Designed by Army Ordnance Maj. Elbert Hamilton Searle under patents issued to him in 1905, the first Savage .32 ACP guns were designated the M1907. Collectors will find at least 12 variations thereafter. They all featured Searle’s locking system. He used the torque of the bullet going through the rifling to slow the rotation and unlocking of the barrel lug a bit—enabling the recoiling parts to be made two ounces lighter than on a pure blowback-operated gun. He also used this system on his .45 automatic that competed with Colt in the Army trials that led to the M1911 being adopted.
CONDITION: FAIR
