Mauser 1896 C96 Broomhandle Pre-War Commercial Semi Auto & Shoulder Stock, C&R

SOLD FOR:$2,005
LSB#: 130829EV01
Make: Mauser
Model: 1896 Standard Pre-War Commercial
Serial Number: 250277
Year of Manufacture: 1911-1915 (www.oldguns.net)
Caliber: 7.63mm Mauser (.30 Mauser)
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Automatic with Internal Magazine
Markings: The top of the barrel/receiver at the chamber is marked “Waffenfabrik / Mauser / Oberndorf A/N”. The left side barrel/receiver diagonal is marked “250277”. The top rear of the bolt is marked “277” and with a double crowned “U”. The left side of the receiver is marked with a double crowned “U”. The back of the hammer and top of the bolt lock are marked “277”, and the lock frame and the back of the frame at the top of the grips are marked “250277”. The back of the frame is also marked with a script character that we find illegible. The right side of the frame is marked “Waffenfabrik Mauser / Oberndorf A. Neckar”. The flat on the bottom of the barrel is marked “U” and “Z”. The barrel just in front of the flat is marked with an “M” over a script character we can’t make out. The bottom of the left grip is marked with what appears to be a script “r”. The underside of both grips is marked “277”. There are no apparent import marks.
Barrel Length: 5 ½”
Sights / Optics: The pistol is mounted with a “V” notch rear sliding elevator sight with markings from “50-1000” that is similar to the war-time commercial production small ring hammer. The front sight is a fixed inverted “V” blade.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are grooved dark walnut with 32 grooves. The grips show handling and light compression marks, with deep compression marks from the lanyard ring on the bottom of the grip frame and shallow compression marks at the tops of the grips. There are no notable chips or cracks. The grip screw shows slight disfigurement, and its brass escutcheon shows tarnish. The grips rate in about Very Good to Fine overall condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: All Original
Bore Condition: The bore is gray, tending to dark at the muzzle. The rifling is shallow and there is erosion near the muzzle.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 75% of its metal finish. The barrel shows surface loss and pinprick surface erosion at the muzzle. The barrel also shows spots of surface loss and handling marks along its length, with deep scratches on the underside near the flat. The edges of the barrel/receiver show thinning. The sides of the receiver and frame show a few small spots of frosting. The front of the receiver shows some thinning, handling marks and frosting, with surface loss at the bottom. The bottom of the receiver shows thinning on its edges and handling marks, with light pinprick surface erosion behind the trigger guard. The front strap shows thinning, handling marks and light pinprick surface erosion, and the backstrap shows thinning. The bottom of the grip frame, the lanyard ring and its boss all have a dark brown patina. The serrations on the hammer and safety show surface loss and a few tiny compression marks. The markings are clear except for marks at the front of the barrel, which are obscure. Overall, this pistol rates in about Fine condition.
Mechanics: When the hammer is cocked, the receiver is has about ¼” of front to back play on the frame and may be incorrectly assembled. Otherwise, the action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a wooden holster/shoulder stock. It is walnut with a smooth finish. It has a spring loaded metal clasp at the front that locks the stock into the dovetailed slot in the backstrap of the pistol. The rear has a push-button release hinged cover that covers the grip of the gun when used as a holster and serves as a buttplate when attached to the pistol. The release holds the cover securely. The hinge for the top has a loop on its back side for attaching to a belt. The bottom side (when used as a shoulder stock) has a long crack on each edge that extends down the length of the wood for about 5” from the rear forward. There is also a crack from the back edge of the stock through the hole for the push-button release to its mounting screw hole. The wood also shows handling marks, small compression marks, and water staining. The checkering on the push-button release is sharp, but all metal shows erosion and has a brown patina. The stock is in Fair condition.
Our Assessment: The Broomhandle Model 1896 Mauser is certainly an interesting looking firearm. This pre-war Commercial is chambered in 7.63mm Mauser, and has all matching numbers, including the wooden grips. This is pistol is a very nicely preserved specimen of a pistol originally made 100 years ago, but shows holster wear and some deep scratches on the bottom of the barrel. It is in Fine condition except that the receiver has about ¼” of front to back play on the frame, which might be due to being incorrectly assembled. It comes with the correct wooden holster/shoulder stock, but the wood has three cracks in and metal furnishings show erosion. It is not often you find a Broomhandle in such good condition and with the correct shoulder stock, so Mauser collectors should take notice.