POTD: The Semmerling LM-4 – A High Quality Micro 45
Sam.S 12.23.21
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a piece of fine work by a little-known company called Semmerling. These LM-4 handguns by Semmerling burst onto the scene in the early 1980s as there were no current compact semiautomatic 45acp handguns out there. Semmerling was a neat addition to the industry because it was a company that took extreme pride in its work and craftsmanship. They boasted this fact through advertising and the awesome fit and finish of their hand-assembled and tested handguns. Heck, I read that they even would x-ray the handguns several times after proofing rounds to ensure quality. Alas, the Semmerling company would fall on hard times and when the patents were up other companies took the reigns and the design slowly died to newer and cooler concepts.
“Designed to be offered for use by clandestine services or as the ultimate police backup weapon, the LM-4 is a manually operated 5-shot repeater that is 5 1/4 inches long and is the smallest 5-shot .45 caliber pistol ever produced. The LM-4 pistol is not a semi-automatic although it physically resembles one. The slide is flicked forward and back after each double action squeeze of the trigger. The firearm is hand built and features a serrated blade front sight, notch rear sight, smooth trigger and black checkered plastic panel grips. The slide is numbered to the gun. Complete with extra magazine.”
Lot 1937: Rare Semmerling Model Lm-4 Pistol with Extra Magazine. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/65/1937/rare-semmerling-model-lm4-pistol-with-extra-magazine.
