Got the broomhandle itch again....

I traded into a couple of 1930's vintage C96's a few years ago. There were several things that drew me to them, (a) it worked out that I had a mere $130 each in them, (b) Since there was no original finish, I could shoot them without damaging an original finish gun. The bores were shot out on both so it was a no-brainer to have one bored out to 9mm. The other I wound up selling to a friend of mine for what I had in it.

I doubt seriously that I will get it refinished, as there are so many rust pits in it that a fresh bluing job would be like putting lipstick on a pig.

Peter, I would go for a 7.63mm if you find a good one. Winchester is making 7.62X25 ammo which shoots beautifully in the old guns but there is one thing you should always do when shooting any older gun. After determining that it IS safe to shoot....get hew springs in it! Wolff and others have spring kits for just about anything that shoots or ever did shoot. They are cheap ins. A complete kit for a C-96 is only around $30. This brings us to another subject that has been hotly debated here on the forum: Is it safe to shoot 7.62X25 tokarev ammo in a broomhandle? The answer is yes. I don't know where this rumor that the Russians loaded Tokarev ammo hotter than Mauser ammo got started but It has been repeated so often I have ever seen it in American Rifleman. The truth is the Russians copied the Mauser round exactly, right down to the loading. I have cartridge collector friends that tell me there is no such thing as "hot submachine gun ammo" in 7.62X25. The Yugoslavians DID load a rather hot number for their CZ 52, I believe, but I don't know for positive. I have never seen any but if you do find any I would not shoot it in a broomhandle, better to err on the side of caution. I have a thirty year old Cartridges of the World book. It shows the Mauser round at 1410 FPS and the Tokarev at 1390. The Mauser has a barrel one inch longer. Sounds like the same load to me.

The problem with a rumor being started is that if you hear it enough times, and especially if you see it in print, you begin to believe it. A classic example is the Browning Hi-power. It was the last gun John Browning designed, Right? You have heard that all of your life and it is false. John browning had almost nothing to do with the Hi-power, he certainly never saw one, he died many years before it went into production. He did submit a prototype which was rejected, and was re-engineered by a Frenchman, that design was accepted. The same situation exists with the rumor that 7.62X25 ammo is too hot for a broomhandle. It isn't

I have heard some people say the broomhandle is a weak action, barely strong enough for the cartridge it shoots. Considering the cartridge it shoots is pretty damn hot; I find this to be a curious statement. Consider this: C-96s, for a few years, were chambered for the 9X25 Mauser round. That one made the 38 Super look puny. It fired a 128gr bullet at 1360 feet per second, which is pushing 357 magnum velocites. Weak....it is not.

I have two broomhandles. Both made in the thirties, one has never been fired after being proofed and is still gooped in cosmoline. It will never be fired. My shooter has digested by actual count, over 4,000 rounds of tokarev ammo without a problem. When I mix Mauser(Fiocchi) and Tokarev (Chinese, Winchester white box, various surplus brands) and fire them I cant really detect any difference. I don't have a chronograph but I suspect they would all be close together in velocity.

In closing, I would advise you grab a good 30 cal. if you see one. The ammo can be ordered from Winchester ( It is actually loaded in the Czech Republic)and RCBS makes dies. Have fun!

"Broomhandle Itch"
I hear there's a cream for that

Worst case, you can always pull down the Tokarev ammo and download a grain or two, if you're that worried. Not the neck-splitting corrosive stuff, but who would shoot corrosive through a broomhandle anyway?

I recently picked up a well-worn C96 (missing the sight detent button and a broken mag spring), and aside from the new spring kit, there's but a wee-bit of rifling left. This is the case with the majority of them, from what I understand. Has anyone successfully had one of these barrels relined? I figure 30 Mauser may be pushing what a simple drill/liner job held in with epoxy/solder is capable of.

TCB

If you are going to shoot it, get a refurb. They don't have the collector value, but look nice, and have new, or newer springs. They still aren't "cheap". They are not as fun to shoot as might think, but they are still cool.

barnbwt has a good point, you can always pull bullets and drop the charge a bit. I do that to shoot 38 Super ammo in my Astra 400. But you will find that if you reduce the charge, even slightly, the Tokarev ammo won't cycle the Mauser's action. Anything past about 10% will do it. I will warn you that bullets for reloading will be rather hard to find, unless you can handle the thought of using cast. I have never tried using a 110 gr M-1 carbine bullet with a reduced charge, but I think such a project would be possible.

There were some brought in a few years ago that I guess whould qualify as refurbs. Shot one at the range once and it handled and shot very well, much better than I expected. A real classic!

I had a refurb for a while. Quite nicely done and bored out to 9mm. The only problem I had was the mag spring. I could only load six rounds in it. A new spring and I could get ten rounds in it. The amount of muzzle flip is surprising, even when average hand loaded rounds were used. I doubt anyone ever got a square imprint in their forehead. Sold it due to economics, but can say I had one once.

I doubt seriously that I will get it refinished, as there are so many rust pits in it that a fresh bluing job would be like putting lipstick on a pig.

Click to expand...

Or you could do this.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sCReGjfZ_A

Nice buy! You won't regret scratching the itch. Post up a pic, we'd like to see it.

I'm a big fan of the old Broomhandles, so much history and style, even if not the best shooters ever made. I replaced the springs in mine with new Wolff springs, then worked up a load that was just hot enough to cycle the action. It is a pleasant shooter, but not one I take out a lot.

forindooruseonly. Wow. That's a beautiful looking broomhandle! the stock is nicely figured, unlike mine, which is rather plain looking walnut.

Nice pistols. I always had the broomhandle itch. Just cant find any

A dear friend of mine has a C-96 in 9 mm. We put a couple of hundred rounds through it this past Sunday. While I grant that it is an engineering marvel, is imbued with history, and looks great, it is a miserable SOB to shoot well. It does fine with the shoulder stock mounted, but shooting it off hand is tough. There is nothing ergonomic about the broom handle and the novelty wears off pretty quick. I'd love to have one to admire and fondle, but it wouldn't see much trigger time. .

My '' broom" C-96 ...came from my Dad ... He brought it back from Germany , after surviving .... #"The Batle of METZ" 95 th Infantry (Fort Driant & Lorraine Campaign)

SER# 382325 (Wartime.. COMERCIAL VERSION ) 4 original stripper clips
Date ...late 1916 -1917 ?? Correct me ; if you really know.

7.63 x 25 .... All matching #'s even the stock / Holster.

Tark: thanks! Yeah I'm pretty proud of it, it makes me happy.

Peter: that will be an interesting write up. Seems hard to think that they saw service at the same time, but they certainly did. Just funny how one is regulated to the obsolete pile and the other, just a few years newer in design, still sees service. The turn of the century through the 1920s is such a fascinating time for handgun development. Looking forward to reading it.

I shoot a 763 refurbished broomhandle - It works like a sewing machine when I use Finochhi ammo. It's uncannily accurate. There is no recoil.

Buy one.

My brother has a Mauser Broomhandle that he picked up years ago from a local gunsmith. The gunsmith completely refurbished the guns (I believe they were mainly Chinese imports), and it's been fine, though used very little since he got it.

Peter, do you know of a source for the stripper clips? I have none. Thanks.

I am not sure what part you are calling the locking block, but the locking block doesn't touch the frame, only the bolt and the lock frame. If you mean the bolt stop, I have never seen one break, but I have seen a pistol in which the bolt itself broke, leaving the rear half come back in the shooter's face. Fortunately, his eyes were protected by high quality shooting glasses and he was not injured. The cause was determined to be runout of the firing pin channel, creating a crack that spread across the bolt.

Jim