An article about a prototype pistol that he was designing around 1917/1918, possibly working with Arthur J. Savage in California.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/elbert-searle-s-prototype-savage-squeeze-cocker-pistol/

That is very interesting. The pistol and story.

I saw an article a long time ago about this design which had pictures detailing how it functioned, or it might have been a video - here's another in not so good of shape - prototype-searle-semi-automatic-pistol-117861 ... or could this be the same one before it was 'restored' and given a better story? Some of the scratches on one side of the 'squeezer' look like they might be blued over. It also lists having the drawings.

From the American Rifleman article;

"This is only the third Searle prototype pistol, to my knowledge, that has ever been discovered. The first prototype, a .32 ACP semi-automatic, was sold by Cowan’s Auctions in October 2012, while the second, an equally rare .380 ACP semi-automatic with an entirely different mechanism, was discovered in a locked Savage Arms safe that the company accidentally sold in 1946 when it moved from Utica N.Y., to Chicopee Falls, Mass.; that gun was auctioned by Rock Island Auctions on Sept. 15, 2013. Both Searle prototypes fetched a hammer price of $18,400."

Sounds like this pistol is the third known and is legit. Seems like some kind of serialization would have occurred. ??

The fact that one was found in a Savage locker is... interesting.

They are different, the safety is on opposite sides. The patent application was originally filed July 22, 1918 and renewed Sept 19, 1921 and finally issued Nov 1, 1921. He is listed as residing in "Grimes, in the county of Colusa and State of California"

The patent number is US1395455

I added to the Misc Good Thing thread.

Searle had the patent(s) and was attempting to sell to Savage? Like he did before. Savage may have made the proto-types.
Based on previous relationships this could indeed be true.

Why would Searle go to a start up named A.J. Savage in CA that has not produced a single firearm? Seems like risky business. Searle happened to reside in CA at the time, but,...

I remember reading, but has been lost over tiime like many things