Friedrich Langenhan model no.7 air pistol (Beeman Collection)

Friedrich Langenhan model no.7 air pistol (Beeman Collection) 

The nickel-plated version of the Langenhan model no.6, very similar to Mayer & Grammelspacher's first pistol, the 'MGR'.

John Griffiths, author of the Encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols, said of this pistol on the airgunbbs.com:

Which came first, the Langenhan No 6 or the “MGR” pistol? On balance one would say that the MGR came first, as it certainly dominated the market. The design was never patented so the patent record doesn’t help. It is unfortunate that Langenhan catalogues pre-1911 are as yet unknown and we know so little about his early products, so you never know, Langenhan might have been there first.

(For those of you who don’t know, the differences between the two pistols are subtle, and they can easily be mistaken for each other. The Langenhan is incredibly rare and the only picture I know of is a poor one from a magazine... [see below] The most obvious differences are the lack of MGR cast into the frame, and the different orientations of the fish scale patterns on the grip. )...

I am sure that Langenhan did make his version of the MGR, the No 6 in the catalogue [below], entirely in house. After all, why not, as he obviously had expertise in steel casting? Whether he ever made the MGR for Mayer & Grammelspacher we just don't know.

He posted a page from a Burgsmueller catalogue from 1910:

and a page from a rare Langenhan catalogue dated 1911. In the introduction to this catalogue, it stated: "All of the items, including the smallest parts, are manufactured in-house":

Also a comparison of the FLZ and MGR pistols, taken from a magazine [note: this is almost certainly the actual pistol in the Beeman Collection, pictured below]: 

Note that the FLZ pistol has a stylized floral 'L' where the 'MGR' is on the M&G pistol (and is that a 'f' on its side before the L?).

These pics copyright Rock Island Actions: