Mauser C96 Pistol with Genuine Wood Grips – Inert Replica

The Mauser C96 is one of the most distinctive and recognizable semi-automatic pistols of the first half of the 20th century. Patented in 1895 and produced from 1896 at the Mauser works in Oberndorf am Neckar, it was among the early self-loading pistols to achieve significant international success.

Much of the design was developed by the brothers Fidel, Friedrich and Josef Feederle, technicians employed at Mauser, while Paul Mauser subsequently oversaw its patenting and production. The C96 featured a highly unconventional layout for its time, markedly different from the semi-automatic pistols that would become standard during the following decades.

One of its most recognizable features was the fixed magazine positioned ahead of the trigger guard. On the classic versions it was loaded from above using a stripper clip. The narrow grip with its characteristic grooved wooden panels gave the pistol its famous English nickname, the “Broomhandle” Mauser.

The cartridge most closely associated with the C96 was the 7.63 × 25 mm Mauser, which achieved remarkably high velocity by contemporary handgun standards. Numerous variants were nevertheless manufactured with different magazine capacities and chamberings.

The C96 saw one of its first significant military uses during the Second Boer War, where it became particularly popular among British officers. It subsequently appeared in numerous conflicts and achieved widespread military and commercial distribution throughout Europe and Asia.

During World War I, Germany's requirement for additional service pistols led to the use of a C96 variant chambered for 9 × 19 mm Parabellum. Approximately 150,000 pistols were marked with a large number “9” cut into the wooden grips and filled with red paint. This marking warned users not to load the pistols with 7.63 mm ammunition. These examples are now widely known as the “Red 9” or “Rote Neun”.

The C96 also became particularly important in Russia and China. During the 1920s, shorter versions associated with the Soviet market acquired the Western nickname “Bolo Mauser”, generally linked to the word “Bolshevik”. In China, the pistol became so popular that numerous local variants and copies were produced.

Despite being a design originating in the late 19th century, C96 pistols remained in service in various parts of the world during World War II, more than four decades after their introduction.

This inert replica is constructed primarily from metal and fitted with genuine wood grip panels featuring the characteristic grooved pattern. Its movable mechanism simulates loading and trigger operation without being capable of firing projectiles.

The replica measures 32 cm in overall length and weighs approximately 1,120 g, reproducing the substantial dimensions and unmistakable appearance of the historical pistol.

Collector's note: the distinctive C96 silhouette later gained an unexpected place in cinema history. A modified C96 served as the basis for Han Solo's famous DL-44 blaster in the original Star Wars trilogy, making the “Broomhandle” profile recognizable far beyond the field of historical arms collecting.

Technical specifications

• Type: inert collector's replica

• Model reproduced: Mauser C96

• Original model introduced: 1896

• Materials: metal and wood

• Grip panels: genuine wood

• Overall length: 32 cm

• Weight: 1,120 g

• Mechanism: simulated loading and trigger action

• Operation: incapable of firing projectiles

• Historical period: World War I and World War II

• EAN: 8435089790245