The Red Nine was produced for WW1, and was chambered for 9mm Parabellum, so as to be more interchangeable for ammo with the Luger and MP18. Officially called the Model 1916, a large red "9" was inscribed into the grips to distinguish it from the other Mausers that still took the 7.63 Mauser round. Only about 150,000 were produced.
10 shot, internal mag fed from stripper clips.



The 7.63 Model 1932 was produced for WW2, and is often known by it's commercial designation, the Model 712. It took removable 10 or 20 round mags, and was select fire. Also called the Schnellfeuer, (fast fire), this pistol had an incredible cyclic rate of 1,500-1,800 rpm.
The detachable shoulderstock/holster was the only way this beastie could be kept under control in full auto fire.

Hello, Hannah. May I ask a few questions about Broomhandles that seem to be not normal? The first one is in 30 Luger caliber (shoots fine)short bbl, adjustable front sight. It has extra numbers on the slide, rollmarked & blued, not handstamped...about 80%, mostly holster wear. What is it? ---- The other one, a friend is about to purchase, is in 30 Mauser, shoulderstock, nice shape, came in from Germany in the '30s. The main question is the Germans stamped numbers on the gun and shoulderstock when it left the country, for whatever reason. Just curious if the stamping detracts from the value significantly? The asking price, $1500, sounds reasonable with or without the extra stamping.  Thanks in advance, Gene

Calibers for the C96's are:
7.63 Mauser (most common chambering)
9 m/m Luger (unusual, but not rare)
9m/m Mauser Export (rare)
8.15 m/m (very rare, believed to be DWM cartridge no. 580)
9m/m Largo (some Spanish copies of the C96)
The Shansi Arsenal in China produced a Broomhandle in .45ACP, but this was not actually considered German production.

I have never heard of one in 7.65 Luger. Is the barrel marked as such? I also have not seen a Broomhandle with an adjustable front sight. Perhaps the upper on the pistol in question was a custom aftermarket addition? The short barreled (3.9") guns produced during the 20's and 30's are often referred to as Bolos, the word coming from the term "Bolshevik", as many of these guns were exported to Russia, and were the favorite sidearm of said Bolshevists. Many also found their way to China, and quite a few returning from there have had inferior grade Chinese parts added to them.

As to the second gun in question, If these are indeed 1930's German export numbers, I see very little reason for them to detract from the value of the gun; it would be merely an addition to it's historical path. Yet, I have never seen a 30's German export marked with anything other than the word "Germany", or "Made in Germany" as an export mark. Do the *original* serial numbers on the pistol and stock iron match? A scan of the gun and marks would be very handy to determine what the beastie actually is. There are many variations, from Commercial to Military, that would affect value on this rig. I would of course assume that all small parts, barrel, frame, etc. also are matching numbers on this gun?
Please refer to Kyrie Ellis' excellent history on C96's and tips for ensuring the safety of potential shooters on the following page:
www.recguns.com/IIIC2m1.html

This page will also be of help to try to pin down a better ID of the guns via serial # range, and physical description.
Once a solid ID is confirmed, a value will be easier to determine.

Thanks! The first gun has what looks like a luger barrel, dovetailed front sight. The extra rollmarked #s on the slide leads me to think it was issued as a police weapon and modified as a 30 luger (well done at that) All #s match except the hammer. The second gun was carried over here, not exactly imported commercially, and the story goes the German government had to stamp it before it left the country.  All #s match, stock & all. My goodness!, if these beauties could only talk! And thanks for the link.