It's a gorgeous sunny winter day here, and I thought I might stir up something.

So let's have a thread on the Mauser C96 "Broomhandle."

Here's mine:










Mine is an early post-WW1 commercial "Bolo". It remains in excellent condition, showing very little use. It has a perfect bore and all matching parts, including the stocks.

I felt I was quite lucky to find a couple of original Mauser stripper clips to go with it.







So everybody: let's pull them out, snap a few photos, and show them off! They are very strange creatures left over from the late 19th Century.

Curl

I doubt that you'll be getting a lot of responses from folks who actually own one themselves, especially in anywhere near as good condition as yours, much less with all matching serial numbers, as they're somewhat scarce and prohibitively expensive nowadays. (Although I'm sure that folks with lots of disposable income will be along shortly to tell me that a mint condition C96 with all-matching serial numbers can easily be had for the low price of $2,500 which one could easily find between the cushions of their couch.)

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Here is mine.

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I have absolutely no use for one, especially at my age. But I've always wanted one and you are not helping.

I don't own one but I sure like yours!

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Life is short,live it fully.

I have been trying to fight the urge to get a nice one. This thread is not helping at all.

older -well used - Chinese import

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Mine is one of the Chinese imports reblued over small pits! I bought it in the mid 90's for about $400. The barrel has at least one groove of refiling all the way down the barrel, just not the same grove. The junk/bamboo wood shoulder stock/holster fits pretty loose. In spite of all that is wrong, I got 4" groups (8shot) @ 100 yards with ChiCom ammo!

I have some of the Chinese ammo, which is pretty mild. I made 200 7.62x25 brass for it even though many said it wouldn't work, the extractor groove was wrong, blah, blah, blah. 1) FL size military brass in 223 die, 2) remove primer crimp, 3) FL size (No lube necessary this time) in 7.62x25 die with decapping rod removed, 4a)Trim to length 4b) ream inside of neck to .308. I use a Forrester case trimmer (with drill attachment) with .308 ream as the pilot and took most of the excess neck off with a band saw, but that isn't a necessity, just quicker! It took about 1 hour to make 200 reloadable brass. WSP primer, WW231 powder & 87 cast RN bullet = good cheap ammo!

Several old gun guys had a "Show and Tell" lunch at my F-I-L's one Sunday, I was the young & dumb kid at 62. They had Flint locks of great historical significance and value, or proto-type cartridge rifles from many countries. I stole the show with a "Beater" C-96 and all the ammo they wanted to shoot!

I haven't found any 8 round strippers I was willing to pay the asking price for! I use the M-16 10 round strip clips with only 8 rounds in them, they have worked just fine. When the tabs break off or get lost, it really is no big deal!

Ivan

Only have 2. One made in 1910, the other in 1911. That's the split year for 6 rifle grooves instead of 4.





Edit. They are both all matching. But the one from 1910 has almost no rifling left.

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Expect the unexpected

Mines a Fed Ord re-work I got back in the late ‘80’s.

It’s good enough for me still and I’m not worried about shooting it. It was only $580.00 back then and probably worth that still.

I’ve got a great load that works in it and the CZ52. The CZ was $89.00 about the same time. (Most of the MilSurp was $89.00 back then.) It was a very good time to have an FFL.

Jim

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I have this one; my best estimate on date of manufacture is 1914. This particular gun was illustrated in a chapter on the Mauser C96 in my book 101 Classic Firearms. It's a pre-war commercial variation in 7.63x25mm Mauser.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Hmm. I'll dig out my Red 9 and take it to the range tomorrow. I'll take some photos while there. The only question is whether I can find what I did with the stripper clips or not...

The stripper clips are not really necessary. I seldom use them to load the magazine. Got this technique of holding the pistol with my right hand keping the bolt from closing with my index and thumb and shove the ammo down the magazine one by one with my left hand, it's quite easy once you get the hang of it.

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Expect the unexpected

Here is my 1930 Commercial. I do shoot it occasionally with the PPU ammo. It is loads of fun. I have a bunch of the stripper clips. They are steel with nitre blued springs and are not Mauser marked. Not sure what they were actually for originally but the were only a few bucks each at a gun show and work just fine.

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In 1960 while stationed in England, I bought one from a Sargent who just shipped in, for $45. It had no finish left on it, but was functional, it had the wooden holster/rifle stock. Then I discovered it was unlawful for a civilian to possess a handgun in England without a special permit, and permits were very difficult to get especially for a non-citizen of England. I was single and living in the barracks, so hiding it was difficult. I had an offer to sell it to someone shipping back to the U S and could put it in his trunk. I sold it for $55.

Fast forward to about 1969, I was browsing a gun show, and see one just like that one, but with about 50% finish, and priced at $1400. That's when I decided I needed books on gun values if I was going to buy and sell any more firearms.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Two World War bring backs-the one on the left came home with my wife’s grandfather after WW I and my father brought the other one back from occupied Japan after WW II.
Regards,
turnerriver

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turnerriver

Mine is a Mauser manufacture. It'matched except for the barrel. The SN dates it to ~1925. I believe it was later converted to 9mm, thus the grips are not original. It is not import marked.

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Forum members have graciously helped me in the past with their C96 images and information so I knew they would be able to step up here, too :-).

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Here's mine. I know little about it. It has an obvious reblue and non original grips. It does have matching numbers, functions well, a perfect bore and I have the original grips.

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Here's a Prewar Commercial and a "Red 9". Both have matching numbers and good but far from perfect bores. The finish makes them sort of 'shooter grade' which is what I wanted.

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got all mine in the late 1980's when Century Arms was selling them in poor condition for $49.95 - I kept one that was all matching with fair rifling - had others re bored + re rifled to 9mm P [ smith in Florida was doing them for $60.00 ] + sold them after enjoying them for a while -

seems like yesterday

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Here is my old warhorse, finish is quite worn but the numbers match and the bore is fair to middlin.

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No broomhandle to show you, but I can tell you about the episode of “Miss Fisher’s Mysteries” I saw recently in which her broomhandle Mauser figures prominently in the story. Out of all her guns (she has an impressive selection arrayed on a table as she teaches her young assistant to shoot) one might wonder why the thief chose the Mauser, and only the Mauser, to steal.

The title is “Death at the Grand”, if you want to look it up. The Mauser is something to see, as is Miss Fisher.
YouTube

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Not in jail.

I made this little gadget to hold the bolt open when you only want to load single rounds into the magazine or don’t have stripper clips. It’s just a piece of aluminum cut to length that blocks the bolt from closing when the magazine follower is depressed. You just open the bolt and drop the device on the exposed bolt. Inserting the first cartridge in the magazine causes the follower to drop and the bolt tries to run forward which traps the device in place. After the magazine is loaded, pull the bolt fully to the rear while tipping the pistol sideways and the devise falls out. Release the bolt, it strips the top round into the chamber and you’re in business. I can’t take credit for the idea. I saw one that had been made by cutting a piece of PVC pipe to length with a lengthwise slot cut out of it so that it would fit over the retracted bolt.

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That's a clever tool! I'll have to make one.
Here is a picture of the one I own. It's a pre war commercial in 7.63 Mauser. My grandfather was a doctor in the Medical Corps and brought this back to the US when he returned from WWI. My uncle gave it to me about 20 years ago. It has all matching numbers including the stock lug and the overall condition is excellent. I do shoot it on occasion.

but her normal every day carry S&W is not period correct -

That's for sure. She is using a "Chief's Special".

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Expect the unexpected

When she is using a garter holster, I never pay any attention to the revolver. If it's the wrong gun, I really don't care!

Ivan

As promised, here is my Red 9 from the range yesterday.

tndrfttom - that's a great idea, thanks! I managed to find my stripper clips, so I wasn't too awkward with it, but I'll be making one of those for sure.

1916 Prussian Contract ‘Red 9’ • all matching #s


My $300* shooter grade 9mm ‘Bolo’ • 3 matching #s

*bought in 1993 w/o grips

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Bill - SWCA #2327

Awesome thread! Remember the Clint Eastwood movie 'Joe Kidd?'

Lamar

Got it on DVD.

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Expect the unexpected

Here's mine. it's old and beat up. I'd probably part with it for $100.

(It's a Denix non-gun)

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Miss Fisher is "one of us" -- Australian -- and you missed that she has TWO gold plated S&Ws of the wrong era. The other one is a Centennial :-).

I, too, was impressed with the episode with the wartime weaponry. At the time I watched reasonably carefully to see if they were period. I do seem to recall a Russian PPSH; if so, not period to Fisher's time; she's a 'flapper'. New film is out with her character now.

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Only saw two episodes. The one that was linked here and the next.

It never aired here. And it was the first time I heard of this show.

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Expect the unexpected

This is mine and it is a shooter.At the last show a dealer had a 10x10 box full of like new stripper clips,got some

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age is just a number

It's been years since I've seen any of these for sale around here. We had a guy at the Springfield, Mo. gun show over 10 years ago that had about 5. All I remember is seeing them briefly, but they were out of my price range. I went back about an hour later and they were gone.
Ironically, one has turned up on the Armslist page for Springfield, Mo. now. He has a red 9 with the stock, and wants $2700 for it. BTW, his ad says he won't ship.