7.65×25mm Borchardt

The 7.65×25mm Borchardt cartridge was designed by Hugo Borchardt for use in his Borchardt C-93 pistol. It was the first successful rimless pistol cartridge. With a rimless, bottlenecked case using smokeless powder, the 7.65×25mm Borchardt adapted features of the 8mm cartridge used in the 1888 pattern M/88 rifle, essentially scaling it down for use in a pistol. Georg Luger also claimed to have influenced the design of the Borchardt pistol cartridge.

The Feederle brothers (Fidel, Friedrich, and Josef) used the Borchardt cartridge in their design for the Mauser C96 pistol. The Borchardt cartridge thus was the basis for the 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge, which used the same dimensions but was eventually loaded with a stronger powder charge. By extension, the Borchardt cartridge was also the basis for the 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge, which was developed from the Mauser round. The 7.65×25mm Borchardt was also the basis of the 7.65×21mm Parabellum and 9×19mm Parabellum cartridges developed for the Luger pistol. The shorter case length of the 7.65×21mm Parabellum allowed for improvements in the Borchardt pistol, including a shorter stroke in the toggle mechanism as well as a smaller grip.

The 7.65×25mm Borchardt was manufactured by DWM in Germany, Eley Brothers and Kynoch in Great Britain, and Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridge Co. and Winchester in the United States. In many instances, the ammunition was packaged in boxes that read "For Borchardt and Mauser Automatic Pistols."