Mauser Broomhandle C96 M30 any experts out there?

Breakaway500

Breakaway500

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I have the opportunity to buy a very nice Mauser C96 M30 in excellent condition but I know little about them,other than I do like them,and they are on my radar screen. A friend is buying a new Harley ($27k!!!) and needs ca$h so he offered me this pistol.No accessories..just the gun. Prices seem to be all over on the C96s. The finish looks original and very nice.No rust..no pitting,no scratches etc. It does not look to have been fired much at all. The bore is clean with sharp rifling. I did do some research online and it appears to be an M30 variant, and a late one (made from 1930-1937) as it has the 1000 meter mark site that reads left to right,has the 5.5" barrel and the location of the serial number behind the site. Very nice example..he is pretty firm on $2.5k. It is an interesting piece and I would like to help him out..but I do not want to overpay for a gun that is not high on my buy list. Thanks for any help!
 

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More photos... Interesting tidbit I learned..the 7.63x25 Mauser cartridge was the most powerful handgun cartridge available until 1935, with the advent of the S&W .357 Magnum.
 

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If it is not on your gun list I would pass. At that price you are not getting a collector grade version. They are cool to have but not necessarily at that price.
 
I think 2.5K is likely to be very optimistic, unless it is some rare variation or in mint condition. There are at least two very good internet forums devoted to the Mauser broomhandles where you might be able to find better valuation information.
 
I was hoping someone here was versed on them as I have to make a decision asap. I admit a fondness for the gun...but not a sense of value,and books can be off. In my eyes..It may not be a Shelby..but it is a very nice GT.
A while ago, I actually bought a replica BB gun Mauser C96 that is pretty cool and also fires in full auto! 18 round magazine that also holds the CO2 cartridge (which is only good for one full auto rip..) Best $100 I've spent in a while.Only made me more curious about the real McCoy,though,as it fits my hands well and I like the balance. Now I digress. Anyways..he is a good friend but I won't overpay for something I'm not enamored with...:) He does have other guns he could toss in the pot..hmm..
 
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I just picked up a M30 (at least it's mostly a Model 30). :eek:
Unfortunately it has been heavily buffed and has a nice re-blue. I haven't had a chance to really tear into it, but I suspect I'm going to find parts from various other versions of the C96....;) Definitely qualifies as a true "Parts Gun".....:o

But I still couldn't pass it up for $350.00

Pictures to come when I find the time to set up my "studio":D
 
There is def interest in the Mauser C96s. Considering they came to be in 1896, it was quite a step forward in hand held weapons. I think the first time I saw one was in the movies.. an old Clint movie..forget which one exactly..but it was eye opening.Everyone else had revolvers..and this one guy had the broomhandle. Spit lead like watermelon seeds. :)
 
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Thunderbolt & Lightfoot was the movie and George Kennedy if I remember right had the broomhandle. Used a 20mm anti tank gun to blow open a large safe. Please if you get it and no I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn, but do not shoot the 7.62x25 Tokarev ammi in it. Way too hot and could easily disassemble the broomhandle and hurt you in the process. And 2.5K is way too high for what the pics show. Frank
 
"...but do not shoot the 7.62x25 Tokarev ammi in it. Way too hot and could easily disassemble the broomhandle and hurt you in the process."

There is a considerable difference of opinion on that point. I guess it depends on the source of the Tok ammo, as it was made in so many different places around the world.
 
Breakaway500 said:
I have the opportunity to buy a very nice Mauser C96 M30 in excellent condition but I know little about them,other than I do like them,and they are on my radar screen. A friend is buying a new Harley ($27k!!!) and needs ca$h so he offered me this pistol.No accessories..just the gun. Prices seem to be all over on the C96s. The finish looks original and very nice.No rust..no pitting,no scratches etc. It does not look to have been fired much at all. The bore is clean with sharp rifling. I did do some research online and it appears to be an M30 variant, and a late one (made from 1930-1937) as it has the 1000 meter mark site that reads left to right,has the 5.5" barrel and the location of the serial number behind the site. Very nice example..he is pretty firm on $2.5k. It is an interesting piece and I would like to help him out..but I do not want to overpay for a gun that is not high on my buy list. Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

A while back a whole shipment of these came out of China. They varied in condition, but most looked about the same as your friends. Not sure their value on today's market but I seriously doubt they are in the price range of 2.5K. I would run away from this deal.
 
This isn't a chinese import..I checked that first thing. He has owned this for over 30 years. The Clint movie that had the C96 Mauser in it was Joe Kidd. Good flick..lots of gun action. We decided on a selling price of $1.6k. I'm happy..he's happy. Now I need some 7.63x25 ammo...stripper clips and a shoulder stock. Oh boy! :)
 

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Breakaway500 said:
There is def interest in the Mauser C96s. Considering they came to be in 1896, it was quite a step forward in hand held weapons. I think the first time I saw one was in the movies.. an old Clint movie..forget which one exactly..but it was eye opening.Everyone else had revolvers..and this one guy had the broomhandle. Spit lead like watermelon seeds. :)
Click to expand...


Might that Eastwood movie be, Joe Kidd?


P.S. Oops...Just read the post above this. He beat me to it.
 
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The 7.63X25 mm described as the most powerful handgun cartridge... until the advent of the .357 mag is an erroneous statement. It only possessed the HIGHEST VELOCITY, which does not equate to being the most powerful. Still wouldn't want to be plugged by one, though.

As for the price, I think that $1.6 K is still out of line. Maybe for a "Red 9", or a piece that is Waffenampt marked, yes, if they were in similar condition.

I had a very early C96 in 7.63X25 at one time, but in a bit rougher condition. After spiffing it up, I built a walnut stock for it, including the attaching hardware and a steel butt plate. I took it to a gun show, with intentions of selling it, slung like an SMG to the front. For some reason or other, I was swarmed the minute I walked onto the floor, and sold the darned thing in nothing flat to the guy who waved the most money in my face. And it wasn't even close to $1.6K.

Just one piece of advice if you do attach a stock to the M30 Mauser: Check it out thoroughly to see if it would be legal. The C96 I had was in the C&R category, and totally legal in the eyes of Big Brother. I'm not so sure about the one in your possession.

Bottom line... if you're happy with the deal, that's all that counts in the end.
 
I just bought one from the estate of a late friend. It was perhaps not quite as nice as yours. I didn't know what would be an honest price, so I asked a good friend, who is 'way into auto pistols(he's president fo the National Automatic Pistol Collector's Association) and has a gun and militaria store. He said he'd value it at $2500, so that's what I paid for mine. I think he knows what he's talking about and $2500 is an honest price. People who think that's high probably havent priced one recently.
 
Breakaway500 said:
[...] Interesting tidbit I learned..the 7.63x25 Mauser cartridge was the most powerful handgun cartridge available until 1935, with the advent of the S&W .357 Magnum.
Click to expand...
The handgun cartridge made before the 1935 S&W .357 Magnum that had the highest kinetic energy might have been the Mars Automatic Pistol's 8.5 mm Mars. It fired a 139 grain bullet at 1,550 fps for 740 ft. pounds of energy. While that was not too shabby for an automatic pistol made during the 1900 to 1907 time period I would call the .45 Mars Long's 220 grain bullet at 1,200 fps more powerful despite its lower 700 ft. pounds of energy.

All numbers courtesy of Wikipedia.
 
"The 8.5mm Mars was an experimental centerfire pistol cartridge developed in the late 19th century based on necking down the .45 Mars Long case"

I'm sure there were plenty of wildcat cartridges back then. How many can even be found,let alone still purchased in a retail store like the 7.63x25? Wikipedia was also the source for the claim about the 7.63x25 being the most powerful handgun cartridge till the .357 S&W...so take it all with a grain of salt. It's just a tiny morsel of information.
Still awaiting my ammo so I can fire the broomhandle. Living in Massachusetts really is an inconvenience when it comes to firearms and ammo.
I also acquired another pistol from "Harley" guy....a very nice example of a rare gun made in the 50s.(not a S&W) Fuel for another thread... :)
 
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Breakaway500: You'll also need a stripper clip to hold the bolt open while you load the magazine. The follower holds the bolt open. Once you put in the first cartridge, which will depress the follower, the bolt will close, unless you have the stripper in place in the grooves in the barrel extension to hold the bolt back. If you don't have one, you can cut a piece of metal the right length and insert it between the rear of the barrel extension and the front of one of the bolt wings.
 
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I could kick myself for all the Broomhandles I could have bought
cheap back in 60s. I paid $300 for a WW2 bring home last year.
Was in "kit" form. Got it running and offed it. Nice ones are big
dollar. I know where there is a Astra knock off in 7.63 that I have
been thinking about picking up, if they will let me shoot it first.
Red Nines are hard to find under 2k if in any kind of shape at all.
All the 1st generation auto pistols that nobody wanted are now
the sleepers on value. A lot of them use ******* ammo and are
loaded with stripper clips. Not many would be considered junk,
the machining in them is incredible by today's standards. A couple years ago I was bidding on a Bergman 9mm. 90%/ original box. It stalled on my bid of $130, I thought I had that
dude at a steal. Then the auctioneer started with John Wayne
and Big Jake movie and it took off like a rocket. It ended up at
$1450. Not from me I got off at $650.
 
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