The JO.LO.AR. pistol, like car phones or the portable record player
, fits the profile of an invention that seemed a whole lot more clever on paper than it was in actuality. That doesn’t change how undeniably weird and cool-looking it is.
Where you’ve seen it:
Odds are good you haven’t.
History:
Back in 1919, a Spanish gun dealer named Jose Lopez Arnaiz (see what he did there? JO.LO.AR.) came up with the best solution ever for a problem that never really existed. He believed his invention—a steel lever screwed into the slide of a semi-automatic pistol—would turn a conventional handgun into a dexterous weapon capable of effortless one-handed operation. In simpler terms, armed with a pistol of his design, you could rack the slide—chambering the first round if you were carrying without one in the tube—using only the pointer and middle fingers of your shooting hand. Living during a time when horse-mounted cavalry still seemed a viable force on the battlefield (one could assume they rode with one hand on the reins, the other on their sidearm), Arnaiz was certain his invention would succeed commercially. After securing a patent, Arnaiz sought out a deal with Hijo de Calixto Arrizabalaga, a Spanish gunmaker. The management at Arrizabalaga liked the idea of the JO.LO.AR., but were in no mood for taking a huge risk on it. Their ‘Sharp Shooter’ line of blowback-operated pistols had a history of poor sales, making it the perfect candidate for an experimental improvement.
Design
After the addition of an extractor, the removal of the weapon’s trigger guard, and the addition of Arnaiz’s Palanca (lever), the newly recast JO.LO.AR. was ready. Now there are a couple of things I took issue with when I first handled this gun: First, I questioned how black and blue my knuckles would be after shooting this piece with that lever hanging down. Fortunately, the gun’s recoil swings the lever out of the way of the hand during firing, and the mechanism does work as advertised to charge the pistol (even if it takes the finger strength of of a concert pianist to tug it back). Second is what I believe to be the reason Arnaiz’s idea never took off: The weapon comes equipped with a tip-up barrel as seen on the modern Beretta 86—a handy addition for the individual who wants to drop a round in the chamber without the need to rack the slide. In this configuration, all you’d need to do is thumb the hammer back and the gun’s ready—almost certainly easier than using the JO.LO.AR.’s stiff cocking lever. Unless you’re hell bent on carrying this gun in condition 3 (Chamber empty, full magazine in place, hammer down), there’s really no practical reason for Arnaiz’s invention.
The Cartridge:
Though the JO.LO.AR. was produced in five different calibers (.25 ACP, .32 ACP, .380 ACP, 9mm Largo, and .45 ACP), the most common examples were chambered to the 9mm Largo—not to be confused with conventional 9mm (9×19 Parabellum) or the .38 Super (which fits in the chamber and, if fired, may turn a scarce pistol into an M-80 firecracker).
The verdict?
Arnaiz would have done better to have sold his patent when there was an inkling of interest in it rather than refusing to sell or license his beloved invention. Instead, during the entire course of production, Arrizabalaga had to deliver the JO.LO.AR.s to Arnaiz, who would install his invention on them before sending them on to the purchaser. This worked for a short while before the two parties experienced a falling out. Though still convinced of the value of his invention, Arnaiz never found another manufacturer to produce pistols for him. In total, fewer than 30,000 JO.LO.AR.s made it into the world market—most ending up in the holsters of the Portuguese or Peruvian mounted police. That said, the JO.LO.AR. is an enormously fun gun to shoot, always gets attention at the range, and will surely go down in the annals of history as one of the oddest handguns to surface in the early 20th century.
That is one unusual gun. Where on earth did you find it?
That was a gunshow find, Joe. Weird-looking stuff always catches my eye.;)
JoeFabeetz This was one of those lucky gun show finds. Weird stuff like this catches my eye. 😉
You and I are kindred spirits. The strange and unusual is my collection niche as well. Nothing catches my eye more than an unusual design. I saw a Jo-lo-ar just yesterday at a Texas gun show. Condition was good except for a worm eaten section of the left grip. Price was 500.00, which I guess is good but out of my budget for the strange and unusual. Still, I’d love to have one. I have a great number of strange and unusual and would relish the opportunity to discuss and share. I can de contacted at superdave2834@sbcglobal.net and would love to subscribe to your articles, if I can figure out how.
You and I are kindred spirits. The strange and unusual is my collection niche as well. Nothing catches my eye more than an unusual design. I saw a Jo-lo-ar just yesterday at a Texas gun show. Condition was good except for a worm eaten section of the left grip. Price was 500.00, which I guess is good but out of my budget for the strange and unusual. Still, I’d love to have one. I have a great number of strange and unusual and would relish the opportunity to discuss and share. I can de contacted at superdave2834@sbcglobal.net and would love to subscribe to your articles, if I can figure out how.
superdave1953 Welcome to TAG, Dave! Glad to hear of a fellow weird gun enthusiast. 😉 If you scroll up the page a little ways, on the right-hand side, you can sign up for our newsletter—it’ll notify you when new articles come up on the site. I’ll be writing a new “Weird Gun Wednesday” post every other Wednesday, and would love to hear your feedback!
superdave1953 Welcome to TAG, Dave! Glad to hear of a fellow weird gun enthusiast. 😉 If you scroll up the page a little ways, on the right-hand side, you can sign up for our newsletter—it’ll notify you when new articles come up on the site. I’ll be writing a new “Weird Gun Wednesday” post every other Wednesday, and would love to hear your feedback!
Never seen one before. I wonder though if the Beretta tip up barrel, like they have on the 3030 was a result of this type of design?
peter3101 Hard to say—this is definitely the oldest example of a tip-up barrel design I’ve personally seen, but that’s not to say that the idea didn’t exist prior to this gun’s production, or that Beretta adopted this exact design.
peter3101 Hard to say—this is definitely the oldest example of a tip-up barrel design I’ve personally seen, but that’s not to say that the idea didn’t exist prior to this gun’s production, or that Beretta adopted this exact design.
Never seen one before. I wonder though if the Beretta tip up barrel, like they have on the 3030 was a result of this type of design?
whoops just read the article and you cover the Beretta, my bad.
Not at all, Peter. You pose an excellent question — while this is the earliest example of tip-up barrels I’m personally familiar with, it’s hard to say if it influenced later designs.
I saw a photo of this gun years ago and I always wondered what it was, didn’t know the name. Thanks for the post!
KineticFury Glad I could help, and glad you enjoyed the post!
KineticFury Glad I could help, and glad you enjoyed the post!
I saw a photo of this gun years ago and I always wondered what it was, didn’t know the name. Thanks for the post!
Love it! What a cool funky looking gun, I half expected it to be from one of the Filipino armories. Very Cool!
Love it! What a cool funky looking gun, I half expected it to be from one of the Filipino armories. Very Cool!
That is one goofy looking pistol… I wonder how it shoots.
FateofDestinee Shooting it is nothing spectacular, but it sure is a curiosity. 😉
Bartender! I’ll have whatever Jose Lopez Arnaiz is having! Seems to be powerful stuff. All levity aside, I wouldn’t want to bet my life on this contraption during the heat of battle. Just my opinion.