·65mm blowback automatic of novel construction. The fixed barrel had a concentric recoil spring, the separate breech block being held in the light tubular-steel slide by a screwed end cap locked by a spring catch. A seven-shot

magazine went into the butt; a striker mechanism was fitted; and the safety catch on the left side of the frame, which locked the sear, automatically disengaged the trigger when applied.

The design was repeated in 6·35mm calibre in the early 1920s, but was soon replaced by the WTM (below) though new guns were available until 1929. Production of the 7·65mm model, which had resumed after the war, and ended in 1930 after about 175,000 had been made.

M1913: Maker: J.P Sauer & Sohn, Suhl. Type: automatic pistol (blowback). Chambering: 7·65mm Auto. Length overall: 5·67in/144mm.

Weight, unladen: 20·1oz/570gm. Barrel: 2·95in/75mm, rifled. Magazine: seven-round detachable box.

Model 1930: A new 7·65mm Sauer was introduced in 1930, retaining the basic design of the 1913 model but incorporating small detail improvements. The grip was better shaped; the recoil spring had a sleeve at the rear end; a loaded-chamber indicator was fitted; and a small catch on the trigger acted as a security lock. The trigger could only move if the catch was pressed by the finger, preventing inadvertent discharge if a loaded gun was dropped.

Often called the Behorden-Modell ('officials model'), apparently coined by the maker to recommend it to Police and military users, the M1930 was purchased by German police and paramilitary forces.

Other were purchased by army officers before production ceased in 1937.

M1930 'Behorden Modell': Maker: J.P Sauer & Sohn, Suhl. Type: automatic pistol (blowback).

Chambering: 7·65mm Auto. Length overall: 5·75in/146mm. Weight, unladen: 21·9oz/620gm. Barrel:

3·03in/77mm, rifled. Magazine: seven-round detachable box.

WTM: A simplified 6·35mm line began in 1925 with the Westen-Taschen-Pistole ('shirt-pocket pistol'), a

fixed-barrel blowback with a large ejection port in the slide. The separate breech block was held in the slide by a spring catch; the striker protruded from the rear of the slide to indicate when the pistol was cocked; and the slide had vertical cocking grips at both ends.

A modified WTM was introduced in 1928, with refined contours and the breech block forged integrally with the slide. The slide had obliquely cut finger-grips at the rear end only. The revised WTM was produced for no more than four years before another change was made. The slide was made even smoother and the ejection port moved to the right side; in this form, the WTM remained in production until 1939.

WTM [1924type]: Maker: J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Suhl. Type: automatic pistol (blowback). Chambering: 6·35mm Auto. Length overall:

4·21in/l07mm. Weight, unladen: 11·3oz/320gm. Barrel: 2·17in/55mm, rifled. Magazine: six-round detachable box.

WTM [1928 type]: Maker: J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Suhl. Type: automatic pistol (blowback). Chambering: 6·35mm Auto. Length overall:

4·00in/102mm. Weight, unladen: 10·6oz/300gm. Barrel: 1·97in/50mm, rifled. Magazine: six-round detachable box.

Model 38-H: Work on the 7·65mm series recommenced with this completely new design. But for the war, the 38-H would certainly have left its mark on the commercial market; however, virtually all went to the German armed forces.

The Model 38-H ('H' for Hahn, 'hammer', to distinguish it from the preceding striker-fired Sauers) was a fixed-barrel blowback with the recoil spring around the barrel. A separate breech block was pinned into the slide, and the internal hammer was connected to a de-cocking lever partially concealed by the grip on the left side of the frame. The lever allowed a cocked hammer to be released under control, or an uncocked hammer to be brought to full cock by thumb action. The double-action lockwork included a safety catch at the rear of the slide, which locked the hammer. A magazine safety system and a loaded-chamber signal pin were included in the original design, though the slide-mounted safety catch was omitted from the earliest guns as well as those made towards the end of the Second World War.

Sauer pistols were all made to the highest standards from first-class material; it

seems strange that the company never resumed production of the 38-H in the 1950s, as it was at least the equal of the Walther PP and Mauser HSc.

Model 38-H: Maker: J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Suhl. Type: automatic pistol (blowback). Chambering: 7·65mm Auto. Length overall:

6·73in/171mm. Weight, unladen: 25·4oz/720gm. Barrel: 3·27in/83mm, rifled. Magazine: eight-round detachable box.

Sauer: 1913-pattern 7·65mm.

Sauer: 6·35mm 1925 WTM.

Sauer: 7·65mm Model 38-H.

SAVAGE (USA)

The Savage Repeating Arms Company was formed in 1894 by Arthur W. Savage to build his lever-action sporting rifle, becoming the Savage Arms Company in 1897. Savage was bought by the Driggs-Seabury Ordnance Company in 1915 and, in 1919, reorganised to form the Savage Arms Corporation. After regaining its independence, Savage subsequently absorbed the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. and Davis-Warner—among others—

and eventually became one of America's leading firearms manufacturers.

The company is best known in the handgun field for the automatic pistols of 1907-28. The relevant patent was taken out by Major Elbert H. Searle in 1905 and assigned to William Condit, who may well have been the financier. It is suspected that Condit, lacking manufacturing facilities, then contracted with Savage.

The pistol-breech was locked by rotating the barrel, which was surrounded by a recoil spring and the slide. A square lug beneath the chamber anchored the barrel in the frame so that it could rotate; the curved upper cam-lug engaged a track in the slide. A removable breech-block unit in the rear of the slide carried the striker and its spring.

Reaction on the base of the cartridge case tried to force the slide backward on firing. Owing to the interaction of the upper cam and the track, however, the initial movement was resisted until the barrel had been turned through about 5° anti-clockwise. The cam-track then straightened and the slide could move backward.

Resistance to rotary motion of the barrel was provided by the torque of the bullet engaging the rifling, delaying the opening of the slide until the projectile had left the muzzle.

This was the substance of Searle's patent claim, but has since been disputed. There is no doubt that the breech was locked at the time of firing, but the 'bullet torque' theory is dubious. Spark photographs made in Germany in the late 1920s showed that the breech of the Savage actually opened faster than that of a 6·35mm Baby Browning. The general opinion seems to be that Searle, whatever he had intended, produced a delayed blowback action.

·45 US Army trials gun: The Savage Arms Company was preparing a ·32 pistol when, late in 1906, the US Army

announced forthcoming trials for a serviceable ·45 automatic. Savage immediately set to work producing a suitable military prototype; it survived the trials, and so two hundred were ordered for troop trials in competition with the ·45 Colt-Browning. Savage finally delivered 200 guns in March 1909, but the army decided on the Colt after a final endurance trial in the Spring of 1911. The Savages were sold at auction in 1912. Total production is believed to have been 275-300, including a selection of prototype and test guns, but military rejection brought development to an end.

Military Model: Maker: Savage Arms Co., Utica, New York. Type: automatic pistol delayed (blowback). Chambering: ·45 M1906.

Length overall: 9·02in/229mm. Weight, unladen: 35·4oz/1,005gm. Barrel: 5·24in/133mm, rifled. Magazine: eight-round detachable box.

Model 1907: The ·32 Savage was introduced in August 1907. A serrated 'hammer' at the rear of the slide—actually the top surface of the cocking piece—allowed it to be thumb-cocked. This serves to identify the 1907 pattern, together with the unusual sheet-steel grips that snapped into place on the butt frame. A ·380 (9mm Short) model, introduced in 1913, was the same as the 1907-type Savage except for calibre.

M1907: Maker: Savage Arms Co., Utica, New York. Type: automatic pistol (delayed blowback). Chambering: ·32 ACP. Length overall:

6·61in/168mm. Weight, unladen: 22·0oz/625gm. Barrel: 3·74in/95mm, rifled. Magazine: ten-round detachable box.

Model 1915: This major redesign substituted a concealed cocking-piece for the earlier exposed pattern; a grip safety was added; and a hold-open catch inside the trigger guard could lock the slide open after the last round in the magazine had

been fired. Production of the 1907 model continued alongside the new 'hammerless' gun, though the cocking grips at the rear of the slide changed from nine wide to 28 narrow grooves. Production of the M1907 finally ceased in 1916.

Model 1917: The 1915-pattern Savage was poorly received, being replaced in 1917 by a fresh design. The grip safety was removed and the visible cocking spur was restored, offering a prominent narrow spur which had gained approval when tried on the last of the M1907 pistols. The grip was changed to a wedge-like shape, the grip plates being held by screws. Produced in both ·32 ACP and ·380 ACP, the M1917 remained in production until 1926 (·32) and 1928 (·380).

M1917: Maker: Savage Arms Co., Utica, New York. Type: automatic pistol (delayed blowback). Chambering: ·32 ACP. Length overall:

7·01in/178mm. Weight, unladen: 24·2oz/685gm. Barrel: 4·21in/107mm, rifled. Magazine: ten-round detachable box.

Model 101: With the demise of the M1917 automatic, Savage left the handgun business for forty years before returning in 1960 with the single-shot

·22 pistol Model 101. Although styled to look like a Colt Single Action Army revolver, the cylinder and barrel formed a single unit. This could be swung out of the frame to allow a single cartridge to be loaded into the chamber. The gun was made for about ten years, disappearing in the early 1970s.

SCHLEGELMILCH (GERMANY)

Louis Schlegelmilch was the chief engineer at the Spandau arsenal near Berlin, where, in 1890-1, he developed a mechanical repeating pistol.

According to contemporary reports this pistol fired a 'high-powered bottle-necked smokeless powder rifle cartridge' carried in a magazine ahead of the trigger-guard. The pistol relied on thumb-cocking the external hammer to unlock and draw back the bolt; when the bolt had been retracted far enough, it was automatically released to run forward and chamber a cartridge. The Schlegelmilch pistol was a considerable advance on the ring-lever type of mechanical repeater, but tests had hardly been completed when the advent of the automatic pistol swept it away. Only a handful of prototypes had been made for military trials.

Savage: ·45 pistol made for US Army trials in

1908-10.

Savage: 7·65mm M1915.

SCHMIDT (GERMANY)

Herbert Schmidt of Ostheim an der Rhon has used a formidable list of trade names in Europe and the USA:

Deputy Marshal, EIG E8, PIC Models 21 and 121, Geroco, Madison, Bison, Omega, RG, AMCO, Spesco, Valor,

Liberty, LA's Deputy, Liberty Scout, Deputy Magnum, Deputy Adjuster,

NATO, Western, Burgo Mod 21, Gecado Model 21, Indian Scout, VOL, Eusta, Cheyenne Scout, Texas Scout, and Buffalo Scout.

Despite their profusion, these will be found on a handful of gun-patterns. The Model 11 was a six-shot double- action solid frame revolver, with a swing-out cylinder and a 2·5in barrel. It was sold in the USA as, among others, the Liberty 11 and EIG E8. A target-shooting version with 5·5in barrel was also produced.

Schmidt's other principal product has been a Western-style ·22 revolver, made either with a rod ejector beneath the barrel or as an ejectorless pattern with a removable cylinder arbor. These guns

attracted the Deputy and Scout names. All Schmidt revolvers have the maker's name stamped into the lower edge of the butt grip frame, visible when the grips are removed.

HS-38: Maker: Herbert Schmidt GmbH, Ostheim an der Rhon. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·38 Special. Length overall:

8·00in/203mm. Weight, unladen: 31·2oz/885gm. Barrel: 4·00in/102mm, rifled. Magazine: six-chamber cylinder.

SCHOUBOE (DENMARK)

Jens Torring Schouboe, a Danish army officer, became chief engineer of Dansk Rekylriffel Syndikat (DRS) of Copenhagen. He is best known as the inventor of the DRS-made Madsen machine-gun, but also patented an automatic pistol in 1903. This conventional 7·65mm blowback apparently sold poorly, being taken off the market after about a thousand had been made.

Undeterred, Schouboe set about making a heavy-calibre military pistol. He decided on a 11·35mm calibre, which was large enough to impress military authorities, but remained wedded to the

blowback system. Consequently, Schouboe adopted some peculiar stratagems to get the performance he wanted. The most important was a very light bullet, no more than a cupro-nickel jacket containing a wooden core and an aluminium base plug. This developed a velocity of 1,625 ft/sec, yet,

owing to its light weight, developed less recoil than conventional bullets; it moved quickly enough to leave the barrel before the breech had begun to open.

The M1907 Schouboe pistol was a fixed-barrel blowback with a short slide/breechblock section at the rear, and had no unusual features. It was tested by several governments, British and American among them, but was never adopted.

The principal complaints were the light bullet, blowback action, and poor accuracy arising from the light bullet and a poorly-chosen rifling twist.

Schouboe tinkered with his design for some years, producing a selection of improved guns based on the M1907. However, less than five hundred were made before the inventor retired in 1917. DRS donated many of them as graduation prizes and marksmanship awards for Danish army cadets, or presented them to high-ranking dignitaries to promote the Madsen machine-gun. Schouboe pistols are extremely uncommon today.

Schouboe M1907: Maker: Dansk Rekylriffel Syndikat AS 'Madsen', Copenhagen. Type: automatic pistol (blowback). Calibre: 11·35mm.

Length overall: 8·00in/203mm. Weight, unladen: 24·3oz/690gm. Barrel: 5·12in/130mm, rifled. Magazine: six-round detachable box.

SCHULHOF (AUSTRIA-HUNGARY)

Josef Schulhof, best known for his work on rifle magazines, was another of the many Austro-Hungarian inventors to tinker with mechanical repeating pistols. Patented in 1884, the Schulhof gun relied on the usual reciprocating bolt driven by a ring trigger; small numbers were made in 8mm and 10·6mm calibres, mostly in Liege. The existence of a version chambering the ·320 revolver cartridge has also been reported.

SCHULZ & LARSEN (DENMARK)

Best known as a maker of target rifles and rifled barrels, Schulz & Larsen of Otterup produced the Model 51 bolt-action ·22 LR Free Pistol, with the

Best known as a maker of target rifles and rifled barrels, Schulz & Larsen of Otterup produced the Model 51 bolt-action ·22 LR Free Pistol, with the