POTD: German Schlegelmilch Prototype Repeater Pistol
For today’s Photo Of The Day, we have pictures of a handgun that almost looks AI-generated. However, it is a real firearm consigned to the upcoming August 2025 Rock Island Premier Firearms Auction. Designed by Louis Schlegelmilch circa 1891, this is an Imperial German prototype pistol. In addition to its rather interesting appearance, this pistol also has a quite unusual mechanism and features. It is an internal magazine-fed manual repeater with a side-moving breech block actuated by cocking the hammer, and it features a cleaning rod/screwdriver attached to the left side of the frame.
Approximately 20 of these pistols were manufactured in two different versions, with this example serialized "21", as a potential replacement for the Model 1884 Reichsrevolver and tested in a series of trials, headed by the Imperial Germany Army from 1891 to 1892, however the trials did not impress Imperial German officials and it was never put into large scale production. Two other examples are also known of at the time of writing, including serial number "13" of similar configuration and another of the different configuration in the collection of the Koblenz museum in Germany.
This Schlegelmich pistol is lot 3438 in the catalog of the August 2025 Rock Island Premier Auction. The estimated price range that this gun will likely be sold at is $18,000 to $27,500.
Images courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company, www.rockislandauction.com
Managing Editor Being a lifelong firearms enthusiast, Hrachya always enjoys studying the history and design of guns and ammunition. Should you need to contact him, feel free to shoot him a message at Hrachya@TheFirearmBlog.com
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