Type Pistol Manufacturer August Menz | Place of origin Germany Variants 2 | |
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Caliber 4.25 mm (.167 in), .25 in (6.35 mm) | ||
The 4.25 mm Liliput pistol is one of the smallest semiautomatic handguns ever made (the Kolibri is generally considered the smallest). Hence its name, derived from the fictional island of Lilliput, inhabited by tiny people.
The Liliput was manufactured by Waffenfabrik August Menz in Suhl, Germany from approximately 1920 to 1927. Menz also manufactured a similar .25 ACP pistol introduced in 1925 as the Model 1, and a .32 ACP pistol sold as the Beholla Pistol. Overall length of the Liliput was 4.25 inches and barrel length was 1 3⁄4 inches.
Because the pistol uses a 4.25 mm (.167 in) cartridge (which became known as the 4.25mm Liliput and which is considered obsolete), the Liliput is one of the few pistols that can be owned in the United Kingdom without a license.
The Liliput features in a number of novels by Alistair MacLean, though he incorrectly calls it the "Luger Liliput"