1898 Borchardt

1893 Borchardt C93

This is a 1893 Model of the 7.63mm Borchardt. This a C93 (1893) Borchardt semi-automatic pistol chambered for the 7.65x25mm (.31 cal) smokeless round designed by Hugo Borchardt and originally manufactured by the German arms concern Ludwig Loewe, Berlin. (2198)

NOTE: Photographs taken today with the high mega-pixel camera show more than we sometimes can see with the human eye. Magnified close-ups show us tool marks and natural surface conditions that one normally doesn't see in the ordinary handling of the weapon. Photographs are copyrighted, all rights reserved, any extraction, reproduction or display of gun pictures without the express consent of the Phoenix Investment Arms is strictly prohibited. Before your purchase please read Legal for Conditions of Sale. Thank you for your cooperation.

The history of the Borchardt and Luger pistols begins with the perfection of the toggle system invented by Hiram Maxim. Hugo Borchardt was born in Magdeburg in June 1944 but emigrated to the USA at the age of 16. In 1865 he was appointed Superintendent of works For the Pioneer Breach-Loading arms company of Trenton Massachusetts. Borchardt then moved to Singer Sewing Machine Co., Colt patent firearms in Hartford Connecticut, and then Sharps Rifle in June 1876. Sharps Rifle Company folding in 1881 in Borchardt found himself out of work and left for Europe. There he joined the staff of the Hungarian government firearms factory in Budapest and by 1889 and risen to the position of works manager. Borchardt returned to the US in 1891 and then back to Europe to begin work on his Borchardt pistol for the Ludwig Lowe & Co.


Developed by Hugo Borchardt and manufactured by Ludwig Loewe & Co. in 1893 Borchardt was among the first semi automatic pistols to arrive on the market. Borchardt’s design introduced many mechanical principles and design concepts that would be revisited and refined by George Luger to make the famous “Pistole Parabellum” Model 1900, essentially making the Borchardt forefather of about ½ a century of European military and commercial handguns..

The barrel length is 7 1/4" with an overall length of 14". It weighs 2 1/2 lbs. The serial number appears on the front bottom of the barrel, the trigger, the rear toggle, the bottom of the grip frame, the magazine and the stock attachment.

The Toggle Lock will be familiar to any Luger collector with the familiar latch on the frame that prevents the knee action from opening prayer to recoil. To follow the progression with the smooth toggle knobs of the Borchardt, to the dish toggles of the 1900 Luger, to the curled knob toggles of the 1908 pattern these are one of the items that makes the Borchardt/Luger distinctive.

Hugo Borchardt mounted the return spring at the rear of the receiver. While this gave the gun balance and also extended over one's shooting hand, a phenomenon that no one was used to. At the rear of the main spring was a small knob which attached to the stock in that when mounted to the gun gave it an overall high rating is a short-barreled rifle.

Lowe which had already bought Mauser in 1887, employed Georg Luger to promote the Borchardt pistol in military and commercial channels. The pistol was tested by the U.S. Navy as early as 1894 and later by the U.S. Army. Although it was accurate and its rate of fire was rapid, the Borchardt pistol was expensive to produce and unwieldy to handle due to its almost vertical grip and distribution of weight. Furthermore, its recoil was unexpectedly powerful. These criticisms were noted in the Swiss Army field tests. However, Borchardt refused to make any changes to his original design. DWM then appointed Georg Luger to make the requested improvements to the pistol. Luger took the Borchardt design, using the shorter 7.65×21mm Parabellum cartridge, which allowed him to incorporate a shorter stroke of the toggle mechanism and a narrower, angular grip. Luger's design eventually became the Luger Parabellum pistol.

The magazine was wrapped metal and nickel finished with a wooden knob holding the internal spring. Here you see the gun and recoil with the knee action of the toggle breaking upon firing and in half the distance of an ordinary slide injecting the spent round and loading a fresh round.

Due to Borchardt’s unbending certainty that his design was improvable, only one significant change in the way the arm was viewed and marketed occurred during this production lifetime. In the initial development of the gun the prototypes had 154 mm short barrel, but the final version being 190 mm (7 ½ inches).

Today there is controversy regarding who; either Borchardt or Luger invented 7.63 mm cartridge that was unique to the Borchardt pistol so let's say it was a collaborative effort. It is known and documented that George Luger had significant knowledge of cartridges and participated in the development of the 9X19 Parapellum round


The inside of the gun shows a very clean and well cared for. Serial numbers match throughout the gun. The grips are serial numbered to the gun with three digits. This gun is immaculate under the grips, doesn't appear to have been fired just for demonstration.

Above: The barrel is Crown B.U.G Proofed. Good crisp proofs on the frame left of the receiver and toggle. The stock lug bears the serial number. Collectors prize the guns that are BUG proofed. The Crown B (Beschuss) means the barrels were tested using a heavier load in accordance with the 1892 proof law. The Crown U (Untersuchung) means it was inspected after assembly and the Crown G (Gozogen) means a rifled barrel.

Ludwig Lowe & Companie of Berlin offered it for commercial sale in 1884. In January 1897 Deutsche Waffen-und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) took over production during a merger.

It is entirely subjective to give any Luger a rating of excellent or fine, just as it is to declare it xx% blued or strawed. Few Lugers are out of the box new and these are premium priced. Bluing percentages is like Beauty, in the eye of the beholder. We strive to provide pictures so you can judge for yourself if the gun meets your criteria.

This is an extraordinary in the very rare category depicting the history the semi automatic pistol. These guns (only approximately 3000 made) were mostly handmade with each part meticulously fitted to the gun so that parts became interchangeable so great was the dedication to their precision. This all matching 7.63 mm Borchardt is offered "over-the-counter" for $24,750.00.

Any questions to josef@phoenixinvestmentarms.com The gun is classified as pre-98 and can be shipped directly to individuals. We reserve the right to withdraw any firearm from an auction site that is sold over the counter. Prices are adjusted for cash transactions.

LAYAWAYS: Sometimes our "significant other" doesn't understand the beauty, craftsmanship and investment potential of one of these investor grade weapons. In these circumstances where discretion becomes the better part of valor we will accept layaways of up to one year with at least 20% down and some activity occurring monthly to insure that after one year the sale is completed. Cancellations of layaways forfeit 33% if done within two months, otherwise 100%. You can transfer a layaway to a consignment sale at any time. See "Legal" for exact terms.

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3 Day Return Policy

We honor a three day return policy. We will answer any questions, send you any pictures, as detailed as you want, to insure that what we are showing you is what you want to see, before you buy it. See Legal.

FIRING ANY WEAPON NEGATES ANY CHANCE OF RETURN!

WARNING: We do not represent these guns as safe to fire. They are not test fired before sale; they are sold as collectibles only. Prior to firing you should have it inspected by a qualified individual and abide by all safety requirements.

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