Seen at the Gun Show:1896 Broomhandle Mauser Carbine

Gun Watch ^ | 9 March, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

You do not see many Broomhandle Mauser carbines.  Very few were made originally, and even later, non-factory modifications of Broomhandles and reproductions were not made in huge quantities.  I like to go to local gun shows at Yuma, but my schedule and the shows seldom seem to match these days.  This Saturday, I went and saw this Mauser at one of the tables.  It looked in very nice shape, and the owner was gracious enough to allow me to take pictures of it.    When I got back to my computer, I did a little research on the carbines.  Unfortunately for the owner, a web site that claims to know about the Mauser carbines lists some details that they say would disqualify this specimen from being an original.

Let me assure everyone that I am not an expert on Mauser Carbines.  What I know about them only comes from looking things up on the Internet, so there may well be experts that would disagree.  One thing that stands out on this item is the length of the barrel.   It appears to be about 18 inches long.   The web site says that nearly all original (there is always the possibility of a super-rare special order) carbines have 14.5 inch or 11.8 inch barrels.  The web site categorically says that no carbines had the MAUSER banner on them.  From askmisterscience.com:

Most had -
• 500 meter sights
• 11.8 inch (300mm) barrels
    or
• 14.5 inch (370mm) barrels

Some (undoubtedly special orders) had -
• checkered wood
• fluted barrels
    or
• barrel ribs

No

Mauser-made carbines had -
• a MAUSER banner on the frame (this appeared on pistols some fifteen or twenty years after the carbine's demise)
• the New Safety or Universal Safety (ditto)

Here is the left side of the specimen that I saw at the show.

I do not enjoy bringing bad news to others, so I would only suggest to the Mauser's owner that they have an expert authenticate the item.  I am certainly not such an expert. 

Whether it is original or not, the Mauser carbine is a fascinating firearm that I am sure any owner would enjoy.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

Navy Arms imported a fair number of "reproductions" from China. This is likely one of them. They run about a $1,000 to $1,500. Original Carbines (likely less than a thousand made) run $10,000 to $20,000.

[9thLife]

Sleek looking nonetheless.

[dynachrome]

Thanks for the info. I just saw an artillery Luger at the local gunstore, part of a collection being offered on consignment. Pretty darn big hunk of iron.

[centurion316]

I have a 1896 Broomhandle Mauser pistol in terrible condition. It’s all beat to hell and several key parts had to be replaced. But, it’s functional and was captured by the Vietnamese Airborne Division in Tet of 68. I have the MACV paperwork to prove it. From what I know, it’s one of the models sold to the Nationalist Chinese.

It’s not worth much, but it’s priceless.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

The “Mauser” stamp on the receiver looks way too pristine for a Chinese copy. I’m thinking Oberndorf, not Chungking. Just looks too well made.

[marktwain]

The reproductions were made from original Mauser pistols.

I have one of the Mauser pistols that were sold to the Chinese, then exported as collector items to the U.S. in the late 80’s and early 90’s, before Clinton banned Chinese imports, then made a deal with them. No rifles or pistols from China, but they got most favored nation status.

The Chinese loved the Mauser pistols. They could not import semi-auto rifles because of a treaty - I think after the Boxer rebellion - but they could bring in pistols, so they brought in a lot of Mauser Broomhandles.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

The cartouche on the receiver looks art deco - late 1920's, Weimar era.

With that barrel, the round would probably pack about the same heat as a Russian ппщ (pay pay sha) submachine gun which uses a similar 7.62x25 cartridge.

[marktwain]

When I was in Panama during the Noriega regime, I was offered a Mauser broomhandle. The price was sorta reasonable, as someone had likely fired the gun with a bullet stuck in the barrel. It had a heck of a barrel bulge. I believe it was in 9mm.

The person who had it had been on embassy duty down in one of the South American countries during a periodic economic crises. People were struggling to eat, and he was approached and offered the pistol for a very reasonable price. I turned it down; it is likely still in Panama.

[RandallFlagg]

Han Solo would smile.

[marktwain]

"With that barrel, the round would probably pack about the same heat as a Russian ппщ (pay pay sha) submachine gun which uses a similar 7.62x25 cartridge."

The two cartridges are almost the same, dimensionally. People may quibble about them being interchangable, but I would not worry about it in guns of good condition. Much harder to find .30 Mauser ammo than it is 7.62x25.

It was the most powerful common pistol round in existence until the .357 Magnum showed up, as I recall. It was highly regarded in its time. The PPsH submachinegun of the Soviets in WWII (The Great Patriot War) did significant execution.

[Fightin Whitey]

Your comment made me wish to say: Glad you and the Broomhandle both made it back.

Priceless in every way.

[Farmer Dean]

Mauser also made broomhandles in 9x25 export caliber.That caliber is close to .357 mag. in performance.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I had a chance to shoot one old C-96 .30 cal about 47 years ago. It was like squeezing a lemon, and somewhere in that squeeze the pistol would go off an shoot about 2 feet of flame out the barrel.

Even with the hammer back it was still like squeezing a lemon.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Much harder to find .30 Mauser ammo than it is 7.62x25. ***

I believe the ATF tried to ban this ammo as “armor piercing”.

[marktwain]

Winston Churchill had a Mauser that was state of the art when he had it. He used it to great effect in the Nile campaign, when the west had to contain an outbreak of militant Islam a century ago. He almost had a gunfight with it when he was captured in South Africa during the Boer War. That fight would have been interesting, as the future Prime Minister of the Transvall, Louis Botha, was the man who captured him. It is likely that at least one of them would not have survived.

[MasterGunner01]

I once had a WW1 artillery Luger (built from parts post war). The pistol may look cool to the observer, but it is a real club. The Germans issued the artillery model primarily to machine gun or artillery crews. It was to be used as a carbine and was supplied with a board-like shoulder stock with an attached holster. The pistol could use either the standard P.08 Luger 8-round magazine or a very expensive and awkward 32-round “snail” drum magazine. [Today, these drum magazines and loaders are scarce and cost as much as the pistol they're meant for use.] The springs in the drum require the use of a drum loader as the total rounds loaded approaches the maximum of 32. Artillery Lugers require 9mm Parabellum ammunition in the +P or +P+ pressure range to work reliably. I don't know if the standard magazines feed lip deformation problem continues over to the 32-round drum, but if it does, that makes this a very expensive, jam prone ammunition feeding device. The artillery Luger is prone to jamming from dust and dirt just the same as a standard P.08 Luger pistol.

Of the two pistol carbines issued by the Germans in WW1 to troops, the Mauser C96 and its holster stock was superior [my opinion] to the artillery Luger, the Luger's slab-side wood butt stock, and its awkward “snail” drum magazine.

[marktwain]

I remember that. People were afraid it would be banned. I had an FFL and bought cases of it, really cheap, about 5.5 cents per round, as I recall. I have to say that the Chinese 7.62X25 was quality stuff, and very accurate.

I might have a box or two left.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I read Churchill’s story of that battle. The British drew swords, the Arabs charged with swords.
Churchill drew his, then in the charge placed it back in it’s sheath, and drew his Mauser and began to knock Arabs in the dust.
I often read of Southern Cavalry who, armed with double barrel shotguns and two handguns each, would charge Union cavalry armed with swords.

Guess who won.

[MasterGunner01]

Winston Churchill used his personal C96 Mauser against the natives trying to kill him at the Battle of Omdurman, Sudan in 1898. The Mauser worked flawlessly and Churchill escaped from this serious and deadly social encounter alive. Churchill was later to write in glowing terms about his Mauser pistol's usefulness in combat. The typical British officers of his time carried a 6-shot, top break, .455 revolver and not a semi-automatic, self-loading pistol.

[Red in Blue PA]

Why are repos from China $1500? Seems the price should be half that, it even that high.