At the other end of the user spectrum, outlaw John Dillinger carried an Ortgies, and several hundred Ortgies pistols in both. In 1921, prize winners at some 70% of principal shooting competitions had chosen Ortgies 7.65 mm pistols, and the winner of the German championship on September 26, 1921, at Halensee, Germany, took the prize firing an Ortgies. The Ortgies was a well-balanced, sturdy weapon that found considerable favor in competitive shooting. No Ortgies pistol was produced with a chrome finish or, aside from one known salesman's sample, with factory engraving. The latter finish could be either matte or bright. In keeping with prevalent economics in Germany at the time, factory finishes were limited to bluing or, rarely, nickel. For a short time thereafter, the slide marking was changed to "Deutsche Werke Aktiengesellschaft Berlin" before changing again to "Deutsche Werke Aktiengesellschaft Werke Erfurt," ultimately shortened to "Deutsche Werke – Werke Erfurt." Deutsche Werke pistols continued to feature the "HO" brass grip inset until relatively late in their production, when they substituted one with a new trademark depicting a stylized crouching cat with long tail forming an S-curve over its back. The production of the pistols eventually passed to Deutsche Werke in 1921, a shipbuilding company headquartered in Berlin. The weapons bore the mark "Ortgies & Co. – Erfurt" on their slides and a circular brass insert in their grips marked with a stylized "HO". After the war, he moved to Erfurt, Germany, where in 1919 he commenced production of the pistol in his own factory. Heinrich Ortgies designed the pistol while living in Liège, Belgium during World War I. Modern replacement magazines are purpose-built for one caliber only. One side of the magazine was marked for 7.65 mm and featured seven holes showing the positions that cartridges of that size would occupy when loaded the other side had similar holes and markings for 9 mm cartridges. 380 ACP) ammunition and were interchangeable between pistols of either calibre. Īt least the earlier Ortgies magazines could accommodate both 7.65mm (aka. To disengage the safety, a shooter simply would squeeze the grip, pressing the lever forward and locking it flush with the back of the frame. Thus, engaging the safety simultaneously reduced tension on the firing pin spring. The safety was a lever inset into the back of the grip and, with the gun cocked, forced backward out of the grip into the "safe" position by spring tension from the firing pin upon depression of a button under the slide. Unusual design features included the safety and the magazine. As in early Colt and Browning pocket pistols, the Ortgies striker also operated as an ejector as the slide traveled backwards after discharge. The hammerless action depended on a spring-loaded striker to fire the cartridge. Metal components were forged or machined, and assembly in general made no use of screws, even securing the wooden grips with a spring-loaded metal fastener inside the magazine well, although some examples do incorporate a single screw for that purpose. Although not expensive, at the time it was of advanced design and high quality construction with relatively few parts, well sealed against dirt. The pistol was produced in 6.35 mm, 7.65 mm, and 9 mm Kurz variants, all using blowback as their operating mechanism.
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