Mauser C96 reloading process This image is the property of http://www. ...
Mauser C96
Country	Germany
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Inventor	Feederle brothers (Fidel, Friedrich, and Josef)
Date of design	1895
Service duration	1899 to present(?)
Cartridge	{{{cartridge}}}
Action
Rate of fire
Muzzle velocity	430 m/s
Effective range	Up to 500 m
Weight (unloaded)	1100 g
Length	288 mm
Barrel length	140
Feed system	6, 10 or 20 rounds
Sights	sector sight
Variants	"full sized" C96 - 5.5" barrel / Bolo - 3.9" barrel
Number built

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Mauser C/96

The C96, or Broomhandle Mauser, or "Boxed Cannon" in China, was the first semi-automatic pistol to see widespread use. It was manufactured from 1896 to 1936 in Germany, as well as being manufactured in direct or modified, and often unlicensed, form in countries such as Spain and especially China. A Semi-automatic (also known as Self-loading) pistol is a type of handheld firearm, a kind of pistol. ... Rimmed, centerfire . ... In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... The Rate of fire is the speed at which a specific firearm or artillery piece can operate. ... A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ... The barrel of a gun or other firearm is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Mauser is the common name of German arms manufacturer Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, as well as the line of bolt-action rifles they built for the German armed forces. ... A semi-automatic firearm requires a trigger pull for each round that is fired. ... A Browning 9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century A pistol or handgun is a usually small firearm that can be used with one hand. ...

The main characteristics that distinguish this pistol are the magazine forward of the trigger, the long and protruding barrel, and the handle shaped like the end of a broom handle, hence the nickname of "Broomhandle."

There were many variants, including versions with detachable magazines instead of the permanently-mounted magazine seen on most versions, and models such as the M1932/M712 that could be used as machine pistols, with a setting to fire full-automatic. All versions were made to use detachable shoulder-stocks that doubled as holsters. The C96 were usually made in 7.63 x 25 mm Mauser, but many were also made in 9 x 19 mm Parabellum (Luger), and versions in .45 ACP caliber were produced by China. The Mauser C/96 was also manufactured on a limited or experimental basis in 7.65 mm Borchart, 9 mm Mauser, 7.65 mm Parabellum, 9 mm Largo (Bergmann), and 8.15 mm Mauser. A small number of carbine models were also manufactured. An M16 Magazine Various Mags A magazine (also called a mag) is an ammunition storage device within or attached to a firearm. ... A machine pistol shares several properties of the semi-automatic handgun and the sub-machine gun. ... M2 machine gun An automatic firearm is a firearm that will continue to load and fire rounds of ammunition as long as the trigger (or equivalent) is activated or until it runs out of ammunition. ... A holster is a specialized article of clothing worn to hold a handgun about the person, most commonly in a location where it can be easily drawn for immediate use. ... .303 in. ... ball and hollowpoint 9mm Luger rounds are popular handgun ammunition. ... The . ... Mauser is the common name of German arms manufacturer Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, as well as the line of bolt-action rifles they built for the German armed forces. ... Mauser is the common name of German arms manufacturer Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, as well as the line of bolt-action rifles they built for the German armed forces. ... Mauser is the common name of German arms manufacturer Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, as well as the line of bolt-action rifles they built for the German armed forces. ... A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than, a rifle or musket of a given period. ...

During the Great War 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" and had a large, red-painted number "9" debossed on the handle, to prevent the pistols' users from loading them with 7.63mm ammunition by mistake. Of this 150,000, approximately 135,000 were delivered before the War's end. This was the only time in which the C96 was ever used officially by the German military.

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 colonial wars, World War One, the Spanish Civil War, the Chaco War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II, and the Chinese Civil War, among other places. Many were sold to Russia during the Revolution, mostly in a short-barrelled variant, giving that version the nickname "Bolo" (short for "Bolshevik") Mauser. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... Combatants Great Britain Sudan Commanders Horatio Kitchener Abdullah al-Taashi Strength 8,000 British, 17,000 Sudanese and Egyptian 50,000 Casualties 48 dead 382 wounded Total: 430 10,000 dead 15,000 wounded 5,000 captured {{{notes}}} At the Battle of Omdurman (September 2, 1898) an army commanded by... The Second Boer War, also known as the South African War (outside of South Africa), the Anglo-Boer War (among some South Africans) and in Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog (Second War of Independence), was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... The Spanish Civil War (July 18th 1936–April 1st 1939) was a conflict in which the incumbent Second Spanish Republic and political left-wing groups fought against a right-wing nationalist insurrection led by General Francisco Franco, who eventually succeeded in ousting the Republican government and establishing a personal dictatorship. ... Combatants National Revolutionary Army、Republic of China Imperial Japanese Army、Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek、Yan Xishan、Feng Yuxiang、Zhu De、He Yingqin Tojo Hideki、Matsui Iwane、Minami Jiro、Kesago Nakajima、Toshizo Nishio、Neiji Okamura. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II... Combatants Chinese Nationalist Party Chinese Communist Party Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 3,600,000 circa June 1948 2,800,000 circa June 1948 The Chinese Civil War (Traditional Chinese: 國共内戰; Simplified Chinese: 国共内战; Pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn; literally Nationalist-Communist Civil War) was a conflict in... Mauser is the common name of German arms manufacturer Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, as well as the line of bolt-action rifles they built for the German armed forces. ...

Despite the pistols' worldwide popularity and fame, the Broomhandle Mauser never became the official & standard sidearm with any military or police of any nation, except China.

Because of the machine pistol variants' difficult recoil, the Chinese invented a special way of using full-automatic models of this gun, by holding the gun sideways while clearing rooms during urban warfare which proved to be effective against the Japanese invaders. The Japanese called it "Bandit Shooting" due to bandits and warlords in China tending to own these types of guns. A machine pistol shares several properties of the semi-automatic handgun and the sub-machine gun. ...

Today the Broomhandle Mauser is a popular collector's gun; many have come on to the US civilian market after being exported from China. Mauser is the common name of German arms manufacturer Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, as well as the line of bolt-action rifles they built for the German armed forces. ...

Cultural reference

See List of appearances of C96 in popular culture The C96 was seen in From Russia With Love during the scene when Red Grant saves James Bond during the gunfight at the Gypsy camp. ...

Due to the fact that C96 was a German weapon and very popular on the international market, the gun featured in many movies that dealt with World War I or with world events from the 1900s to the 1930s (but rarely in World War II movies). It also became a favourite in spy movies and TV-shows as late as the 1970s. Since the shape of the gun is very distinctive, the gun wielder would be immediately identified as an "enemy" or a "villain". But the C96 is very seldom associated with specifically German characters, even in movies of either World Wars. Germans in movies are typically shown wielding the Luger pistol. Luger can refer to: The Luger pistol The 7. ...

However, as war movies and spy movies became less popular, the gun phased out of the screen only to be rediscovered later due to its unusual look and unfamiliarity to many young people. It often serves as a "cool" weapon in the video games and anime, quite often completely out of context.

Using this gun in other cultures bears different stereotypes. In China, this is the gun of choice of street gangs and nationalists. Russians see this gun as a weapon primarily used by Cheka and NKVD officers. Cheka-KGB emblem: sword and shield The Cheka (ЧК - чрезвычайная комиссия) was the first of many Soviet secret police organizations, created by decree on December 20, 1917 by Vladimir Lenin and led by Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky. ... The NKVD (Narodnyi Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del (help· info))(Russian: НКВД, Народный комиссариат внутренних дел) or Peoples Commisariat for Internal Affairs was a government department which handled a number of the Soviet Unions affairs of state. ...

See also

A long detailed article about Chinese .45 caliber C96s