This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia ( view authors).Back at the beginning of the 20th century, Spain had a significant number of relatively small gunmaking shops throughout its northern Basque area. Gun's Magazine article - Spain's Destroyer: A Teensy-weensy Mauser.38 Auto or 9 mm Para and are even more highly sought after. Some late-production experimental Destroyer Carbines were produced in other calibers such as. While all rimless 9 mm diameter pistol cartridges will chamber in a Destroyer Carbine, and consequently will fire, it is extremely unsafe to use ammunition other than 9 x 23 mm Largo due to the dangers of excessive pressure. While no longer in government service, the Destroyer Carbine is prized as a collectors item due to its comparative rarity, as well as being a desirable target rifle due to favorable shooting characteristics such as minimal recoil and relatively inexpensive ammunition. This is because most pistol calibers do not generate enough gas volume to take advantage of the extra 12-16 inches of barrel length, and the small cases can't be effectively loaded with longer, more aerodynamic rifle projectiles.

The better sights and longer sight radius are more critical in allowing the user to hit targets at greater distances. Additional velocity gained by the longer barrel is marginally helpful, but does not significantly affect the effective range of the rifle. The carbine is more accurate than a self-loading service pistol, however it is not a function of barrel length, but rather the lack of moving parts and the stable firing platform offered by a weapon with a sturdy shoulder stock.

and possibly others, with some minor improvements made over time. The Destroyer was initially manufactured in Eibar, Spain by Gaztanaga y Compania, then by Ayra Duria S.A. It continued the tradition, started in the 1890s, of issuing police units with a short, handy, repeating carbine in pistol ammunition calibre. The Destroyer fired the same ammunition as the standard-issue police handgun and took the same magazines, however the longer rifle barrel resulted in greater muzzle velocity and accuracy, and subsequently range. It is essentially a scaled down Model 1893 Mauser with two rear-mounted locking lugs and a Mauser-style two-position flip safety. It was used by Spanish police and prison services, including the Guardia Civil from the mid-1930s until the late 1960s, replacing the El Tigre Rifle. The Destroyer Carbine is a small bolt action carbine usually chambered for the 9 x 23 mm Largo cartridge.

Gaztanaga destroyer magazine