Austrian Mauser C96 Brromhandle 1896 .30 Mauser Wartime Commercial Semi-Auto Pistol MD 1916-17 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1,625.00
LSB#: 
190409RR03

Make: Mauser

Model: 1896, C96

Serial Number: 393411

Year of Manufacture:1916-1917 (Austrian contract was 1916, acceptance mark is 1917)

Caliber: 7.63x25mm Mauser (.30 Mauser Automatic)

Action Type: Single Action Semi –Auto with Internal Magazine

Markings: The top of the barrel at the chamber is marked with an eagle and “WAFFENFABRIK / MAUSER / OBERNDORF A/N”, the left shoulder with “393411”, the left side with a crowned “U”, the right shoulder with Austrian “W.n.” eagle and “17” acceptance mark and the right side with Austrian “HV” eagle and “30” acceptance mark. The top rear of the bolt is marked with crown over “U” and “411” and the top of the bolt stop is marked “411”. The right side of the frame is marked “WAFFENFABRIK MAUSER / OBERNDORF A. NECKAR”. The flat on the underside of the barrel has inspection marks. The barrel just in front of the flat is marked with “M” or “W”. The rear face of the frame and lock frame are marked with “393411”. The rear face of the hammer is marked with an “SN” monogram (Neues Sicherung/New Safety) and “005”. The inside of the left grip panels is stamped “411”, the right “973”. The sear disconnector is marked “411”. The bolt locking block is marked “3411”. The magazine floorplate is marked “3411” on the inside.

Barrel Length: 5.5”

Sights / Optics: The pistol is mounted with a “V” notch rear sliding elevator sight with markings from “50-1000” that is pinned to the barrel extension. The front sight is an inverted “V” notch integral to a rectangular base fixed to the barrel.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are walnut with 33 grooves in the left panel and 30 in the right. The left panel is well fit to the frame, the right is slightly proud to the frontstrap. The grip panels have light hanlding wear with several scattered light compressions, nicks, dings and thinning finish. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Good-Very Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Refinished, likely aresenal refurbished from the 1930 Austrian re-acceptance.

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright. The rifling is sharp. There is very light erosion throughout the bore.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 90% of its current metal finish. There are several scattered light marks, scrapes and scratches with light finish wear on the outside edges of the barrel extension’s rails, at the muzzle and on the magazine’s floorplate. There appears to be operational wear at the stock-slot on the backstrap from the use of a stock. The screw head is lightly tool marked with a strong slot. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Very Good-plus condition as refinished.

Mechanics: The rear of the frame is slotted for a shoulder stock and the bottom of the grip has a lanyard ring. The barrel extension is tight to the frame. The action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes in a black leather flap holster with storage between the flap and the body of the holster for two stripper clips (not included) and on the front edge of the holster for a cleaning rod. The holster is not marked. It has scattered light wear with intact stitching, in about Very Good-plus condition.

Our Assessment: The Broomhandle Model 1896 Mauser is certainly an interesting looking firearm, with an internal magazine forward of the grip, short-recoil operating system with a locking bolt and a very ambitious tangent sight graduated to 1000 meters. Introduced in 1896, the pistol was originally a very slow seller. Thankfully for the C96, if not for the rest of the world, the Great War changed all of that, and thousands upon thousands were ordered by the Central Powers for their armed forces. This example is a wartime commercial pistol purchased by Austria-Hungary. The contract for the Austrian Mausers was signed in 1916, but this pistol wasn’t accepted until 1917, and appears to have been re-accepted after the war in 1930. The pistol is about Very Good condition with 90% of its current finish remaining. The bore is semi-bright with light wear in the rifling and very light erosion scattered throughout the bore. There were only about 50,000 of these pistols purchased by the Austrians, and one can only guess as to what number survived the trench warfare of WWI. For the WWI, German, or Austrian small arms collector, this is a nice find. Please see our photos and good luck!

CA Legal or CA Private Party Transferable: This C&R eligible pistol CAN be transferred in California and CAN be sold to a California resident as a private party transaction (PPT) at our shop in Simi Valley. All cartridge firing handguns (even C&R’s and antiques) sold to a California resident must be DROS’d. This does not apply to out of state buyers.

Austrian Mauser C96 Brromhandle 1896 .30 Mauser Wartime Commercial Semi-Auto Pistol MD 1916-17 C&R
Austrian Mauser C96 Brromhandle 1896 .30 Mauser
Wartime Commercial Semi-Auto Pistol MD 1916-17 C&R