Recently aquired this Mauser C96 "Broomhandle".
I've been doing some research, and have found it to be a Pre-War Commercial model, 5.5" barrel, caliber 7.63 Mauser (.30 Mauser). All the parts match (including grips). The Mauser is in excellent condition, and is a "bring back" from WWII, no other details available. Included in the sale was the holster (pictured), several boxes of ammo, and three stripper clips.
Apparently, Mauser had a goofy serial numbering system. I'm trying to determine the date of manufacture. I suspect the Mauser C96 was manufactured around 1913-1914 time frame. Are there any experts out there that can help determining the D.O.B., and any other information regarding the Mauser. Thanks!
The serial number is #2069xx.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

go to 1896mauser. com

unfortunately, the administrator doesn't run it any more and the posting sections have been completely overrun with ... everything.

But the bar at the top of the site has areas with great information. I learned more off that site in 8 hours about this pistol than I had learned in a lifetime. Disassembly, identification, safety types, and so on. I gather the site goes down about January 1. I am going to try to load as much of the useful information as I can onto a backup hard drive.

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and what his trumpet saith

I think there's a book called, "System Mauser", by Breathed and Schroeder. You might find a copy Online.
There is another good Mauser book, but I forget the title.

Please don't ask why I'm typing in Italics. I must have accidentally hit some button somewhere.

Oh: Nice pics, nice gun! I saw one of those things fired at dusk once. BIG muzzle flash.

T-Star

Whitecoyote,
I think you are right about your C-96 being a pre-war commercial but I do not know if it is going to be possible to get a D.O.B. narrowed down any more than that. Alot of records were destroyed in the course of two world wars and most serial number info I have seen seems to have been compiled from observed specimens by collectors.

I have the System Mauser book mentioned in a previous response and would be willing to loan it out. It is autographed by John W. Breathed and is not for sale. PM me and we can talk about if you want to.

Standard PreWar Commercial. Ser#'s run from ab't 39,000 to 280,000.
That's an approx on the ser# range but fairly close.

It should have the second style safety lever in that it is pushed forward/up to engage it in the 'safe' position w/o retracting the hammer at all.

The safety mechanism was altered shortly after this range to make it necessary for the hammer to be slightly retracted before the safety was pushed into the safe position. That is the 'New Safety' and the rear of the hammer is marked NS for Neue Sicherung. Wartime commercials have that type of safety.

The grips if original have a certain number of lines cut on them and differ from model to model. I don't recall how many this model is supposed to have but if they are numbered I don't doubt they are original from the looks of them. 32 lines sounds familiar....but I really can't say for sure.

A DOM of 1913/14 would seem a fair guess in that the serial number is near the end of the range.

The Standard PreWar Commercial is one of more common C96 variations. But finding any C96 in excellent condition and w/matching numbers outside of an auction of collectors offering is getting to be a rarity. Very nice pistol. Congrats!

The holster looks like a commercially produced item and were offered by retailers back then as an accessory. Some were bought (private purchase)and used by Military and Police as the pistol was sold all over the world including the US and British Empire.

Wow, that is beautiful. I have nothing to contribute, other than WOW, I've always lusted after one, and have always been curious how they shot and handled.

Are you gonna fire it?

Very nice catch, and thanks for sharing...

On the off-chance that anyone here hasn't heard, Winston Churchill used a Mauser like this at the Battle of Omdurman, Sudan, in 1898. It was one of the last big British cavalry charges, against Muslim Dervishes.

Lt. Churchill, with the 21st Lancers, used his pistol, because he had a sore shoulder, making handling his sword painful.

He claimed to have shot three men for sure, a couple of probables, and one or two "doubtful." See his book, "My Early Life" for this account. Published in the 1930's, it should be in many libraries.

This Mauser was taken from him when the Boers captured him in South Africa a year or two later. He owned revolvers, but his next autopistol seems to have been the Colt M-1911 .45 that he bought before leaving for combat in France in WW I.

T-Star

It seems pre-war, due to the safety burr being bored all the way through. Later broomhandles had a safety burr hollowd out from the right side but not bored through. As 2152HQ said, if the hammer is not marked with an entwined NS, it's another sign of a pre-war gun. This one should have 6 groove rifling and a short extractor. Somewhat earlier guns had 4 groove rifling and a longer extractor, almost 1 3/4 inches long.

Nice John. Is that the one you bought from the widow down the street for $50?

I realize that dates of manufacture, shipping, etc, etc, etc, are very important to those who collect, accumulate, acquire, and otherwise gather fine firearms such as you have done.

That being said, OH MAN !!! Is that not one beautiful looking handgun!!

I am so jealous, (wait - - - thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not covet) hell with that - - I am so jealous.

I do not know what you paid, don't care, Damn that is one fine handgun.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

A very good reference book is the System Mauser by John W. Breathed Jr. and Joseph J. Schroeder published by HANDGUN PRESS 1967.
Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-30346
includes the pictorial history of the Model 1896 Self-Loading Pistol
In 1967 it sold for $15.00
It is a very good book, it has all the info

Trivia - only 1 screw and that holds the grips on. It comes a part and back together like one of those Chinese puzzle blocks!

Great find! It is always an interesting time when you can aquire something kind of off the usual radar. I am lucky to have been able to find and get quite a few different guns but in all my trading days I have never had a Mauser 96. Again, very neat find.

YouTube - C96 Broomhandle mauser pistol

I found this. Pretty good video of a C-96 in use.

T-Star

So much for keeping a secret. Now the whole world knows!
No more secrets for you Moosedog.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Very nice looking Broomhandle!

Not to highjack this thread, and since there are some Broomhandle folks here.. has anyone ever seen grips like this? I got them a couple of weeks ago.

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Those are excellent looking grips. I'm sure they would look good on my Mauser.
Are they silver, pewter, other?
Nice picture.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

The grips are made of brass. I just got them back today.

A friend of mine had to do a little adjusting on the backside (re-solder, etc.) so that they would fit a Model 1930 Broomhandle I have. I need to go to the hardware store tomorrow and find a screw that will fit.

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Excellent.
Post a picture of you Mauser, with the grips when you get it together.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

I have this one, it is 98% + with matching shoulder stock that is in near perfect condition. It is going to be sold at Amoskeag in November.

Attached Images

	Broomhandle 001.jpg (113.6 KB, 142 views)
	Broomhandle 015.jpg (112.4 KB, 124 views)

OMG I have a copy of SYSTEM MAUSER, I just went to Amazon.Com and got choaked up when I saw what they are worth, I would rate mine in excellent condition, and I had no idea

About 20 years ago, I had a chance to buy one at a gun show. A guy had a crate full of them all in cosmoline I think for around $350.00 each. I didn't know boo about them, except they were really cool, so I had to pass. As I recall, I spent my meager funds on a used Model 66 with a 2.5 inch barrel that I still have and enjoy. If I knew then what I know now...

Regards,

Dave

About 25yrs ago was the great flood of C96 pistols from China. Thousands were imported into the US and prices were anywhere from just under $100 and up. Condition was likewise. Some rare and very collectable ones came through but many were well worn and reshod. China had been one of Mausers biggest customers of the C96 and they must have kept every one of them.

Quite a few companies came around that specialized in rebuilding and relining them (30 Mauser&9mmLuger). Some still doing a decent business in that area.

Nice pistols that draw interest even from those that normally don't have any in semi autos. A unique look for sure.

I have a 1930 Model left, I'll post a pic if I get a chance. A house sale find!

Pic added of the C96..it's a PreWar Commercial, not a Model 1930. Guess I have to look at these things more often.

An aquaintance of mine more than a few years back managed household sales and one had some military items which the outfit he worked under didn't want displayed as it wasn't PC according to their rules.

So he 'kindly' bought those but didn't have an FFL for the pistols and called me to see if I was interested in them. This C96 and a WW2 1911A1 were there.
The small glass vase was found while I was there doing the transaction and was 'thrown in'. It is marked '1914' and 'W' in a black Iron Cross symbol w/ gold trim. Kind of neat I think.
The elderly gent that had passed several years earlier had been in both WW1 & 2 with the German Army. An Officer in WW2.

Attached Images

c96.JPG (33.9 KB, 403 views)

A buddy of mine wasn't aware that more than a few counterfeit Broomhandles were made in China, and that those that had English letters on them commanded a premium. I understand he was pretty upset with himself after buying a genuine "Wauser" Broomhandle - especially after he laughed at my "6-shot peashooter" (Model 66) that I purchased during the same time period.

Regards,

Dave

I believe the Chinese Nationalists used quite a few Broomhandles in the years prior to and during WWII.
They used 2 types of Broomhandles, the Chinese made "Shansei" models and the German manufactured Mauser Broomhandles.

I've got a German Model 1930 Mauser with "made in Germany" stamped on the left side - it's written in Chinese.

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Here's my pair. The one on the left is a wartime Commercial. The one on the right is somewhat of a mystery in that it started life as a "Red 9" military. At some point it was relined to 30 Mauser, had the rear sight rails altered to match the change in ballistic trajectory. The replaced front sight may have been part of the conversion. The grips were also replaced (had to get rid of the Red 9.) The real interesting part is that all but one of the German proofs have been removed and replaced with Belgian proofs. The one remaining German mark (Crown over U) is on the bolt. Everything else is Belgian.
(One more and I'm an offical collector of C96's. I've been told that it takes 3 in a theme to be considered a "collection")

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

YouTube - C96 Broomhandle mauser pistol


Didn't anyone watch this? It's really a pretty good video. Shows assembly of a C-96 and shooting it.

The book that I have is, "The Mauser Self-Loading Pistol", by James N. Belford and Jack Dunlap. Borden Publishing, Alhambra, CA, 1969.

Anyone know the value of the book in excellent condition?

What is, "System Mauser" selling for these days? I know that it isn't cheap...


T-Star
P.S. I just checked Amazon.com. My book sells for $71.55 to over $196, and some of the better condition ones are cheaper than more worn copies! Looks as if it depends on what the seller thinks he can get. "System Mauser" runs from $180-$400.