Mauser C96
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mauser C96 | |
|---|---|
 Mauser C96 with stock |
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin |  German Empire |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1899-present |
| Used by | German Empire Republic of China |
| Wars | Second Boer War, World War I, World War II, Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Feederle brothers (Fidel, Friedrich, and Josef) |
| Designed | 1895 |
| Manufacturer | Mauser |
| Produced | 1896–1936 |
| Variants | "full sized" C96 (standard model); "Bolo" (short barrel, small grip); "Red 9" (9 mm chambering); M712 "Schnellfeuer" (full-automatic) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1,130 g (39.9 oz) |
| Length | 312 mm (12.3 in) (pre-Bolo) 271 mm (10.7 in) (post-Bolo) |
| Barrel length | 140 mm (5.5 in) (pre-Bolo) 99 mm (3.9 in) (post-Bolo) |
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| Cartridge | 7.63x25mm Mauser 9x19mm Parabellum 9 mm Mauser Export (rare) .45 ACP (China) |
| Action | Recoil operated |
| Muzzle velocity | 425 m/s (1,394 ft/s) |
| Effective range | Approx. 200 m |
| Maximum range | 2000 m (according to manual) |
| Feed system | 6, 10 or 20-round integral or detachable magazine; 40-round detachable magazines were also made |
| Sights | V-notch rear tangent sight adjustable up to 1,000 metres, inverted V front sight |
The C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was manufactured from 1896 to 1936 in Germany. It was one of the first semi-automatic pistols to see widespread use. It was also manufactured in direct or modified form in Spain and China in the first half of the 20th Century.
The main characteristics that distinguish the C96 are the integral box magazine in front of the trigger, the long barrel, the wooden shoulder stock which can double as a holster or carrying case, and a grip shaped like the end of a broom's handle (which earned it the nickname "Broomhandle" in the English-speaking world). The Mauser C96 can be considered one of the first personal defense weapons (PDWs), as its long barrel and powerful cartridge gave it superior range and better penetration capabilities than most other standard pistols.
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[edit] Variants
There were many variants of the C96, notably the so-called "Bolo" version with a shorter barrel and smaller grips (which was manufactured after German handgun manufacturers were required to conform to Versailles restrictions on pistol barrel length). The Bolo earned that name due to the fact that the Bolshevik government of the Soviet Union in 1920s placed large orders for that model. There were versions with detachable magazines varying in size from 6 to 40 rounds (instead of the integral magazine seen on most pre-1930s versions), and models such as the M712 Schnellfeuer ("rapid fire") machine pistol from 1932 that was capable of fully automatic fire. All versions were made to use detachable shoulder stocks that doubled as holsters. A small number of carbine models with wooden stocks, wooden foregrips and much longer barrels were also manufactured.
During World War I the Imperial German Army contracted with Mauser for 150,000 C96 pistols chambered for the 9 mm Parabellum. This variant was named the "Red 9" after a large number "9" burned and painted in red into the grip panels, to prevent the pistols' users from loading them with 7.63 mm ammunition by mistake. Of the 150,000 pistols commissioned, approximately 135,000 were delivered before the war ended. This was the only time in which the C96 was ever used officially by the German army.
[edit] Cartridges
The C96 was originally designed for the 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridge, but many were also made in 9x19mm Parabellum and 9 mm Mauser Export, a much more powerful cartridge than the 9 mm Parabellum. Versions in .45 ACP caliber were produced by China in the Shansi province. The C96 was also manufactured on a limited or experimental basis in 7.65x25mm Borchardt, 9 mm Mauser, 7.65x22mm Parabellum, 8.15mm Mauser, and 9 mm Largo (Bergmann).
[edit] Service
The Mauser C96 was sold commercially worldwide; Winston Churchill favored it, and used one at the Battle of Omdurman and during the Second Boer War. The pistols saw service in various colonial wars, World War I, the Spanish Civil War, the Chaco War, and World War II, among other places.
Many Mausers were sold to Russia before, during and after the October Revolution. Mauser produced significant quantities of the short-barreled variant on Soviet order in 1920s, giving that version the nickname "Bolo" (short for "Bolshevik") Mauser. The Bolo Mauser was chambered for the 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridge.
Imported and domestic copies of the C96 were used extensively by the Chinese in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. It was nicknamed the "box cannon" (Chinese: 盒子炮; pinyin: hézipào) because it was holstered in a wooden box as well as for its unique external magazine. Some domestic copies even displayed serial numbers of original Mauser-manufactured pistols.
The C96 was used by Indian revolutionaries during the Indian independence movement. Leaders like Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, Asfhaqulah Khan, Sukhdev Thapar and others used Mausers smuggled from China. The C96 Mauser had been favoured by the Jewish armed guards in the Ottoman Palestine and the paramilitaries of Haganah in the British Mandate of Palestine. Most of the pistols had been bought by either private buyers or agents of the Jewish settlement movement in Europe and sent to Palestine. Despite the pistols' worldwide popularity and fame, the only nation to use the C96 as the primary service pistol of its military and police was China. Today the Broomhandle Mauser is a popular collector's gun; many have come on to the civilian market after being exported from China.
[edit] Bibliography
- System Mauser - A Pictorial History of the Model 1896 Self-Loading Pistol, John W. Breathed, Jr. and Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr., (Handgun Press, 1967)
- The Mauser Self-Loading Pistol, James N. Belford and Jack Dunlap, (Borden Publishing Cie 1969)
- The Mauser C96 explained, Gerard Henrotin (H&L Publishing - HLebooks.com, 2002)
[edit] External links
- 闲话盒子炮
- Mauser C-96 Information Site
- Another Mauser C-96 Information Site
- Mauser C-96 at guns.ru
- Yet another Mauser C-96 Information Site
- A long detailed article about Chinese .45 caliber C96s
- Astra 900 (Spanish Copy) Information
