Mauser C96
| Mauser C96 | |
|---|---|
| File:C96-5 .jpg Mauser C96 reloading process | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1100 g |
| Length | 288 mm |
The C96, or "Broomhandle Mauser," was the first semi-automatic pistol to see widespread use. It was manufactured from 1896 to 1936 in Germany, as well as being manufactured in direct or modified, and often unlicensed, form in countries such as Spain.
The main characteristics that distinguish this pistol are that the magazine is forward of the trigger, and the handle is shaped like the end of a broom handle, hence the nickname of "Broomhandle."
There were many variants, including versions with detachable magazines instead of the permanently-mounted magazine seen on most versions, most versions also came with detachable shoulder-stocks that doubled as holsters, and model M1932/M 712 that could be used as submachine guns, with a setting to fire full-automatic. They were usually made in 7.63 x 25 mm Mauser, but many were also made in 9 x 19 mm Parabellum (Luger), and some Chinese manufactured models were made in .45 ACP caliber. The Mauser C/96 was also manufactured on a limited or experimental basis in 7.65 mm Borchart, 9 mm Mauser, 7.65 mm Parabellum, 9 mm Largo (Bergmann), and 8.15 mm Mauser.
During the Great War the Imperial German Army contracted with Mauser for 150,000 C96 pistols, chambered for the 9 m/m Parabellum. This variant was named the "Red 9" and had a large number nine debossed on the handle. Of this 150,000, approximately 135,000 were delivered before the War's end.
A small number of carbine models exist.
These pistols were widely used; Winston Churchill favored them and used one at the Battle of Omdurman and during the Boer War. Many were sold to Russia, mostly the 9 mm variety, giving that version the nickname "Bolo" (short for "Bolshevik") Mauser. They saw service in the later colonial wars, World War One, the Spanish Civil War, the Chaco War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II, and the Chinese Civil Wars, among other places.
Because of the gun recoil, the Chinese invented a special way of using full-automatic models of this gun, by holding the gun sideways while clearing rooms during urban warfare which proved to be effective against the Japanese invaders. The Japanese called it "Bandit Shooting" due to bandits and warlords in China tending to own these types of guns.
Today the Broomhandle Mauser is a popular collector's gun; many have come on to the US civilian market after being exported from China.
Trivia
In the Star Wars movies, Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) "Blaster," his sidearm, is actually a Mauser C96 with accessories on it to make it appear more futuristic.