Savage Model 1907

Savage Automatic Pistol Model 1907
Savage Model 1907
Type	Semi-Automatic Pistol
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	United States (Trials Pistol only)  France  Portugal
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Elbert Searle
Designed	1905
Manufacturer	Savage Arms, Utica, New York
Produced	1907-1920 (Model 1907) 1915-1917 (Model 1915) 1920-1928 (Model 1917)
Variants	Model 1907 .45 ACP Trials Pistol, Model 1915, Model 1917
Specifications
Weight	0.6 kg / 19 ounces
Length	165 mm / 6.5 inches
Barrel length	95 mm / 3.75 inches
Caliber	.32 ACP (7.65×17mm) .380 ACP (9×17mm) .45 ACP (11.43×23mm; Trials Pistol only)
Action	delayed blowback
Muzzle velocity	244 m/s (.32 ACP)
Feed system	Detachable box magazine: 10 rounds (.32 ACP) 9 rounds (.380 ACP) 8 rounds (.45 ACP Trials Pistol)
Sights	Iron, fixed

The Savage Model 1907 is a semi-automatic pocket pistol produced by the Savage Arms Company of Utica, New York, from 1907 until 1920 in .32 ACP and from 1913 until 1920 in .380 ACP caliber. Although smaller in size, it is derived from the .45 semi-automatic pistol Savage submitted to the 1906-1911 US Army trials to choose a new semi-automatic sidearm. After several years of testing the Savage pistol was one of two finalists but ultimately lost to the Colt entry, which became famous as the Colt Model 1911. 181 of these .45 ACP pistols were returned to Savage after the testing and sold on the civilian market.

The Model 1907 is often erroneously called a Model 1905 because of the date Nov. 21, 1905 date stamped into the top of the slide on all Savage semi-automatic pistols. This is the date Elbert Searle was awarded one of his firearm patents, which were the design basis for all the Savage semi-automatic pistols.

Advertised with the slogan "Ten shots quick!", the Model 1907 was very popular because, despite its small size, it had a 10 round double-stack magazine. The advertising included a number of early celebrity endorsers, including William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Bat Masterson, and the Pinkerton Agency. Teddy Roosevelt was even presented with a Model 1907. Much of the advertising in the popular press played on the ability of an otherwise defenseless woman to use the Savage to subdue burglars and "tramps."

A safety lever is located on the left side of the pistol, at the upper rear of the grip. Though it appears to have an external hammer, it is actually a striker-fired gun; the "hammer" is actually a cocking lever. Model 1907s made from 1913 until 1917 had a collared barrel and a loaded chamber indicator, allowing the shooter to tell by touching the shell ejection port whether a cartridge was chambered. The Model 1907 uses no screws (even the grips snap into place) and is simple to strip. The grips were made from gutta-percha, though some early production examples had metal grips. In 1912 the Model 1907 underwent a major design revision modifying almost every major component.