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The Glisenti Model 1910 was a 9 mm calibre semi-automatic
service pistol A service pistol, also known as a personal weapon or an ordnance weapon, is any handgun issued to regular military personnel or law enforcement officers. Typically, service pistols are revolvers or semi-automatic pistols issued to Officer (armed ...
produced by the Italian company Società Siderurgica Glisenti.McNab, Chris, ''The Great Book of Guns'' (2004) p. 134 It was put in production in 1910 to replace the aging
Bodeo Model 1889 The Bodeo Model 1889 ( it, Pistola a Rotazione, Sistema Bodeo, Modello 1889) was an Italian revolver named after the head of the Italian firearm commission, Carlo Bodeo. It was produced by a wide variety of manufacturers between 1889 and 1931 in ...
. It saw extensive service in World War I and World War II with the
Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...
. The Model 1910 has a complex and weak firing system which mandates that the pistol ought to use weaker cartridges than pistols of comparable calibre.


History


Development

The creation of a service pistol to supplant the Bodeo Model 1889 began to be rumored in late 1903.Hogg, Ian, ''Military Small Arms of the 20th Century 7th Edition'' (2000) p. 59 The pistol was designed by Italian inventor Bethel Abiel Revelli.Fowler, Anthony, ''Pistols, Revolvers, and Submachine Guns'' (2007) p. 170 Revelli spent multiple years developing a prototype before patenting his design to Società Siderurgica Glisenti of
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
. The Glisenti company acquired the machinery to begin production from the United Kingdom in 1906 but sold the manufacturing rights to Metallurgica Brescia già Tempini.


Original design

The Glisenti Model 1910 was originally designed to fire a 7.65×22mm bottle-neck cartridge. The pistol being known as the Model 1906 began production in 1908. The Model 1906 failed to impress the Royal Italian Army and was requested to fire a round similar to the German
9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun a ...
. The redesign was named the Model 1910 and was formally adopted by the Royal Italian Army. To reduce recoil and because of the pistol's weak design, the Model 1910 had to fire the
9mm Glisenti The 9mm Glisenti is an Italian pistol and submachine gun cartridge. History and usage The 9mm Glisenti was developed for the Italian Glisenti Model 1910 pistol, first used in World War I. It was also used in other Italian weapons such as the Ber ...
. The 9 mm Glisenti is structurally similar to the 9×19 mm Parabellum but has a reduced velocity.


Description

The Model 1910 fires from a locked breech. When fired, the barrel and bolt recoil together. The barrel will stop in a rearward position. The bolt, unlocking itself, will then continue forward, stripping the
chamber Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations *Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics *Debate chamber, the space or room that houses deliber ...
and driving the barrel forward again. After this action, a wedge will rise from the frame and lock the entire frame back into position. This firing system was not strong and had to fire cartridges weaker than the comparable
9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun a ...
calibre. The screw at the front of the frame, when undone will allow the removal of a plate on the left side of the pistol granting access to the moving parts within the pistol. This design was not stiff enough to sufficiently support the left side of the barrel extension and after prolonged firing, the left plate was prone to loosening.Hogg, Ian, ''Pistols of the World 4th Edition'' (2004) p. 143 The only safety on the pistol was a small lever set in front of the grip.


Replacement

Metallurgica Brescia già Tempini in 1912 attempted to improve the design of the Model 1910. The improved pistol, referred to as the Brixia, was submitted to the Royal Italian Army for approval.Hogg, Ian, ''Military Small Arms of the 20th Century 7th Edition'' (2000) p. 60 The Brixia had a strengthened frame and removed the grip safety but was not a big enough improvement to make a change in the Royal Italian Army. The Brixia was later to be sold to the civilian market but the outbreak of World War I led to the cancellation of the project. The Glisenti remained in production until the early 1920s. In increasing numbers from 1916 onward, the Glisenti began to be phased out by the Spanish produced
Ruby pistol The Ruby pistol was a semi-automatic pistol of .32 ACP calibre made by Gabilondo y Urresti and other Spanish companies. It saw use in both World Wars as the service weapon of the French Army under the name ''Pistolet Automatique de 7 millim.65 g ...
and
Beretta M1915 The Beretta Model 1915 or Beretta M1915 is a semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Beretta, designed by Tullio Marengoni who was the chief engineer in the company, to replace the Glisenti Model 1910 which had a complex and weak firing mechanism. ...
. The Beretta later became the official service pistol in the Royal Italian Army in 1934. The Glisenti was declared obsolete the same year but saw limited service in World War II.


References


Sources

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{{WWIIItalianInfWeapons 9mm Glisenti firearms Early semi-automatic pistols Semi-automatic pistols of Italy World War I Italian infantry weapons World War II infantry weapons of Italy