Gun of the Day: Semmerling Pistol

From the 1980s, chambered for .45 ACP, the diminutive Semmerling line of handguns were unique in that they were almost all manual repeaters, fitted with five-shot magazines.

The slide is pushed forward after firing to eject the spent case and pulled back to chamber another cartridge. Only one Semmerling model, the larger XLM (serial number 001) pistol shown here, was designed to function semi-automatically.

Some Semmerlings were fitted with threaded barrels for suppressors and the original concept for this ultra-small, lightweight handgun was for special military applications.