The Salvatore-Dormus semiautomatic pistol was patented on July 11, 1891, by Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria (April 30, 1839-January 18, 1892) and Field Marshall Lieutenant Georg Ritter von ...

A key sub-category of these types of pistols is the frame material and style. When semi-auto pistols were first developed—and for decades after—pistol frames were all made of steel. Since the 1980s ...

Salvator Dormus, Serial No. 23, 8 mm. The “first” semi-automatic pistol was patented July 11, 1891, by Salvator Dormus. Fifty were made and 30 tested by the Austrian military in 1896/97.