Mauser C96 with Wooden Stock-Holster – Inert Replica

The Mauser C96 is one of the most distinctive semi-automatic pistols ever produced, immediately recognizable by its magazine positioned ahead of the trigger, long barrel, narrow grip and especially its unusual wooden combination stock and holster.

Development began at the Mauser works in Oberndorf during the 1890s. The design is generally credited to the brothers Fidel, Friedrich and Josef Feederle, who worked in Mauser's experimental department, while Paul Mauser subsequently played an important role in development, industrialization and patenting.

The first successful prototypes appeared in 1895, with production beginning in 1896.

The original C96 was a short-recoil operated semi-automatic pistol, initially most closely associated with the powerful 7.63 × 25 mm Mauser cartridge.

Its most common configuration used a fixed 10-round box magazine positioned ahead of the trigger, normally loaded from above with a stripper clip.

One of its most ingenious features was the wooden stock-holster. The pistol could be stored inside the wooden case; once removed, the same case could be attached to the rear of the grip and used as a shoulder stock.

This gave the C96 greater stability and created an unusual configuration somewhere between a conventional handgun and a compact carbine.

This inert replica reproduces that complete arrangement. It is manufactured from metal and wood, with a removable wooden stock-holster and a mechanical action that simulates cocking and firing.

The C96 enjoyed an exceptionally long and international career. It appeared in colonial campaigns, the First World War, interwar conflicts and revolutions, and remained in use during the Second World War.

During the First World War the German government contracted Mauser for a large quantity of C96 pistols chambered in 9 × 19 mm Parabellum to supplement supplies of the Luger P08.

Many of these pistols carried the famous large red numeral “9” cut into their wooden grips, warning users not to load them with 7.63 mm ammunition.

Another famous variation became known as the “Bolo Mauser”, a nickname associated with large quantities supplied to Russia and later the Soviet Union.

The pistol was also extremely important in China, where imported C96s and numerous locally produced copies saw extensive use.

In the English-speaking world the distinctive shape of the grip gave rise to the enduring nickname “Broomhandle Mauser.”

A particularly interesting historical detail concerns Winston Churchill: during the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, he carried a privately purchased Mauser C96 while taking part in the charge of the 21st Lancers.

The wooden stock-holster is therefore not merely an accessory but one of the defining engineering features of the C96 and an essential part of the configuration represented by this model.

Product specifications

• Full-size inert replica

• Metal and wood construction

• Removable wooden stock-holster

• Simulated cocking and firing mechanism

• Movable mechanical parts

• Overall length with stock: 65 cm

• Weight: 1,537 g