So I recently bought a Mauser C96 Broomhandle (WW1 Commercial). I had it checked out by a gunsmith who told me he believed it to be quote "a solid pistol" that would be safe to fire. I had bought some factory 7.63x25 (.30 Mauser) ammunition at a few shows. After thoroughly cleaning it and oiling it, I took it to the range and fired 10 rounds out of it. When I went to reload, I noticed that the bolt looked different and wasn't opening and closing properly. What happened was the top corners of the front of the bolt which hold the extractor spring had been blown off. So now I have a broken C96 that needs a new bolt. What the hell happened? I used the correct ammunition, the pistol was complete and operational (prior to firing) and there didn't seem to be any cracks on the bolt or anywhere. Some people have suggested its just a matter of aged metal and that the gun was too old to fire. Yet I've seen people fire such pistols on the range continuously with no problems. Could it be the powder they use in ammunition today? How do I know a replacement bolt won't do the same thing? Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Problem with a Mauser C96 "Broomhandle"...
- Thread starter Teppo87
- Start date
Whoa...very disappointing.
I bring no suggestions, just a heartfelt...total bummer.
Broomhandles are one of my Want one guns from when I was like, 10 til now.
To have acquired one & have it break after 10 rd's.
My lower lip would be trembling; I swear.
I bring no suggestions, just a heartfelt...total bummer.
Broomhandles are one of my Want one guns from when I was like, 10 til now.
To have acquired one & have it break after 10 rd's.
My lower lip would be trembling; I swear.
Well it is 100 years old, sometime metal just breaks. There could have been cracks that weren't visible to the naked eye. You could get a new bolt and either, not fire it, or maybe get the bolt x-rayed or magnafluxed to check for any hidden problems...,ot much else I could suggest, but then again I've never ever seen a broomhandle mauser. Just my 2 cents on random metal failure.
Sorry to hear about your loss, disappointing is an understatement. If you could post some pictures, I'm sure it would aid in figuring out what happened. I'm sure he'll be along shortly, but Nabs should be able to help you out with Broomhandle advice.
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
Nabs is a great guy to ask on this matter. Give it a shot, and try to take a picture of the area for us.
Probably the failure was due to metal fatigue or hot ammo.
Old guns will simply just break sometimes (one reason I have never shot my all matching broomhandle, I just don't want to break some small matching part). Some guns break more than often, WWII G/K43's are know for breaking and problems are generally related to metal fatigue or hot ammo.
I know boom handles specifically are known for being picky on ammo. Lugers have similar problems.
Old guns will simply just break sometimes (one reason I have never shot my all matching broomhandle, I just don't want to break some small matching part). Some guns break more than often, WWII G/K43's are know for breaking and problems are generally related to metal fatigue or hot ammo.
I know boom handles specifically are known for being picky on ammo. Lugers have similar problems.
You got to be careful when it come to ammo regarding .30 Mauser, are you sure the ammo you bought at gun show are .30 Mauser? Don't forget 7.62X25Tokarev are dimensionally the same as .30 Mauser, some of those surplus Eastern Bloc countries ammo are load for sub-machine gun like PPSH and much hotter and should not be use in a 100 yrs old pistol.
Too bad for your mishap.
Too bad for your mishap.
ghostntheshell
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- GTA ONTARIO
A heartfelt sorry to you..
Always wanted a broomhandle too.
Always wanted a broomhandle too.
Ouch, thats metal fatigue alright. A new bolt may be in order for this one. Not impossible to find but you may have to dip into the U.S. to find one.
I used Sellier and Bellot 7.63 Mauser ammo for my pre-war commercial and she loved it without having any issues.
Did you hand load for yours ? If so, what load, powder, and bullet type were you using ? I hope you didn't use 7.62x25 Tokarev ammo as it will fit in a C96 but the pressures are at or above the max limit for the C96.
I used Sellier and Bellot 7.63 Mauser ammo for my pre-war commercial and she loved it without having any issues.
Did you hand load for yours ? If so, what load, powder, and bullet type were you using ? I hope you didn't use 7.62x25 Tokarev ammo as it will fit in a C96 but the pressures are at or above the max limit for the C96.
- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario
That is definately depressing. I'm now having 2nd thoughts about firing my c96 I just inherited. All the numbers match on mine, but I don't have the wood holster/stock.
Looking back at the pictures posted, it looks like the metal was a clean break without jagged edges. The same break seems to be mirrored on both sides rather evenly.
I am wondering if you would be able to get a close up macro shot of these two areas on the bolt and of the two pieces that snapped off so we can see the breakage pattern.
I'll be checking my C96 for any metal fatigue, cracks..etc in these areas.
As far as ammo cases go, I noticed you mentioned ".30 Mauser". I had some sellers at a gunshow that I frequent direct me to purchase some ".30 Luger" cases for my C96 but I pointed out that there are differences between the 7.63 Mauser and .30 Luger. It appeared that since the caliber was not commonly used anymore, little mistakes like that do occur. I thought about it and realized that .30 Luger is the caliber and cartridge used in Swiss lugers so I knew it would not work in my C96. I ended up going home empty handed that time.
I hope you did not fall into the same potential trap. Are you able to post pictures of the head stamp of the ammo you were using and perhaps the last case that was in the C96 when the breakage was noticed ?
I am wondering if you would be able to get a close up macro shot of these two areas on the bolt and of the two pieces that snapped off so we can see the breakage pattern.
I'll be checking my C96 for any metal fatigue, cracks..etc in these areas.
As far as ammo cases go, I noticed you mentioned ".30 Mauser". I had some sellers at a gunshow that I frequent direct me to purchase some ".30 Luger" cases for my C96 but I pointed out that there are differences between the 7.63 Mauser and .30 Luger. It appeared that since the caliber was not commonly used anymore, little mistakes like that do occur. I thought about it and realized that .30 Luger is the caliber and cartridge used in Swiss lugers so I knew it would not work in my C96. I ended up going home empty handed that time.
I hope you did not fall into the same potential trap. Are you able to post pictures of the head stamp of the ammo you were using and perhaps the last case that was in the C96 when the breakage was noticed ?
A GOOD machinist/welder can Heliarc that up so nicely that the GUN won't remember anything going wrong. Good thing is that the welding process is very limited as to size and the locking recesses are a long way back from the breaks. A GOOD Heliarc man can do it: I have seen worse things repaired beautifully.
I would suggest taking it to a shop which does repair/rebuild work on aero engines.
A proper repair will leave the now-broken part in just as good shape as it was in the day it was made.
Hard old steel, hot rounds (they do happen, even with the right stuff) plus the effects of age and sometimes a bit of sloppiness in the heat-treating department (it did happen in wartime and a LOT of these were wartime guns)....... well, doo-doo do happen.
Hope you can get her up and running again; Mausers are fun!
.
I would suggest taking it to a shop which does repair/rebuild work on aero engines.
A proper repair will leave the now-broken part in just as good shape as it was in the day it was made.
Hard old steel, hot rounds (they do happen, even with the right stuff) plus the effects of age and sometimes a bit of sloppiness in the heat-treating department (it did happen in wartime and a LOT of these were wartime guns)....... well, doo-doo do happen.
Hope you can get her up and running again; Mausers are fun!
.
Considering the ammo issue, I'd have to wonder whether feeding an antique Mauser broomhandle some light handloads might be the way to go for those who must shoot them, even if the bolt must be hand cycled?
It'd be just too easy to end up with Tokarev ammo way too hot for the gun.
Presumably the bolt is serial numbered and changing it out will yield a mismatch? Is it all matching?
Smellie- do you have a shop in mind for a repair of the quality you described?
Sad indeed.
It'd be just too easy to end up with Tokarev ammo way too hot for the gun.
Presumably the bolt is serial numbered and changing it out will yield a mismatch? Is it all matching?
Smellie- do you have a shop in mind for a repair of the quality you described?
Sad indeed.
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Non sponsor but excellent gunsmith Jason Spencer in Ottawa has a C96 on his business cards. He inspected a Chinese surplus C96 for me, and had all the right words and descriptions. If you have the two chips off the block, he might be able to repair the gun. Find him, and make a short call. He'll come across as rude and short-tempered on the phone because he is busy, but you'll get his honest opinon.
And to echo the others, bummer!
And to echo the others, bummer!
