The Sauer pistol models 1913-1930 were Sauer’s first foray into the design and production of automatic pistols. These were well made blowback pistols which proved popular and acquired a reputation for reliability.
Fast Facts
- J.P. Sauer have acquired a reputation for building firearms of high quality. An example Americans will be familiar with was the Colt-Sauer rifle of the 1970’s and 1980’s.
- J.P. Sauer’s first foray into the manufacture of an automatic pistol was the Roth-Sauer which was made on contract with designer Georg Roth.
- J.P. Sauer’s first automatic pistol of their own design was the Sauer Model 1913, which went through a number of variants: the last being the 1930 Behordenmodell.
- Two Sauer 1930 Behordenmodell pistols are coming up for sale by Rock Island Auction at time of publication. These are listed as Lot 252 and Lot 280.
For firearms collectors I think one of the most interesting fields to focus on is the development period of the automatic pistol which occurred in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. This was the period in which many tried their hand at creating an automatic pistol: some of these inventors became famous, like Georg Luger and John Moses Browning, while many remained in obscurity, even those whose inventions were good.
Among those less known pistols of that development period were the designs created by the engineers of German arms maker J.P. Sauer.
J.P. Sauer have a long history of firearms design and manufacture. Some of the early Weatherby rifles were made in Germany by J.P. Sauer, and one of the most interesting of American rifles was the Colt-Sauer, which was a version of the Sauer Model 90 made for Colt in the United States from 1973-1985.
Back in the first decade of the 20th Century Sauer were first introduced to the workings and manufacture of an automatic pistol when they entered into a contract with ammunition maker and firearm designer Georg Roth. Roth wanted Sauer to make a more compact version of his Roth-Steyr pistol which had been created for the Austrian cavalry. This more compact pistol for civilian and possibly police use was called the Roth-Sauer. This contract operated between 1903-1910.
In fulfilling this contract Sauer’s Chief Engineer, Fritz Zehner learned technical information not only about automatic pistol design, but also about manufacture. His mind was able to work on a design of his own and that was timely as J.P. Sauer wanted to enter the field of automatic pistol manufacture to compete with the likes of Mauser, FN, Colt, Walther and various others.
Model 1913
The design Zehner came up with for the first Sauer automatic pistol was a blowback type chambered for the 32ACP (7.65x17SR, 7.65 Browning).
The recoil spring was wrapped around the fixed barrel and the pistol was striker fired.
The pistol had a safety catch on the left of the frame where it could be operated by the shooter’s thumb (right handed shooter). This safety catch only operated on the trigger in the early models. This was improved on with a transfer bar/sear blocking safety on later versions.
Magazine capacity was 7 rounds.
Sauer made improvements to the design of the Model 1913 and so there were three main variants:-
- First Version: The rear sight is on the locking nut at the rear of the action. The slide stop is above the trigger. This version has a magazine safety. The magazine safety was activated when the magazine was removed but did not de-activate when the magazine was replaced. Instead, to de-activate the magazine safety there was a small button set below the safety catch in the frame behind the trigger guard: this button had to be depressed to release the magazine safety.
- Second Version: The rear sight is moved onto the slide. This variant has a magazine safety. The slide stop located above the trigger. The button to release the magazine safety was eliminated in this design.
- Third Version: No magazine safety. Additional safety device to lock the sear to prevent an accidental discharge if the pistol was dropped. This took the form of a lever that was fitted into a cut in the frame located below the safety catch. When the safety was moved to the “safe” position the safety catch pressed on the additional safety lever which blocked the transfer bar/sear.
Model Variant 1919-1920
In 1919 Sauer began making a verson of this pistol chambered for the 25ACP (6.35x16SR).
These pistols were made to the same design as the 32ACP versions, but in the smaller caliber.
Model Variant 1926
The Model of 1926 was a high quality variant intended specifically for the civilian market. These pistols have a beautiful level of finish and the majority were exported to the United States. Production numbers are only a few thousands so these are more rare and therefore more sought after by collectors.
For this model the serrations on the rear locking nut are extended forward onto the slide. Mechanically these pistols are as per the third variant of the 1913 model and have the safety that blocks the transfer bar/sear and prevent the pistol from firing, so it is protected against accidental discharge if dropped.
On these pistols the slide hold-open function is done by the safety lever.
The shape of the trigger guard on this model was changed from the circular style of the earlier models to an oval shape.
Model 1930 and Behordenmodell
For 1930 Sauer made some significant improvements to the design of the original Model 1913 intended to make the pistol more ergonomic, and safer.
The noticeable safety improvement was the addition of a trigger safety in the form of a a button on the face of the trigger: this button had to be depressed in order for the trigger itself to be pressed and fire the pistol. This sort of feature on triggers has become quite common on some modern firearms. The Glock pistols being one example, and my own Marlin XT22 rimfire rifle has a similar system on the trigger.
The Model 1930 Behordenmodell had a re-designed mechanism with the sear separate from the transfer bar and located at the rear of the action. The safety no longer blocked the transfer bar but only the trigger.
Sauer made a very few Model 1930 pistols with aluminium alloy (Duralumin) frames and slides.
These pistols can be found with either an anodized black finish or polished bright Duralumin.
The Sauer single-action automatic pistols of the 1913-1930 series have a reputation for being well made and reliable.
Sauer Model 1930 Behordenmodell Pistols for Sale
There are two Sauer Model 1930 Behordenmodell pistols for sale at Rock Island Auction at the time of publication.
- You will find the first one – Lot 252 – which comes with a full-flap holster if you click here.
- You will find the second one – Lot 280 – if you click here.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
