History:
This pistol was registered by the Patent-Office Vienna on March 20th 1920 , patent number 19770.
In early 1922, the production started, and from 1922 to 1925 appr. 40.000 pcs. were manufactured.
Partly because of bad finish and bad material-quality the pistol was very hard to sell. In these times, as peaple hardly had the basic necessities of life, it was very difficult to sell guns. For instance just 8.000 pcs. were sold in the years from 1922 to 1925. Due to the very high inflation-rates after World War I, the price of a ÖWA-pistol was 27.600 Kronen in May 1922 and 40.000 Kronen in January 1925.
Besides the deliveries for the gun-traders, 1000 ÖWA-Pistols were purchased by the "Wiener Gemeindewache" ("Community Guards of Vienna"). This institution employed more than 700 people for the guarding of community-owned companies and public parks.
The "Österreichischer Schutzbund" (an institution of the Social-Democratic Party) was equipped with some thousand ÖWA-pistols as well, which however were not bought from the "ÖWA-Werke" but were procured by illegal connections such as "Arsenal" employees. These pistols have original numbering and original finish but no valid proofmarks.
It is estimated that more than a thousand pistols were privately assembled from parts stolen by employees of the company. These pistols have no numbering or up to 6 digit-numbers, various different finishes and no proofmarks.
After the closing of the company and its take-over by the "Verwertungs-Gesellschaft" (Utilisation Company) the rest of guns were sold off cheaply with prices down to 10 Schillings per pistol.
Delivered: Belgium 1 pc., Germany appr. 12.000 pcs., Yugoslavia 1.970 pcs., Norway 1 pc., Austria 1.956 pcs., Poland 800 pcs., Romania 500 pcs., USSR 14 pcs. and USA 5.649 pcs.
Technical Data:
SYSTEM: self-cocking pistol with internal hammer
CARTRIDGES : 6
CALIBER : .25 ACP
BARREL LENGTH : 50 mm
WEIGHT EMPTY : 430 g
TOTAL LENGTH : 122 mm
TOTAL HEIGHT : 87 mm
TOTAL WIDTH : 23 mm
TRIGGER : Single Action
SIGHT : fix
SAFETY : slide
FINISH : browned
GRIPS : hard rubber