Ruby pistol facts for kids

The Ruby pistol was a type of semi-automatic pistol made in Spain. It used a specific kind of bullet called .32 ACP. Many different Spanish companies, including Gabilondo y Urresti, made these pistols.

The Ruby pistol was used by the French Army in both World War I and World War II. The French called it the Pistolet Automatique de 7 millim.65 genre "Ruby". Its design was very similar to the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless pistol, which was designed by John Browning. The French Army stopped using the Ruby pistol in 1958.

How the Ruby Pistol Was Made

In 1914, just before World War I began, a company called Gabilondo started making a strong self-loading pistol. This pistol was based on the Browning Model 1903 and used the 7.65mm Browning/.32 ACP bullet. What was special for that time was its magazine, which held nine bullets instead of the usual six or seven.

Gabilondo planned to sell these pistols to countries in North and South America. Even though the bullet size was small, the pistol was designed for military and police use. Other Spanish companies had already been copying Browning's designs since about 1905. The Ruby pistol, with its larger magazine, looked very much like a pistol called "Victoria," made by another company, Esperanza y Unceta.

Ruby Pistols for the French Army

In 1915, Gabilondo sent some of their pistols to the French government. France desperately needed all kinds of weapons early in the war. After testing the pistols in May 1915, the French decided to accept the Ruby. They signed a contract with Gabilondo to produce 10,000 pistols every month.

By August, the French needed even more pistols, raising the target to 30,000, and later to an amazing 50,000 per month! Gabilondo was a small company and could not make that many pistols alone. So, they partnered with four other companies to help make the Ruby:

• Armeria Elgoibaressa y Cia
• Echealaza y Vincinai y Cia
• Hijos de Angel Echeverria y Cia
• Iraola Salaverria y Cia

The agreement said that each partner company would make at least 5,000 pistols each month. Gabilondo would make 10,000 pistols, check the quality control for all of them, and arrange for them to be delivered to the French in Bayonne. As more pistols were needed, Gabilondo brought in three more partners. It's thought that Gabilondo made between 250,000 and 300,000 Ruby pistols in total. While most of the pistols made under Gabilondo's contract were good, some were not as well made.

Ruby-Type Pistols from Other Makers

An advertisement from 1923 for a pistol for sale in the USA.

As the French needed more and more weapons, the process of getting them became very difficult to manage. Eventually, Gabilondo worked with three more companies. Also, at least 45 other companies signed contracts directly with the French to make Ruby-type pistols. These pistols came in different bullet sizes, barrel lengths, and magazine capacities.

French officials soon realized that the magazines from different Spanish Ruby-type pistols often did not fit into other pistols. To fix this, they made manufacturers mark the bottom of all magazines. This was important to prevent dangerous situations on the battlefield, like a soldier not being able to put a new magazine into their pistol, or a loaded magazine falling out during a fight.

Many Ruby-type pistols had problems like a poor finish or parts made from steel that wasn't hardened correctly. After a short time, these parts could wear out badly, leading to a very dangerous situation where the pistol could fire continuously without stopping. Another danger was faulty safety mechanisms, either because they were not fitted correctly or were made with the wrong materials.

Despite these problems with some poorly made Ruby pistols, the basic design of the Ruby was very good. When made correctly with good quality parts, the Ruby pistol was known for being reliable and accurate. However, some users were uncomfortable because it didn't have a visible hammer.

About 710,000 Ruby-type pistols were accepted by the French from all the different makers. By 1920, about 580,000 of them were still working and stored by the French army. Many other countries that were allies of France, and some new countries formed after the war like Finland and Yugoslavia, also used Ruby-type pistols.

Gabilondo stopped making Ruby pistols in 1919 and started making newer, more advanced models. However, other companies continued to make Ruby-type pistols until the Great Depression caused many weapon makers to close down. Ruby-type pistols were still used until the end of World War II, especially by Spanish and French resistance fighters (called Maquis) and their opponents from Vichy France.

Good and Bad Points of the Ruby

The Ruby-type pistol was very easy to use, even for people who had never used a pistol before. Its slide stop also worked as a safety, and taking it apart for cleaning was very simple.

Its small size and large magazine capacity were big advantages. This made it a popular "backup" weapon for soldiers fighting in trenches. It was also a standard weapon for people like telephone operators, medics, machine-gun crews, tank crews, and other support staff behind the front lines. The bullets these pistols used were not very powerful, which meant they had little recoil. This made them easier for new users to shoot accurately.

The main disadvantage of these pistols (besides the quality problems with some of them) was that the bullets they used were not very powerful. This meant the pistol had less "stopping power."

The Ruby pistol only had one type of safety, and it didn't have a visible hammer. This made it very dangerous to carry with a bullet in the chamber and the safety on. Early models could accidentally switch off the safety if carried in a tight holster. To fix this, a large bump was added to the slide to prevent it from happening.

In later years, Ruby-type pistols became known for having parts that were not standard between different manufacturers. This meant that spare parts often didn't fit, making the Ruby-type pistols hard to fix and keep working. Part of this problem was that it was often confusing to know exactly which company made which Ruby-type pistol.

How the Ruby Pistol Influenced Other Designs

The Ruby pistol directly influenced the design of the FN Model 1910/22. This was a nine-shot version of the M1910 that was made for Yugoslavia, a country that had previously used Ruby-type pistols. Finland, Netherlands, Greece, Turkey, Romania, France, Denmark, and Germany also used this pistol at different times. Several French pistols made by companies like M.A.B and Unique factory [fr] were also greatly influenced by the Ruby.

Who Used the Ruby Pistol

•  Belgium
•  China: They bought some during the Warlord era. Chinese factories also made copies.
•  Denmark
•  France
•  Finland: Bought 10,000 from France in 1919. Used them during the Winter War and Continuation War.
•  Germany
•  Greece
•  Italy
•  Japan: A few Ruby pistols with Japanese Navy markings have been found.
•  Lithuania
•  Poland
•  Romania
•  Spain
•  Turkey
•  Yugoslavia

Companies That Made Ruby-Type Pistols

"Official" Ruby Makers (Partners of Gabilondo)

• Gabilondo y Urresti - French Military code: GU
• Alkartasuma (also made Alkar, Kapitan, Panama)- French Military code: AK
• Armeria Elgoibaressa y Cia (also made Lusitania) - French Military code: AE
• Beistegui Hermanos (also made 1914 Model) - French Military code: BH
• Echealaza y Vincinai y Cia - French Military code: unknown
• Erquiaga y Cia (also made Fiel) - French Military code: unknown, possibly EC
• Hijos de Angel Echeverria y Cia - French Military code: HE
• Iraola Salaverria y Cia - French Military code: IS

Ruby Copies Made for the Allies (Direct Contracts)

• Acha Hermanos y Cia - French Military code: AH
• José Aldazabal (also made Imperial)- French Military code: unknown
• Aldabazal, Leturiondo y Cia (also made Leturiondo) French Military code: AL
• Arizaga - French Military code: A
• Francisco Arizmendi/ Arizmendi y Goenaga - French Military code: AG
• Arizmendi, Zulaica y Cia (sometimes marked Cebra, some may be overstamped with "Beistegui Hermanos")- French Military code: AZ
• Arrizabalaga (also made Republic) - French Military code: unknown
• Arrostegui - French Military code: unknown
• Azanza y Arrizabalaga (also made Reims and Modelo 1916)- French Military code: AA
• Martin Bascaran (also made Martian) - French Military code: MB
• Fabrica de Berasaluce, Arietio, Aurteña y Cia (also made Allies) - French Military code: BA
• Victor Bernedo (sometimes marked Vincenzo Bernedo)French Military code: VB
• Gregorio Bolomburu (also made Regent, Regina, Gloria) French Military code: GB
• Javier Echaniz–(also made Defender) - French Military code: JE
• Echave y Arizmendi (also made Model 1916) French Military code: unknown
• Echealaza, Vincinai y Cia French Military code: unknown, possibly EC
• Bonifacio Echeverria (also made Izarra but not to be confused with their own Star designed Model 1914 pistol, based on Mannlicher designs) - French Military code: I
• Antonio Errasti - French Military code: unknown
• Esperanza y Unceta (also made Model 1914, Model 1915, Model 1916, Astra, Brunswig, and Victoria)-French Military code: EU
• Fabrica De Armas, Durango (also made Vencedor ) - French Military code: VD
• Fabrique d'Armes de Guerre de Grande Précision (also made Jupiter and Precision) - French Military code: unknown
• Garate, Anitua y Cia (also made Express)- French Military code: GN
• Isidro Gaztañaga (also made Destroyer and Indian) - French Military code: IG
• Hijos de Calixto Arrizabalaga French Military code: unknown (HCA)
• La Industrial Orbea - French Military code: IO
• Laplana y Capdevila—French Military code: LC
• Lasangabaster Hermanos, Eibar (Possibly also made Douglas) - French Military code: LH
• Modesto Santos (Sometimes marked Les Ouvriers Réunis ) - French Military code: unknown
• Retolaza Hermanos (also made Liberty, Military, Paramount, Stosel, and Retolaza) French Military code: RH
• San Martin y Cia (also made Vencedor) - French Military code: unknown
• Sociedad Española de Armas y Municiones or S.E.A.M. (also made Silesia) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Bristol ) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Cobra model) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Doc ) - French Military code: unknown
• F. Arizmendi y Goenaga Eibar (also made Ideal ) - French Military code: AG
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Lepco Model) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Lobo Model)
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Marina ) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Mitrailleuse Model)
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Militar) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Oyez Model ) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Pocket Model) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Rex ) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Torpille) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Vilar Model ) - French Military code: unknown
• Unknown manufacturer (also made Wolf Model ) - French Military code: unknown
• Urrejola y Cia - French Military code: UC
• Tomás de Urizar (also made Trust) - French Military code: unknown
• M. Zulaica y Cia (also made 1914 Model, Royal, and Vincitor; marketed by the agency of Royal Vincitor S.A)- French Military code: ZC

See also

In Spanish: Pistola Ruby para niños

• Astra-Unceta y Cia SA
• List of firearms
• Llama firearms
• Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A.