Originally Posted by PALADIN85020

There have been threads here covering ugly guns, beautiful guns, highest quality guns, etc., but I'd like to start a new category - the most exotic guns.

It's no secret I've long been a fan of the classic Mauser C96 "broomhandle" pistols. They were first manufactured way back in 1896. Winston Churchill carried one in battle; they were a staple of the German army in WWI and were also used extensively by both the Germans and the Russians during WWII. One was used in the extermination of Czar Nicholas of Russia and his family during the Bolshevik revolution. They were slow to load with stripper clips, and were a bit awkward to handle, with the magazine in front of the trigger guard. Still, they worked amazingly well. Variations on the design were made in 7.63mm Mauser, 9mm Luger, and even .45 ACP. A few were even produced as selective fire weapons. Equipped with the optional shoulder stock holster, they could connect at longer ranges; the sights were optimistically graduated to 1000 meters.

In my mind, no other pistol made before or since, with the possible exception of the Borchardt pistol (predecessor to the Luger), is as exotic - if you will, sexy. These have been used in movies from the beginning, and on TV. Even "star wars" troopers, with the venue set in the future, used them.

Here are some photos I've taken of this exotic handgun. Do you agree?

John