German Luger Collectibles

Mauser C96 Broomhandle

Broomhandle

This is an early Cone-Hammer serial #11859, 7.63mm Mauser, 5 1/2" barrel (140mm), with a fine, early four groove rifled bore, and the solid rails of the late model. The hammer, bolt, and rear sight slider have all been polished bright. The unnumbered 23 groove wooden grips are in fine condition. (2197)

NOTE: Photographs taken today with the high mega-pixel camera show more than we sometimes can see with the human eye. Magnified close-ups show us tool marks and natural surface conditions that one normally doesn't see in the ordinary handling of the weapon. Photographs are copyrighted, all rights reserved, any extraction, reproduction or display of gun pictures without the express consent of the Phoenix Investment Arms is strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. Please visit Legal (tabbed) for Conditions of Sale.

Contrary to common belief, the C96 was not invented by Paul Mauser, but by the Feederle brothers (Fidel, Friedrich, and Josef). Fidel Feederle was the Superintendent of the Experimental Work Shop, and it is reported that the C96 (then referred to as P-7.63 or the Feederle Pistol) was designed and prototyped without the knowledge and against the wishes of Paul Mauser in 1895. Production began in 1896, and ended about 1939 with over one million C96 pistols produced.

Overall length 12 inches; Weight 43 ounces; Operation Short recoil; Lock Bolt lock from below has teeth which engage in recesses in bolt. Bolt travels in extension which is part of barrel forging and lock is cammed down out of engagement as barrel travels halts; Mainspring Coil operating through plunger; Disconnector Positive type prevents firing more than one shot per trigger pull; Trigger Pivot type, engaging with sear; Safety Thumb piece on left hand side of receiver

This is a 7.63mm weapon with all the matching parts marked for civilian sale. The barrel is 140mm and it has an adjustable leaf sight marked up to 1000 meters as opposed to military sights for 500 meters. The frame has the stock slot and the thumb safety. The stock is unnumbered and correct to the weapon. The inside of the gun is clean and well cared for.

Serial numbering of the stabilized production C 96 pistols began approximately with serial number 360 in April 1897. Serial numbering was conducted in ascending order, from about number 360 forward. The cartridge capacity did not have any bearing on the assignment of serial bumpers, and, as in preproduction pistols, the sick shot in the 10 shot pistol numbering were intermixed.

Note the hammer back in the 'cocked' position. The hammers went through several changes from the spur type in the pre-production models to the cone hammer, through the large ring and the small ring.

TEXThe development of the C-96 began in 1893 or 1894. Most work had been done by the Federle brothers, who worked for the Mauser company. Final design appeared early in 1895 and had been patented by Paul Mauser. Production began in 1896. The C-96 had been offered for the German Military but failed. However, C-96 has a long and successful story on the civilian market - being offered as a pistol-carbine, it outperformed in effective range most of contemporary pistols and revolvers, being especially popular with travelers and hunters in the areas where big animals are rare or absent at all. C-96 first saw military action during the Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902).


In the autumn of 1897 commercial production slowly continued but upon reaching the high 1000 serial number range, it skipped forward to serial number 4000 and then, at about the beginning 1898, they reverted to the high 1000 range and proceeded to fill the gap between serial number 2000 and 4000 with contract guns. The Turkish contract followed by the Italian Navy contract were the first big orders that Mauser had for the C96 Mauser.

Above Left: The serial number appears on the rear grip and across the face of the boltwth the hammer down one can see the last four digits of the serial number, 1859. Looking at the rear of the gun we can see where it was slotted for the women's stock that the military models were issued with the Crown U on the left side of the gun and the antler proof on the right side of the gun tell us this was a civilian gun made in Oberndorf.

Above left: Another view of the location of the serial number on the back of the frame and the rear the hammer. Above right: The bottom of the slide when fully extended one can see one of the first modifications which stayed with gun through production was the two stop toggle locks.

This early cone-hammer (collector designation) appears to open production in approximately 1898 as the commercial gun available in the German market. Mauser’s factory always had a large number of parts on hand and when small factory design changes were made these parts were continually used until gone so that some later models had earlier parts. The 140mm barrel is unbanded and shows distinctive llands & grooves; yet some frost in the barrel from early developed ammunition prior to non-corrosive primers.

During the First World War C-96 had been acquired by the German Army due to the shortage of the standard issue Luger P-08 pistols. It also had been used during the World War Two, by some second line troops of the Reichswehr (German Army). C-96 also had been widely exported - in the 1920s Soviet Russia purchased large quantities of the short-barreled (99 mm barrels) C-96s in 7.63mm, giving the name "Bolo-Mauser" (from Bolsheviks' Mauser) to all short-barreled C-96s.

Hans Tauscher, the representative for DWM & Fabrique National in the United States and approximately 1910 began to handle Mauser sales activities in the US. The Tauscher record of sales was the greatest in 1913 with serial numbers running from 113,953 two 151,317. Those guns brought into the United States for sale were however marked Germany as export/import laws required.

During the period 1897 – 1905 with the exception of the large contract to the Italian Navy Russia was probably the largest customer Mauser had after Wesley Richards, London (British importer). In 1897 more pistols were sold to Russia (520 pieces) that were sold in Germany itself (383 pieces).

In June 1897 agencies were granted for the sale and distribution of the Mauser pistol in Great Britain and the United States the British agent selected was Wesley Richards & company, LTD in London prior to the commercial introduction of the Mauser pistol Wesley Richards acted as the sole agent for Mauser rifles Great Britain in this venture there were quite successful

The leaf site on top of the gun states 10 to 500 m which was an adaption of the thousand meter site from the military models. The extractor which can be seen in detail reflects the long extractor of the early models. Despite the confusion of production dates and the lack of sequential serial numbers from modifications we would place this gun in late 1912 or early 1913 production.

It is entirely subjective to give any firearm a rating of excellent or fine, just as it is to declare it xx% blued or strawed. Few collectible weapons are out of the box new and these are premium priced. Bluing percentages is like Beauty, in the eye of the beholder. We strive to provide pictures so you can judge for yourself if the gun meets your criteria. Any questions or request for additional purchases email to josef@phoenixinvestmentarms.com. This firearm is eligible for transfer to C&R permit holder, even in California. We are registered with CA DOJ for firearms shipment.

TEXT In 1930s China also purchased lots of the C-96s in 7.63mm, and also manufactured copies of the C-96 but chambered for .45ACP cartridge. Surprisingly, these copies were of quite good quality. Many C-96 clones were manufactured in Spain, mostly without any license, and mostly by Astra. In the early 1930s Mauser engineers developed a select-fire version of the C-96, which had been used in limited numbers during WW2.

This Mauser C96 Broomhandle is in good - very good condition and offered for $3,895.00 over the counter. This Parabellum show minimal holster wear and a good barrel. This gun may be sold before being posted as such on the internet.

We reserve the right to sell any internet offering to a direct sale and no not warrant the availability of any firearm that does not have a physical deposit. This gun may be withdrawn without notice for in-store sale. Call for availability.

C96 Broomhandle

LAYAWAYS: Sometimes our "significant other" doesn't understand the beauty, craftsmanship and investment potential of one of these investor grade weapons. In these circumstances where discretion becomes the better part of valor we will accept layaways of up to one year with at least 20% down and some activity occurring monthly to insure that after one year the sale is completed. Cancellations of layaways forfeit 33% if done within two months, otherwise 100%. You can transfer a layaway to a consignment sale atany time. See "Legal" for exact terms.

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3 Day Return Policy

We honor a three day return policy. We will answer any questions, send you any pictures, as detailed as you want, to insure that what we are showing you is what you want to see, before you buy it. See Legal.

FIRING ANY WEAPON NEGATES ANY CHANCE OF RETURN!

WARNING: We do not represent these guns as safe to fire. They are not test fired before sale; they are sold as collectibles only. Prior to firing you should have it inspected by a qualified individual and abide by all safety requirements.

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