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Mauser C96
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The Mauser C96 (commonly called the "Broomhandle" or "Broomhandle Mauser" due to its distinctive grip, was a German semi-automatic pistol manufactured from 1896 to circa 1937. The C96 Mauser was one of the first semi-automatic pistols to see widespread use and was copied in Spain and China. There was a .45 ACP version produced from 1929 through 1936, at the arsenal at Shanxi (also spelled Shansi and Shansei) in China: this variant was nicknamed the "box cannon," with various explanations for this being either the weapon's weight (2 pounds heavier than the 9mm or 7.63mm variants), its boxy appearance, and / or its ability to be stowed inside its own stock.
One particular point of interest with the C96 is that the weapon is entirely held together through the fit of the parts: there are no pins and only one screw in the entire gun, the one that holds the grip panels on. One unfortunate aspect of this construction is that the barrel and the rest of the upper are a single forging: many vintage 7.63x25mm Mausers have "shot out" barrels that cannot easily be replaced, and so have been re-bored for 9mm rounds.
There are several major variants, though continual product improvement at the Mauser factory led to dozens or hundreds of individual variations arising over four decades of manufacture.
- The original C96 Military Model had full-sized long grips, a fixed ten-shot magazine, a 5.5-inch [140mm] barrel, adjustable tangent iron sights calibrated to 1000 meters, and was chambered in 7.63x25mm Mauser (aka .30 Mauser). It was made from 1896-1921. Collectors give four variants of this model: the earliest have a "cone hammer" or "large ring hammer" and a short-travel safety (with a difference between the two positions of only 0.18in) where down is the safe position, while the later "Pre-War Commercial" and "Persian Contract" models have a safety lever designed for the 1902 American trials, with longer travel and up as the safe position: this later safety can be recognised by having a hole through the knob at the end of the lever. Later versions with the "new safety" (wartime commercial, Prussian contract and postwar Bolo) do not have a hole either, while the M30 and M712, with the "universal safety," do.
- The C99 Regia Marina was dimensionally identical to the standard Military Model, but had a side without fuller relief and had generically a more economic finish. It was built specially by request of the Royal Navy of Italy; only 5000 of these were made. Chambered in 7.63x25mm
- The small-framed M1896 Compact Model (made from 1896-1899) had full-sized long grips, a short 4.75-inch [120mm] barrel, and a 6-shot fixed magazine. Collectors call them "Pre-War Bolos".
- The rare M1912 Export Model was designed for the South American market and was chambered in 9x25mm Mauser Export.
- The M1916 "Red 9" was a 9x19mm model produced to fill a contract for the Prussian army during the First World War. As it was externally identical to the concurrently produced 7.63mm version, its caliber was burned on each side of the grip and prominently marked in red or black paint.
- The M1920 "Rework" Models were Weimar Republic government and military issue Pre-War Mausers modified to meet the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles (1919). They had cut-down 3.9-inch [99mm] barrels and reworked and simplified fixed sights. Pistols chambered in non-standard chamberings like 9x19mm Parabellum were converted to chamber standard 7.63x25mm Mauser rounds. Converted models were stamped "M1920" to show they were compliant; this practice continued on government-issue weapons even after the ban was no longer in effect.
- The M1921 "Bolo" model had small grips, a 10-round magazine, and a short 3.9-inch [99mm] barrel. It was first produced as a variant model for domestic sales from 1920 to 1921, going into full production from 1921 to 1930.The name "Bolo" is short for Bolshevik. Reportedly the Russian Communists or Bolsheviks favored the Broomhandle and in particular the Model 1921. The model was also popular with Poles, Lithuanians, German Freikorps, and White Russians. Among collectors the Bolo model is one of the most popular.
- The simplified M1930 Model had a 5.2-inch [132mm] (1930) or 5.5-inch [140mm] (later) long barrel, a solid one-piece grip frame and large wooden grips, and a lack of decorative milling on the frame and hammer. Collectors call this model the "M30". It was also erroneously called the "M711" by military surplus dealers to distinguish it from the similar selective-fire and magazine-fed M712.
- The "Schnellfeuer" was introduced in the early 1930s in response to the select-fire C96 copies produced in Spain in the late 1920s. It used ten- or twenty-round detachable magazines and a select-fire mechanism designed by Joseph Nickl (1930-1932), later improved by Karl Westinger (1932-1936), the most commonly seen. The Schnellfeuer is popularly known as the "M712", its Wehrmacht designation during World War 2.
Many foreign copies were also manufactured :
- The Astra 900 was a Spanish copy of the C96 produced by Unceta & Cia. It retained the overall shape and locking system of the C96, but used a trigger mechanism of original design.
- The Astra 903 was Unceta's equivalent of the M1932 Schnellfeuer, though unlike Beistegui's later versions the 903 was not compatible with Schnellfeuer magazines.
- The Astra Model F was a version of the Astra 903 chambered in 9mm Largo.
- Beistegui Hermanos made copies of the Astra 900 line. Later production examples were, unlike the Astra line, compatible with Mauser-produced Schnellfeuer magazines.
- The Type 17 was a .45 ACP version produced in Shanxi, China under the orders of ruling warlord Yan Xishan in order to maintain ammunition compatibility with the Thompson M1921 clones his Taiyuan factory already produced. C96 copies of varying quality were also produced by Chinese arsenals at Hanyang, Taku, and several other locations.
- The Hanyang C96 was another Chinese copy of the Mauser C96, produced by Hanyang Munitions Works from 1923 to the 1930's. Around 13,000 guns were manufactured.
The Mauser C96 "Broomhandle" pistol and variants has been seen in the following films and television shows used by the following actors:
Mauser C96 "Broomhandle"
Pre-War dated Mauser C96 "Broomhandle" Commercial Version - 7.63x25mm Mauser. Note the rear tangent sight; in something of a display of wishful thinking, the C96's sight is adjustable for ranges up to 1000 meters. Later examples had a sight adjustable to a still unrealistic 500 meters. C96 pistols with fixed rear sights are very rare.
File:Huge MauserC96.jpg
Rare C96 Carbine without a stock - 7.63x25mm Mauser
Specifications
(1896-1937)
Type: Pistol, Machine Pistol
Caliber: 7.63x25mm Mauser, 9x19mm, 9×23mm Largo (Astra Model F), 9x25mm Mauser Export (1912), .45 ACP (Type 17)
Capacity: 10-round fixed box magazine was standard. 6-round fixed box magazine (1896-1899) or 20-round fixed box magazine (1896) were used on experimental models.
Fire Modes: Semi-Automatic (C96), Semi-Auto/Full-Auto (Schnellfeuer "M712", Astra 903, Astra Model F)
Film
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Crisis | unusable | 1995 | ||
| Fallout | 9mm Mauser | 1997 | ||
| Time Crisis II | unusable | 1997 | ||
| Fallout 2 | 1998 | |||
| Medal of Honor: Underground | Seen in Mission Art | 2000 | ||
| Battlefield: 1918 | 2004 | |||
| Vietcong 2 | Mauser C96 mod.1912 | 2005 | ||
| Hitman: Blood Money | WW1 Pistol | 2006 | ||
| Time Crisis IV | unusable | 2006 | ||
| Medal of Honor: Airborne | Found during "Operation Varsity" level | 2007 | ||
| Mafia II | 2010 | |||
| Red Dead Redemption | Mauser Pistol | 2010 | ||
| Time Crisis 5 | unusable | 2014 | ||
| Heroes & Generals | Mauser C96 | 2016 | ||
| Battlefield 1 | C96/C96 Export | 2016 | ||
| Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades | 2017 | |||
| Call of Duty: WWII | "Machine Pistol" | Fires full-auto; has detachable magazines | 2017 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | various characters | 1964-1968 | ||
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | John Van Dreelen | Harold Bufferton | "The Giuoco Piano Affair" (S01E07) | 1964-1968 |
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Robert Vaughn | Napoleon Solo | 1964-1968 | |
| Czterej pancerni i pies | Janusz Gajos | Cpl. Janek Kos | . | 1966-1970 |
| German officers | ||||
| Mission Impossible | Barry Atwater | Matthew Royce | "The Western" (S07E21) | 1972-1973 |
| The State Border: Film 2 | Russian Border guards | . | 1980 | |
| The State Border: Film 3 | Chinese police | . | 1982 | |
| Reilly: Ace of Spies | David Suchet | Inspector Tsientsin | . | 1983 |
| The State Border: Film 4 | Various characters | . | 1984 | |
| Anzacs | Johnathon Sweet | Bill Sweet | . | 1985 |
| Hunter | John Beck | Neil Jordan | "The Castro Connection" (3.04) | 1986 |
| The Professionals | . | . | Carbine Variant | 1977-1983 |
| The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Daniel Craig | Captain Schiller | "Daredevils of the Desert"(S2E21) | 1992-1993 |
| Rough Riders | Spanish and German officers | 1997 | ||
| Brad Johnson | Henry Nash | |||
| Dark Angel (TV Series) | bounty hunter | "Shorty's In Love"(S1E15) | 2000-2002 | |
| Band of Brothers | Used by French soldier to execute German soldiers | 2001 | ||
| Hitler: The Rise of Evil | Freikorp soldier | 2003 | ||
| King Solomon's Mines | Nick Boraine | Ivan Fleekov | 2004 | |
| CSI: NY | German SS Officer | "Yahrezit" (S05E22) | 2004-Present | |
| Kung Fu Killer | . | . | . | 2008 |
| The Unit | . | Used by an attempted assassin | "Gone Missing" (S3E10) | 2006-2009 |
| Guns | . | Gun show customer | . | 2008 |
| Deadliest Warrior | . | Nazi Waffen SS Leader | . | 2009-??? |
| "Narkomovskiy" Train (Narkomovskiy oboz) | Red Commissair | 2011 | ||
| Birdsong | German soldier | 2012 | ||
| Elementary | . | Masked Home Invader | . | 2012-???? |
| The White Guard (Belaya gvardiya) | Mikhail Porechenkov | Viktor Myshlaevskiy | 2012 | |
| The White Guard (Belaya gvardiya) | Sergey Garmash | Col. Kozyr-Leshko | 2012 | |
| Red Mountains (Krasnye gory) | Hanged on the wall | 2013 | ||
| Peaky Blinders | Billy Kimber's bodyguards | with the stocks attached | 2013 | |
| Mob City | Richard Brake | Terry Mandel | 2013 | |
| Penny Dreadful | Timothy Dalton | Malcolm Murray | The C96 is described as a 'prototype', yet the first prototype of the C96 was not built until 1895, and was certainly not sold to the public. However, a genuine early 'conehammer' pistol is used for the prop, and is accurately depicted in use. | 2014-??? |
| The Tunnel | Clémence Poésy | Capt. Wassermann | 2013-Present | |
| The Tunnel | Stephen Dillane | DCI Reebuck | 2013-Present |
Anime
| Film Title | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunsmith Cats | . | it is seen the shop and at Rally's house | 1995-1996 |
| Kochikame | . | . | 1996-2005 |
| Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade | . | at the shooting range and in the end scene | 1998 |
| FLCL | Giant robot | Massively scaled-up | 2000 - 2001 |
| Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd GIG | Dejima refugee | C96 Carbine | 2004-2005 |
| Hellsing Ultimate | "The Captain" | C96 pistols with Carbine-length barrels | 2006-ongoing |
| Black Lagoon | Rotton the Wizard | . | 2006–ongoing |
| Baccano! | Daily Days Reporter | C96 Carbine | 2007 |
| Eden of the East | . | Seen with stock in Takizawa's closet | 2009 |
| Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood | Captain Buccaneer | 2009 - 2010 | |
| Suisei no Gargantia | sailor, Amy | 2013 |
Animation
| Film Title | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantis, The Lost Empire | Helga Sinclair | . | 2001 |
Mauser C96 "Red 9"
Specifications
Type: Semi-automatic, short-recoil operated, single-action trigger
Caliber: 9x19mm
Capacity: 10-round fixed box magazine
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officers (Ofitsery) | . | Basmachi (Middle Asian Muslim rebel) | 1971 | |
| Black Caesar | Fred Williamson | Tommy Gibbs | 1973 | |
| Friday Foster | Carl Weathers | Yarbo | 1975 | |
| The Razor's Edge | German officers | 1984 | ||
| There Be Dragons | Wes Bentley | Manolo Torres | 2011 | |
| Operation Chromite | Lee Beom-soo | Commander Lim Gye-Jin | Black grips | 2016 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fallout Tactics | "HSI Mauser" | 2001 | ||
| Resident Evil 4 | Red 9 | . | with an optional stock and fitted with an underbarrel laser pointer | 2005 |
| Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D | 2011 |
Anime
| Film Title | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Dream Hunter Rem: Massacre in the Phantasmic Labyrinth | is seen in the Geppetto base | 1992 |
Mauser M712 Schnellfeuer
Specifications
Type: Select-fire pistol, short-recoil operated, single-action trigger
Caliber: 7.63x25mm Mauser
Capacity: 10 or 20-round detachable box magazine
Film
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrant | seen in Jamal's arsenal/ Episode 5 | 2014 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Skull Man | The Skull Man | 10 round magazine | 2009 |
Animation
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer - Season 1 | Manfred | 2009 | |
| Archer - Season 2 | Malory | Flashback | 2011 |
| Archer - Season 2 | Le Chuffre | 2011 | |
| Archer - Season 4 | Krieger | Fires blanks | 2013 |
| Archer - Season 5 | Charles and Rudy | Fires blanks | 2014 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Crisis 3 | unusable, 20-round magazine | 2003 | ||
| Day of Defeat: Source | 2005 | |||
| You Are Empty (VG) | 2006 | |||
| Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45 | With Broomhandle stock | 2006 | ||
| Medal of Honor: Airborne | Third & final weapon upgrade (after improved rate of fire and 20-round magazine) | 2007 | ||
| 7.62 High Calibre | Mauser M712 and M712 Carbine | Carbine version has a longer barrel and fixed stock | 10, 20 and 30-round magazines | 2008 |
| The Saboteur | "Raum Pistol" | 10 and 20-round magazines | 2009 | |
| Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | "C96" | 2010 | ||
| Red Dead Redemption | "Mauser Pistol" | . | Appears as a standard Mauser C96 | 2010 |
| Deadfall Adventures | C-96 | 20 round detachable magazine | 2013 | |
| Counter-Strike Online | "Mauser C96" | 10 round magazine | 2014 | |
| Sniper Elite 4 | Mauser M712 | "Lock and Load Weapons Pack" DLC | 2017 |
Shansi Type 17
Specifications
Type: Semi-automatic, short-recoil operated, single-action trigger
Caliber: .45 ACP
Capacity: 10-round fixed box magazine
Movies
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiger on the Beat | Norman Chu | Poison Snake Ping | 1988 | |
| Tiger on the Beat | Chia Hui Liu or also name as Gordon Liu | Fai | 1988 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | . | . | . | 2004 |
| Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Type 17 | . | Incorrectly shown as select-fire, with an M712 Schnellfeuer fire selector | 2008 |
| Fallout 3 | Chinese Pistol | Fires 10mm Auto | 2008 | |
| Zhu Rong v418 Chinese Pistol | Bullets set target on fire |
Mauser C96 "Bolo" model
Specifications
Type: Semi-automatic, short-recoil operated, single-action trigger
Caliber: 7.63x25mm Mauser, 9x25mm Mauser Export (rare)
Capacity: 6 (early), 10 (normal production) or 20 (very early) round fixed box magazine
File:11059628 1796829963875863 7674925940894837528 n.jpg
Extremely Rare Mauser C96 M1902 Hammer Safety, 6-Shot, Checkered Grips. An early example of what later will be called the "Bolo" style Broomhandle.
File:Bolowithstock.jpg
A Mauser C96 'Bolo' with rifle stock attached - 7.63x25mm Mauser
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sea Outpost (Morskoy post) | Pyotr Arzhanov | Japanese officer | 1938 | |
| Valery Chkalov | Vladimir Belokurov | Valery Chkalov | 1941 | |
| The Gambler (Bob le flambeur) | A gangster | 1956 | ||
| And Quiet Flows the Don (Tikhiy Don) | White Army officer | Nickel plated | 1957 | |
| Officers (Ofitsery) | Vasili Lanovoy | Ivan Varravva | 1971 | |
| Bumbarash | Yuri Smirnov | Gavrila | 1971 | |
| Bumbarash | Yekaterina Vasilyeva | Sofya Tulchinskaya | 1971 | |
| Bumbarash | Leonid Bakshtayev | Chubatov | 1971 | |
| Bumbarash | A German officer | 1971 | ||
| Tachanka from the South (Tachanka s yuga) | Viktor Stepanenko | Siry | 1977 | |
| Tachanka from the South (Tachanka s yuga) | Georgi Dvornikov | Pirozhenko | 1977 | |
| Bread, Gold and the Nagant Revolver (Khleb, zoloto, nagan) | Yuriy Grigorev | Sasha Andronov | Nickel plated | 1980 |
| Don't Be Afraid, I Am Here For You (Ne boysya, ya s toboy) | Farzally-beg's servant | 1981 | ||
| Lethal Weapon 2 | Joss Ackland | Arjen Rudd | 1989 | |
| Laser Mission | Guy Pringle | Kalishnakov's Lieutenant | 1989 | |
| Passchendaele | German Seargant | 2009 |
Television
| Show Title / Episode | Actor | Character | Notation | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reilly: Ace of Spies | Alan Downer | General Bazan | . | 1983 |
| Peaky Blinders | Billy Kimber's bodyguard | with the stocks attached | 2013 |
Hanyang C96
Specifications
Type: semiautomatic, short-recoil operated, single-action trigger
Caliber: 7.63x25mm Mauser
Capacity: 10-round fixed box magazine (normal production)
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fist of Legend | Cheung-Yan Yuen | Captain Jie | Hanyang C96 | 1994 |
| Fist of Legend | Paul Chun | Uncle Noh | Hanyang C96 | 1994 |
| Fist of Legend | Shanghai cops | Hanyang C96 | 1994 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Wen Jiang | Pocky Zhang | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Chow Yun-Fat | Master Huang | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | You Ge | Ma Bangde | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Bing Shao | Two | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Fan Liao | Three | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | John Do | Four | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Li Jing | Five | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Mo Zhang | Six | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Xiao Wei | Seven | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Lu Yao | Hu Qian | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | Yun Zhou | Flora | 2010 | |
| Let the Bullets Fly | soldiers | 2010 | ||
| Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen | resistance fighters | 2010 | ||
| Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen | Huang Bo | Inspector Huang Haolong | 2010 |
See Also
- Mauser - A list of all firearms manufactured by Mauser.