Destroyer carbine

Destroyer Carbine

The Destroyer Carbine is a small bolt action carbine (usually) chambered for the 9 x 23 mm Largo cartridge. 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.

It is essentially a scaled down Model 1893 Mauser with two rear-mounted locking lugs and a Mauser-style two-position flip safety. 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 continued the tradition, started in the 1890s, of issuing police units with a short, handy, repeating carbine in pistol ammunition calibre.

While no longer in government service, the Destroyer Carbine is highly prized as a collectors item due to its comparative rarity, as well as a desirable target rifle due to favorable shooting characteristics such as minimal recoil and relatively inexpensive ammunition.

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. Some late-production experimental Destroyer Carbines were produced in other calibers such as .38 Auto or 9 mm Para and are even more highly sought after.

External links

• Destroyer Carbine overview at 9mmLargo.com
• Gun's Magazine article — Spain's Destroyer: A Teensy-weensy Mauser