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.

The Destroyer was initially manufactured in Eibar, Spain by Gaztanaga y Compania, then by Ayra Duria S.A. and possibly others, with some minor improvements made over time.

The carbine is more accurate than a self-loading service pistol, however it is not a function of barrel length, but rather the lack of moving parts and the stable firing platform offered by a weapon with a sturdy shoulder stock. Additional velocity gained by the longer barrel is marginally helpful, but does not significantly affect the effective range of the rifle. The better sights and longer sight radius are more critical in allowing the user to hit targets at greater distances. This is because most pistol calibers do not generate enough gas volume to take advantage of the extra 12-16 inches of barrel length, and the small cases can't be effectively loaded with longer, more aerodynamic rifle projectiles.

While no longer in government service, the Destroyer Carbine is prized as a collectors item due to its comparative rarity, as well as being 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.