Antique Mauser, details???

[pwd72s]

Okay, I'll admit, I know zilch about antique firearms. All my stuff is modern sporting rifles & pistols. Anybody care to give me the low down on broomhandle mausers? Value, history, etc? This is a pic of one owned by a friend in France. Hmmm, pic must be too big. couldn't post it. I'll try to describe. It's a MINT looking broomhandle mauser, complete with detachable rifle stock. I mean MINT.

[nota]

very hi value collectable esp in MINT

BEWARE OF REPRO'S

[pwd72s]

Thanks Nota, sorry I couldn't post the pic....My friend is a security chief for the French railroad system...thus, allowed to have a hangun there.

[Jim Bremner]

If you bring it into America, CHECK your laws carefully.

A pistol with a shoulderstock option may not be legall.

it will fall into "all other weapons" catagory

some states it might be legall..... but it will cost you to get
a all other weapons tax stamp

[tabs]

Many variations of the C96 were made from 1896 thru the 1930s. The value is dependent upon the rarity and desirabilty of the variation.

It is important that ALL the Numbers match, nearly every little part was numbered, including the shoulder stock to the gun. For the run of the mill Pre WW1 Commercial with matching stock in mint condition $2500 to a early Flatside with cone hammer...$4500. A Schnellenfurher (full automatic version from the 30s) might pull 8K to 10K. I maybe a little conservative on the pricing.

C96 prices were stagnant for many years, it is only in the past year to 2 years that they started upward again along with Lugers. The Collectable firearms market for the past year and half has been in a feeding frenzy mode. Prices as of this mornining remain strong for good quality items. It does seem that some types of guns have cooled...Lugers in paticular were very soft at a New Hampshire sale at the end of August. While Smith & Wesson Post WW2 N frame Revolvers(4 and 5 screw variations and pinned and recessed) in the same sale have continued to sell for strong prices.

[tabs]

BTw There are NO REPRODUCTION C96s. There were Chinese and Afgan copies of the gun being handmade during the period of manufacture, but these are usually crude affairs, and would have collectabilty unto themselves.

A great many C96s were imported into the US in the late 1980s and early 90s...MOST of them were in POOR CONDITION and had been REFINISHED. These guns would be considered to be shooters only and have a low value....under $500.

Also rare variations can be faked. The absolute BEST restorer of C96s and Lugers is a gentleman by the name of Gale Morgan who lives I believe in the San Jose area. I met him nearly 30 years ago, and believe me he can make any variation of rare Luger you want and an expert would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

[tabs]

C96 Mausers fall under the C&R provisions of the BATF, as they are more than 50 years old. Only the Schnellenfurher being an automatic needs the Class 3 Tax Stamp.

[pwd72s]

Thanks guys. Especially to you Tabby. No, I'm not going to try to bring this into the country. I got the impression that this broohandle has been in the hands of my friend's relatives for quite some time. He was just searching for more info, I believe.
I'm passing along a link to this thread.

[jdm61]

Originally posted by pwd72s
Thanks guys. Especially to you Tabby. No, I'm not going to try to bring this into the country. I got the impression that this broohandle has been in the hands of my friend's relatives for quite some time. He was just searching for more info, I believe.
I'm passing along a link to this thread.

Interesting. Being that it resides in France, you have to wonder if it might have been a souvenier from the Great War.

[pwd72s]

yeah, I wondered that as well. I did a search, found a site on the broomhandles, lists the entire production history. Interesting.
My friends pics didn't show enough detail to notice proof marks or serial numbers though. Here's the site. More than I needed to know about the gun:

http://www.g6csy.net/c96/database.html

[Joeaksa]

Years ago received a call early one morning from a good friend. Seems that he had done a ambulance flight several months before and they saved the kids life. Couple of months later the kid showed up to the medivac center and thanked Gary and the doctors for his help. He flew the medivac helo in Berlin Germany and still does to this day, a transplanted Texas boy.

The family invited him to dinner if he ever had time, and this happened a few weeks afterwards. They ended up becoming friends and after a bit the family asked if Gary would enjoy meeting their grandfather who fought in WW2. As most of us were WW2 buffs, he of course said yes. This was before the Berlin Wall fell and this entailed a journey through Checkpoint Charlie to East Berlin.

Several weeks later they met at the Grandfathers house in East Berlin. Everyone had a nice dinner and finally they got around to talking about the war. This happened a second time and at the second dinner the older gent asked Gary if he liked shooting and old weapons. Being from Texas of course Gary said yes.

The Grandfather dissappeared for about 15 minutes then returned with a small package, which he set on the dinner table in front of everyone. He slowly unwrapped the package and finally got to a small wooden box.

He opened the box and out came a P08 Luger in mint condition with matching numbers. It was a longer barrel tanker version with the clip on shoulder stock. They all looked at and admired the weapon and then put it back in the box and continued talking about everything. It seems that this was the weapon that the Grandfather was issued in the war and he kept it after the war, hidden in his attic all these years. In East Germany it was forbidden for most private citizens to own a weapon like this (hunting rifles or shotguns yes) so it had not been used in 50 years.

As Gary and the rest of the family left the house that night the Grandfather handed him the package containing the Luger, saying that he really appreciated what he had done, and that he could not be found with the weapon (East Berlin remember) and Gary would enjoy it more. An American in East Berlin during the Cold War, with an American car, with Texas license plates and a very illegal weapon onboard.... He put it in the trunk and headed towards Checkpoint Charlie. God was smiling on him that night and he was not searched.

This is why Gary called me early that morning. Anyone with a military ID could register weapons in Berlin with no questions asked, while a civilian with a weapons permit could have a weapon but the German authorities wanted to know where you received it, or it would be siezed. Gary sold me the Luger for $1 that day and I registered the gun on my military paperwork. Six months later I sold him the gun back for $1 and a beer (had to make some profit!) at which time he legally transferred it to his name on the German system.

Had dinner with Gary last night in Berlin (with Heinz Orlowski, a WW2 FW-190 pilot, look that name up for some history!) and we went over old times and the subject of the Luger came up. He still has it and is still friends with the family whose son he helped save. He also has a Broomhandle Mauser and its fun to go out shooting and compare the two.

Sorry for the rambling post but the Broomhandle shoots very nice but the Luger feels better in your hand. Personally I do not like the Luger for one reason, the spent shells come out of the top of the gun and hit the shooter on the head. Not a problem when wearing a helmet but otherwise well worth wearing a hat. The Broomhandle does not do this and is just as accurate and fun to shoot.

[jdm61]

The Luger is a great feeling pistol. It almost has a target pistol grtip angle much like the larger Glocks. The nly problem with it is that it was typically German. Beautifully desinged and crafted but a bit complicated for the average snuffy in the field. That was not only an issue with the Luger when compared to the 1911, but with German weapons in general, the Mauser rfiles excepted. The German 105mm howitzer of WWII was a beautiful gun that was incredibly well built, but it had TWICE as many parts as a US 105 or British 25 pounder. Over engineered like an S-Class Mercedes or 7 series BMW....lol

[id10t]

There is a local dealer (Harry Beckwith - google him for his using a machine gun to drive off robbers) who is not only older than dirt (I'm amazed he's still going!), but has a *massive* luger collection. Its moved to his house now, but it used to be in his shop - hundreds of 'em.

[tabs]

Its called an Artillery Luger Joe...7 1/2 inch barrel. Used in WW1 as a submachine gun type of weapon. They also had 75 round Snail Drum for more firepower.