Ruby Pistol

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	Weapon: Ruby Pistol Type: Semi-Automatic Pistol Country of Origin: Spain Caliber: .32 ACP Action: Short Recoil

The Ruby Pistol was a compact semi-automatic pistol chambered in .32 ACP, originally designed and manufactured by Gabilondo y Urresti in Spain around 1914. Built as an affordable and simple blowback-operated sidearm, the Ruby was based on the Browning M1903, featuring a single-action trigger, an external hammer, and an 8-round magazine. With the outbreak of World War I, the French Army urgently needed handguns, leading to massive orders from Spanish manufacturers, who produced the Ruby in various iterations and minor modifications, resulting in slight variances among the models.

During World War I, over 710,000 Ruby Pistols were supplied to the French Army, with production efforts ramping up quickly to meet wartime demand. The Ruby became the standard sidearm for French soldiers and was also used by Italian, Serbian, and other Allied forces. Its production was not centralized, as over 40 Spanish subcontractors joined the effort to fulfill large-scale contracts, producing an estimated 900,000 units in total. Despite quality inconsistencies due to decentralized production, the Ruby was valued for its availability and ease of use, even though it sometimes faced reliability issues.

The Ruby Pistol gained notoriety for being both widely used and produced under unusual circumstances. Although it lacked the refinement of more established sidearms, its role in WWI made it historically significant as an accessible, mass-produced weapon. After the war, surplus Rubies were distributed to police and military units globally, especially in France and Spain. Its widespread distribution and wartime significance have since made the Ruby a notable collectible among enthusiasts interested in World War I firearms and mass-production efforts in historical armament.