C96 1916

Fixed magazine version (1916)

Rare Metal MGC: 1916 model Mauser C96 9mm

Mauser C96 (Military 1916 version). 9mm All metal (except the grips). Weight: 1.13Kg

Made February 1987 (one of the later ones made). All operates / works as it should.

Includes : Original box, copy of original instructions, 1x box (6) MGC unfired 9mm blowback cartridges (old type), 1x Stripper clip.

In very good condition for year (please see photos above). Operates / strips like the real thing! Original gold finish (could be removed to reveal silver/chrome finish or could be blued).

We have not fired the Mauser so cannot confirm how the blowback action works. However, we have loaded and manually cycled them through the Mauser which chambers / ejects perfectly.

Wood Stock / Holster : �155 GBP

: in good condition, very faint scuff mark as seen in photos

The classic C96 "Broomhandle" that was produced in 9mm for the Imperial German Army in 1916. During World War I, the Imperial German Army contracted with Mauser for 150,000 C96 pistols chambered in 9mm Parabellum to offset the slow production of the standard-issue Luger P08 pistol. This variant of the C96 was named the "Red 9", after a large number "9" burned and painted in red into the grip panels, to warn the pistols' users not to load them with 7.63 mm ammunition by mistake. Of the 150,000 pistols only approximately 135,000 were delivered

The 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).

During the First World War C-96 had been acquired by the German Army due to the lack 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. 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 the 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.