C&R · IIIA · 003
Bergmann Model 1897, with stock
Section IIIA: removed from the NFA, classed as an antique (outside the GCA)
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IIIA · VERBATIM · PDF P. 64 ↗
Bergmann, Model 1897, cal. 7.65mm (7.8mm), pistol with accompanying shoulder stock.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESConfigured as the ATF wording states: “with accompanying shoulder stock”
- ATF REQUIRESMade 1898 or earlier (ATF’s dates)
- INFOAn antique under federal law, outside the GCA.
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
GermanyBasis: outside reference ⁴- Manufacturer
- Theodor Bergmann, GaggenauBasis: outside reference ²
- Type
- PistolBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Semi-autoBasis: outside reference ⁵
- Caliber
- 7.65mm (7.8mm)Basis: the ATF wording
- Made
- 1897–1898ATF: made in 1898 or earlier; start year approximateBasis: outside reference ¹
- Service
- Commercial
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IIIA · PDF p. 64 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “Bergmann 1896” ↗, years: Model 1897 (No. 5), chambered 7.8mm Bergmann
- 2. Wikipedia, “Bergmann 1896” ↗, maker: Sold by Theodor Bergmann's company
- 3. Wikipedia, “Bergmann 1896” ↗, general: Most sold with a hollow shoulder stock
- 4. Wikipedia, “Bergmann 1896” ↗, country: infobox origin German Empire; pistols developed by Louis Schmeisser and sold by Theodor Bergmann; the M1897 has its own section.
- 5. Wikipedia, “Bergmann 1896” ↗, action: lead: the Bergmann 1894/1896/1897 was a family of semi-automatic pistols; M1897 section: the Bergmann 1897 (No. 5) was a locked recoil-operated design.
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Medium → High. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.
Historical context

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Bergmann 1896 No 3, 6.5mm, Sn 1685 R DSC9224.jpg” by Self Loader, CC0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “Bergmann 1896”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The Bergmann 1894/1896/1897 was a family of 19th-century semi-automatic pistols developed by German designer Louis Schmeisser and sold by Theodor Bergmann's company.