Type Pistol Designer Hugo Borchardt Bullet diameter 7.86 mm (0.309 in) | Place of origin German Empire Case type Rimless, bottleneck Neck diameter 8.46 mm (0.333 in) | |
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The 7.65×25mm Borchardt cartridge was designed by Hugo Borchardt for use in his Borchardt C-93 pistol. It was the first successful rimless pistol cartridge.
History and Design
With a rimless, bottlenecked case using smokeless powder, the 7.65×25mm Borchardt adapted features of the 7.92mm cartridge used in the 1888 pattern M/88 rifle, essentially scaling it down for use in a pistol. Georg Luger also claimed to have influenced the design of the Borchardt pistol cartridge.
The Feederle brothers (Fidel, Friedrich, and Josef) used the Borchardt cartridge in their design for the Mauser C96 pistol. The Borchardt cartridge thus was the basis for the 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge, which used the same dimensions but was eventually loaded with a stronger powder charge. By extension, the Borchardt cartridge was also the basis for the 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge, which was developed directly from the Mauser round using an even stronger powder charge than the Mauser cartridge.
The 7.65×25mm Borchardt was also the basis of the 7.65×21mm Parabellum and 9×19mm Parabellum cartridges developed for the Luger pistol. The shorter case length of the 7.65×21mm Parabellum allowed for improvements in the Luger pistol, including a shorter stroke in the toggle mechanism as well as a smaller grip. The same shorter length of cartridge was maintained when the design transitioned to the 9×19mm Parabellum.
The 7.65×25mm Borchardt was manufactured by DWM in Germany, Eley Brothers and Kynoch in Great Britain, and Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridge Co. and Winchester in the United States. In many instances, the ammunition was packaged in boxes that read "For Borchardt and Mauser Automatic Pistols."