an automatic term refering to a handgun

[Nyles]

I have a Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer and a foreign contract 1911, both made in 1919. They're marked Automatic Colt and Colt Automatic, respectively. I also have a Webley & Scott 1910 marked '38 Automatic Pistol, and while I don't read Czech, I have a CZ-38 from 1940 that I'm fairly sure also says automatic pistol. The term was used quite widely for a long time.