The Mauser HSc pistol - gone but not forgotten

[Cyrano]

Weather was good today so I had two HSc's out, with serial numbers from both ends of the spectrum. First was a 700,000 series, an early one with high gloss finish, matting in the sighting groove and a lanyard hole in the butt. Next was a 900,000 SN, assembled from parts during the French occupation of Oberndorf following WW II. It had a lanyard ring attached to the butt and was used by the French police. Had period magazines for both. Amazing how much the internal machining had been modified and simplified in the later pistol. I was shooting some light cast bullet handloads, and both pistols performed flawlessly. Shot several magazines full out of the three magazines I had with me. At 25 yards, both pistols had all their shots in the chest area. My groups wee actually smaller than those of two other gusy out there, both with 'tactical' 45s, shooting two handed. I'm happy.

 

[clang444]

I always liked the look/style of these guns. They must have been the inspiration for the Whitney Wolverine 22lr after the war. The Whitney looks like a stretched and slanted version of the Mauser.

 

[jaymoore]

I have always like the looks of the HSc, but never had the opportunity to buy one, until a couple of weeks ago one of my friends noticed on in the gun shop we were at. It came home with me Monday. I shot 21 rounds through it at 7 yards, one failure to feed in each of the first two mags, none on the third. I am still healing from the hammer bite. Mine is 01.256xx, looks new, box and one mag. Does anyone know where i can find a magazine with the extension?

Great article and timely for me. I remembered reading it earlier and looked it up when i got the gun.

A Mauser HSc was my first pocket auto, purchased in the early '80s. Worked fine but the hammer would hit the web of my hand every time! Made for a bloody mess. Suffered for about a year or two and finally swapped it off. Still, tempted to get another, even though the last one I had, a "low grip screw" version did the same thing. Was happy to let a collector have that one!

 

[blackpowder]

Weather was good today so I had two HSc's out, with serial numbers from both ends of the spectrum. First was a 700,000 series, an early one with high gloss finish, matting in the sighting groove and a lanyard hole in the butt. Next was a 900,000 SN, assembled from parts during the French occupation of Oberndorf following WW II. It had a lanyard ring attached to the butt and was used by the French police. Had period magazines for both. Amazing how much the internal machining had been modified and simplified in the later pistol. I was shooting some light cast bullet handloads, and both pistols performed flawlessly. Shot several magazines full out of the three magazines I had with me. At 25 yards, both pistols had all their shots in the chest area. My groups wee actually smaller than those of two other gusy out there, both with 'tactical' 45s, shooting two handed. I'm happy.

I am happy to hear that yours works so flawlessly. I have mine for 20+ years already and it's not exactly a prime example of reliability. even though I tried several different period original magazines, replaced all springs, had a gunsmith disassemble, check and clean all internal parts, it still doesn't operate without feeding failures of at least one per box of ammo.....

 

[Josefius]

Shot mine at the range today, no malfunctions, love the pistol even though I get hammer bite. I guess my hands are a bit big.

 

[blackpowder]

use one of those ultra thin leather police gloves......

 

[Gamecock]

I fondled the Mauser HsC at Greentop Sporting Goods in Ashland, VA, every time I went there for about a year in the '70s. If concealed carry was doable back then, I would have bought one. I imagine there were other guns as well that would have been much more successful had citizens been able to carry.

 

[Cyrano]

I, too, have a fat hand (some say I have a fat head too), and I suffer from hammer bite with the Colt 45, but not the HSc. I pretty much have to have a beavertail grip safety on a 45 or I'm going to lose some blueing to blood. It's hard for me to understand how it happens with the HSc, as the hammer thumbpiece is so small and seems to me to be located pretty far above my hand.

 

[Josefius]

I think I was shooting some hot rounds, and the recoil pushed into my hand, I shot again today and held it tighter and I didn't get any more bite. Must have been me and the S&B hot rounds?

 

[JohnRippert]

Before shooting I just put one of the small round bandaids on the spot that gets bit.

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Josefius, Welcome to the Forum!

Congrats on your newest. In the little experience I've had with .32 ACP ammo out of a PPK/s my Dad had the S&B was a good bit hotter than the Remington ammo I also shot. The fact it was labeled as 7.65mm might have something to do with it.

 

[Josefius]

Josefius, Welcome to the Forum!

Congrats on your newest. In the little experience I've had with .32 ACP ammo out of a PPK/s my Dad had the S&B was a good bit hotter than the Remington ammo I also shot. The fact it was labeled as 7.65mm might have something to do with it.

Thanks, I really like this pistol also, I just think S&B run their ammo hot, I'm pretty sure 7.65 Browning is the same round as .32 ACP. I also have a question, Is it normal to have a problem chambering a round with the safety on? Both racking the slide and having the magazine close the slide on insertion fails to go into battery, with the safety off, it functions fine. maybe the magazine needs cleaning? Or is that as intended?

 

[blackpowder]

Thanks, I really like this pistol also, I just think S&B run their ammo hot, I'm pretty sure 7.65 Browning is the same round as .32 ACP. I also have a question, Is it normal to have a problem chambering a round with the safety on? Both racking the slide and having the magazine close the slide on insertion fails to go into battery, with the safety off, it functions fine. maybe the magazine needs cleaning? Or is that as intended?

1. 7.65 Browning and .32ACP are the same. The first is the European designation and the second is the US name for the same cartridge.

2. The pistol is designed to aurtomatically chamber a round by inserting the mag regardless of the position of the safety lever. This said, you should also be able to chamber a round by racking the slide with or without the safety on. However, as I said in an earlier post, in general these pistols are not a marvel of reliability and you are really lucky if yours runs without problems after the first round is loaded. Just keep the safety off when chambering the first round.

 

[unclejerky]

These guns are like women. You must hold onto them very tightly or they will bite you! Limp wristers not allowed to handle these girls. Here's mine, the gun, not my woman.

 

[blackpowder]

I think it's more a question of the hands. If you have meaty hands with excess fatty tissue, then that gun will bite you. The HSc likes the skiny, bony type of hands better......

 

[Cyrano]

there's a great new book on the HSc: "The Mauser HSc Pistol" by Alan Burnham and Peter Theodore. Covers the development in some detail including the two designs of HSv: rotating barrel and locking block versions. Lots on HSc variants, markings, holsters, etc. Also
covers the post war production.

 

[unclejerky]

I too, doubled-springed my Mauser. It now functions 100% with FMJ or HP ammo. Now holds only 6 rounds though. Gonna change out the barrel recoil spring for good measure. Wolff on the way.

 

[unclejerky]

I took some advice here and double springed my gun's magazine, using the old German mag spring and a new K-Mag spring. The mag is REALLY stiff to load now with only 6 rounds, but the misfeeding problems are history and I have a reliable carry gun, that handles FMJ and HP ammo. Really glad I decided to keep it and work out the bugs.

 

[beetledude]

Paladin, thank you for the nice article! Very interesting to learn the history of pistols. This is my wartime HSc, serial #753XXX. It bears the Eagle-L marking which I think identifies it as a Nazi Police model.

I have kind of a mini Mauser pistol collection going

 

[unclejerky]

Nice ensemble of Mausers, Beetle.