Finally got a Mauser Broomhandle. Just a few decades late. - Page 2

**44 AMP** · July 12, 2016, 02:27 AM

FYI, you can get a reprint of the original Mauser Manual (English) if you look around. I got one from Numrich (Gun Parts Corp), as well as some stripper clips. New (looking) ones are a bit spendy for a clip, used ones are dingy and a bit rusty, perhaps but can be cleaned up and are about half the cost.

Enjoy!

I nickenamed my Bolo, called it "Han" and not because is was Chinese (it was German)

Han Bolo,

and yes, Greedo shot FIRST!

MuzzleBlast · July 12, 2016, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Grail Guns (I know I should have a Python in that list).

Insert Monty Python reference...

tangolima · July 12, 2016, 08:08 PM

Clark, a member here, tried to figure out how lousy a broomhandle's action was by shooting insanely hot hand loads, way above max. He got pierced primers before the pistol showed signs of yielding. He opined that c96 was one of the strongest pistol actions ever made.

I am fortunate enough to own a c96, after waiting for 40 some odd years. I only shoot coated cast bullets through it, mostly because of the cost. It shares the same bullet with m1 carbine and tokarev. It shoots pretty well.

I like a heavier action spring (from Wolff). The bolt hardly slams on the bolt stop before going forward.

I managed to acquire a bolo upper for $350. I still like the normal length barrel better.

Enjoy and make sure to pick up spare parts for it whenever you see them at reasonable price. They are drying up.

-TL

James K · July 12, 2016, 09:16 PM

The C-96 is a strong action, but I still recommend sticking to loads that will function the action and not much more. The reasons are simple enough. The oldest Mauser actions are well over 100 years old, made with the metal and metallurgy of the late 19th century. Further, there is no guarantee that the quality, such as it was, at the time a gun was made was maintained through its long history.

I have seen a couple of Mauser C-96 pistols in which the firing pin channel ran out into the bottom of the grooves in the bottom of the bolt; one of those bolts had cracked almost all the way through, yet the owner was firing it, not being aware of the potential problem. I have seen bolts that broke, allowing the rear end to come back into the shooter's face; in one case, the lens of the user's shooting glasses was cracked, with the only the rim keeping the lens together and out of the user's eye.

So always check those old pistols, not just Mausers, before shooing them, then use the minimum load that will function the gun. And wear eye protection, always.

Jim

Deaf Smith · July 12, 2016, 09:49 PM

Great to find a Broomhandle.

Now you can play "Charles Vine", who was...

The 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World!

(for when you are second best, you have to try a little harder.)

Deaf

July 12, 2016, 02:27 AM	#26
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,846	FYI, you can get a reprint of the original Mauser Manual (English) if you look around. I got one from Numrich (Gun Parts Corp), as well as some stripper clips. New (looking) ones are a bit spendy for a clip, used ones are dingy and a bit rusty, perhaps but can be cleaned up and are about half the cost. Enjoy! I nickenamed my Bolo, called it "Han" and not because is was Chinese (it was German) Han Bolo, and yes, Greedo shot FIRST! __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

July 12, 2016, 09:49 PM	#30
Deaf Smith Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2000 Location: Texican! Posts: 4,453	Great to find a Broomhandle. Now you can play "Charles Vine", who was... The 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World! (for when you are second best, you have to try a little harder.) Deaf __________________ “To you who call yourselves ‘men of peace,’ I say, you are not safe without men of action by your side” Thucydides

July 12, 2016, 08:08 PM	#28
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,827	Clark, a member here, tried to figure out how lousy a broomhandle's action was by shooting insanely hot hand loads, way above max. He got pierced primers before the pistol showed signs of yielding. He opined that c96 was one of the strongest pistol actions ever made. I am fortunate enough to own a c96, after waiting for 40 some odd years. I only shoot coated cast bullets through it, mostly because of the cost. It shares the same bullet with m1 carbine and tokarev. It shoots pretty well. I like a heavier action spring (from Wolff). The bolt hardly slams on the bolt stop before going forward. I managed to acquire a bolo upper for $350. I still like the normal length barrel better. Enjoy and make sure to pick up spare parts for it whenever you see them at reasonable price. They are drying up. -TL

July 12, 2016, 09:16 PM	#29
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	The C-96 is a strong action, but I still recommend sticking to loads that will function the action and not much more. The reasons are simple enough. The oldest Mauser actions are well over 100 years old, made with the metal and metallurgy of the late 19th century. Further, there is no guarantee that the quality, such as it was, at the time a gun was made was maintained through its long history. I have seen a couple of Mauser C-96 pistols in which the firing pin channel ran out into the bottom of the grooves in the bottom of the bolt; one of those bolts had cracked almost all the way through, yet the owner was firing it, not being aware of the potential problem. I have seen bolts that broke, allowing the rear end to come back into the shooter's face; in one case, the lens of the user's shooting glasses was cracked, with the only the rim keeping the lens together and out of the user's eye. So always check those old pistols, not just Mausers, before shooing them, then use the minimum load that will function the gun. And wear eye protection, always. Jim