View Single Post
Old June 16, 2015, 10:48 AM   #21
Inner Dark
Member
 
Join Date: October 17, 2002
Location: VA
Posts: 28
Question 2, many of the red 9s flooding the market are do-overs done on imports from China with shot out barrels. Otherwise known as fakes or beater pistols. The desire to restore a pistol to shootable condition is understood, but the method chosen attempts to pass the pistol off as something it isn't and mutilating it and destroying collector value in the process.

3. Yes, SARCO back in the 80s, used to market a lower frame attachment that replaced the magazine floorplate with a device that accepted magazines from the select fire versions of the Mauser. They may still have some.

4. Go to gun broker for parts. Also Ebay for newly made bolt stops, Wolff for better springs, etc.

Chinese imports of the 80s ranged from absolutely trashed pistols, to rare gems. You sent in your $69 dollars and you prayed. Some importers took a bunch of trash pistols and cannibalized them to make 1 decent pistol, then sold the left over parts. At least one importer used trash pistols to make fake carbine variants and fake Red 9s which they sold at a higher price. Real Red 9s were a Prussian contract and have appropriate Prussia acceptance marks. None were sold to China as they didn't use that caliber. Many of the Mauser pistols imported from China were completely fake clones made in Chinese arsenals at various times. Many have poorly done fake Mauser markings, or no markings, or very strange markings. Many were made of sub-standard steel which lasted long enough to shoot one or two enemy, and no one cared after that. Here in the US the myth of the bolt stop failure where the bolt blows out the rear can often be traced to one of the Chinese clones. Some of the imports had/have Chinese made upper or lower receivers mated to Mauser made upper or lower receivers. Spotting those can be tricky as at least one half has the correct markings. At the same time, many authentic Mauser C96 pistols of various variants also came with the batch. Many are what is called the 'pre-war commercial' version, but also many bolos, earlier models, and of course M-30s. The Mausers, being unnecessarily large, were very popular in China where a man's stature was measured by how big his pistol was. Everyone wanted one. If they couldn't buy the real thing, they made a copy. At the same time China had trouble getting them into the country. Originally they were shipped through Japan, but when Japan invaded Manchuria, that stopped. Some came in through the Russia, but Stalin's USSR confiscated many. So there was pressure for the military to copy them too. That their arsenals in the early 1900s were stone age with inferior steels was not seen as a problem. Almost all of the imports have seen much actual combat. Chinese revolution, warlord rivalries, Japan's invasion, and of course Mao's rebellion, etc. The result is many are badly worn. China did refurbish some of them, mostly by mix and match methods, but shot out barrels are the norm. Also not uncommon are pistols with totally mismatched serial numbers. Chinese armorers didn't have time to worry about did this rear sight or bolt stop come from this pistol, or was it this one? They often just grabbed one from a box and threw it in there to make something that would shoot, so yes, sometimes you find pistols with a total mix of parts from different guns (both Chinese and Mauser) and telling that, if there is no mark on the part is hard. I bought 4 of them back in the day. Two were Chinese made, one was a Mauser but with mis numbered parts and one was a Mauser with all matching serial numbers. I sold 3, kept one and replaced the very worn out springs and shoot it at least two times a year with no problems. With decades of corrosive ammo through it, yes, the barrel is as dark as the gun's exterior, but the rifling is there. If you have a C96 you should first do some research. There are several vg websites dedicated to the Mauser pistols and their variants. Learn what you have and how to spot the fake Mauser and other stamps placed on the Chinese clones. They are clumsy pistols (and the shoulder stock combo or a 1,000 yard sight was just a marketing gimmick and the stocks fit too loose to be of any valuse for accuracy anyway). Still they are fun to shoot. Avoid 7.62 Tokarev ammo in them. For varied reasons Tokarev ammo has a bad reputation in them. Use only 7.63 ammo. Beware of Chinese clones with steel too soft.

Hope this helps.
Inner Dark is offline  
 
Page generated in 0.04021 seconds with 8 queries