Mauser C96

Contract variants

Mauser's first military contract was with the Ottoman government in 1897, ordering 1,000 pistols for the royal palace guards. These had their own serial number range (1 to 1000), used Persian numerals on the tangent sight and serial number, and were marked with the Muslim year "1314" instead of the Gregorian year. They bore a six-pointed star on both sides of the chamber and the crest of Sultan Abdul Hamid II on the left rear frame panel.

Many were locked away under the sultan's rule due to fear of coups, but after the Young Turk Revolution of 1908–1909 they were issued to the army and police. They saw heavy use in World War I and were later sold cheaply, so few survive today. In 1899, the Italian government ordered 5,000 C96 pistols for the Italian Royal Navy, the first major military contract.

These had slab-sided receivers (lacking side milling) and a ring hammer instead of the early cone hammer, with serial numbers 1 to 5000. The Persian government ordered 1,000 pistols with the "Lion and Sun" insignia on the left receiver panel and serial numbers 154000 to 154999, often confused with the Turkish contract. Austria-Hungary ordered 50,000 Mausers in 7.63×25mm, with a small number rebarreled to 8mm Gasser for unknown reasons.

Major variants

Several variants of the C96 existed beyond the standard commercial model. An experimental pistol-carbine for light cavalry had slab-sided receivers, a standard 10-round magazine, a permanently affixed wooden stock and forend, and a lengthened barrel of 300 mm (early) or 370 mm (late). Production ended after 1899 due to poor sales, and it is now a highly prized collectable worth about twice the pistol version; replica carbines with 16-inch or longer barrels have been imported by companies like Navy Arms. A version with a full-sized grip, six-shot internal magazine, and a 120 mm barrel was phased out by 1899.

Another variant, unofficially named after the US Army designation for the Mauser pistol in its self-loading trials, had a curved wooden or hard-rubber grip resembling that of the Reichsrevolver. The first model cut for a combination wooden stock-holster attached via a slot in the grip frame. The first model chambered for the 9×25mm Mauser Export cartridge, designed for South American and Chinese markets, had an indentation in the magazine follower, a 13:8 rifling twist, and longer flat surfaces around the chamber for higher pressures. This caliber declined during World War I but saw a resurgence as a submachine gun round in the 1930s.

Notable copies

In China, the Mauser C96—called the "Box Cannon"—was the most common pistol from the beginning of the Republic in 1912. It was imported from Germany and Spain (Astra 900 and MM31) but mostly produced locally in arsenals such as Hanyang, Shanghai, Gongxian, and Shanxi; Hanyang alone made about 13,000 copies. During the Warlord era, Shanxi warlord Yan Xishan equipped his troops with a locally made copy of the Thompson submachine gun in .45 ACP, but his sidearms were 7.63mm C96s, creating supply difficulties. To standardize ammunition, he produced a .45 ACP version of the C96, designated Type 17, at the Taiyuan Arsenal from 1928 to 1931.

These were inscribed "Type 17" on the left side and "Republic Year Eighteen, Made in Shansi" on the right, and were issued to railway guards. The Type 17 had a larger frame, a 10-round magazine extending below the trigger guard, a 140 mm barrel, and was loaded with two five-round stripper clips; it shares no interchangeable parts with other C96 variants. Most were melted down after the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War due to the odd caliber, though some were exported. About 8,500 are believed to have been produced, but debate exists over how many on the market are original versus recent productions for US collectors.

Users

The C96 was issued to police in several countries. Finland received 1,000 from Germany for the Jaeger Movement and later the Finnish White army, with additional orders in 1919 including some in 7.65mm; by World War II, 614 remained, used by the civil guard and rear echelon troops, as well as by policemen and some Lotta Svärd members. Germany issued 137,000 of the "Red 9" variant to the Army during World War I, and privately purchased by officers in the military and colonial police. Italy bought 5,000 slabside C96s in 1899 for the navy, later also issued to the air force during World War I, and captured 700 commercial models from an Austrian ship.

Brazil's Federal District police acquired some early in the 20th century, ordered 500 M1932 pistols in 1930, and some police forces obtained Royal MM34 pistols; two Royal machine-pistols with 15-round magazines were used by Alagoas police in the raid that killed Lampião. The C96 was used by Jewish militias in Palestine before Israel's formation, including the Schnellfeuer variant, and remained in service at least until spring 1950. Latvia used some in police until the 1930s, gradually replaced by the Walther PP, and the army had about 65 by April 1936. Other users included Ethiopia (bodyguard of Emperor Haile Selassie), Estonia (after 1919 independence), and Indonesia (during the National Revolution).

Did You Know?

• The C96 was used by Vlado Chernozemski to assassinate Yugoslav king Alexander I in Marseille in 1934.
• Ian Fleming outfitted agents of SMERSH in the James Bond series with Mausers on the advice of firearms expert Geoffrey Boothroyd.
• The Japanese toy maker Epoch Co. created a plastic replica of a Mauser C96 as a light gun for its TV Game System 10 console in 1977.