One of the oddest looking pistols ever made is the Hungarian made Frommer "Stop." To me, this looks like a water gun. It was manufactured from 1912 until about 1930, but was used by the Hungarians until the end of World War Two. While, aesthetically, it is unappealing all reports state that this ugly duckling was very reliable and well made.
Rudolph Frommer worked at Fegyvergyar Small Arms and Machine Company, in Budapest when he improved upon his earlier designs, like the M1910 to come up with this pistol. I have never found a reason why he named this design "Stop.".
The "Stop" used a long recoil system to operate; the bolt and the barrel both moved a longer distance (the barrel actually moved all the way back to the magazine to strip a fresh round from the magazine) then the length of the cartridge. This system is fairly rare in pistols. This added massive complexity to a small gun in 32 ACP or 380 Auto (the vast majority were in 32 ACP). In addition, the bolt head rotated to lock the breech. Most designers of weapons of these caliber opt for blowback designs as they are easier to make, reliable, and do not batter the guns.
There is some debate on the 32 ACP designation for pistols used by the Austro-Hungarian and Hungarian militaries. Apparently, there is a cartridge called the 7.65 Frommer. This round is almost perfectly identical to the 32 ACP, but loaded more hot. So, while the gun will chamber and fire the 32 ACP, some people believe this gun was intended for use with the 7.65 Frommer round used in earlier pistols designed by this gunsmith.
Magazine capacity for the "Stop" is seven rounds. While there is no manual safety on the "Stop" it did have a grip safety, a-la M1911. For its time, it was a very light weight pistol, only weighing 21.5 ounces. The barrel was 4 inches long.
The pistol was accepted as the Pistol 12M by the Hungarian portion of the Austro-Hungarian Army. When Hungary became its own country in 1919, it was re-accepted as the Pistol 19M.
There was even a "Baby Stop" that even smaller, with a 3 inch barrel. It also used the 32 ACP and 380 Auto cartridges. This was produced from 1912 until about 1930. It only held 5 rounds and weight about 3 ounces less then its bigger brother. Approximately 90000 Stop and Baby Stop pistols were produced. Numbers of these guns were sold to Germany, Bulgaria, and Austria.
All sources of information on these pistols state the same thing, Do Not Attempt to Disassemble This Pistol Without Expert Guidance. Apparently, it is a pain in the butt to take apart and a nightmare to put back together.
