[yarddog]

I guess there were probably several pistols before the Savage with enbloc magazines which were double column.

Of course I was speaking of detachable ones.

[supercat]

//Of course I was speaking of detachable ones.//

Well the 1896 Mauser's magazine was not detachable, though I know of nothing fundamental to the design except the bolt-hold-open that would have prevented use of a detachable one [later Broomhandles did use a detachable magazine, though I don't know how the rest of the surrounding mechanism compares]. Interestingly, the Broomhandle's feeding and loading required a double-stack magazine; a single-stack one wouldn't have worked.