Broomhandle Mauser question

[Patocazador]

I have a Broomhandle Mauser in 7.63 Mauser that my dad picked up in Brazil years ago. He gave it to me before he passed away and I am trying to determine when it was made. It has a 4 digit serial number on many of the parts but I'm not sure if that is the full serial number. The gun was packed in cosmoline but is pitted and worn everywhere. The bore is fair with minor pitting. No symbols or writing is visible on the sides of the gun. If the gun only has a 66xx serial number, it was probably manufactured in 1897. It has the cone-type hammer and "Oberndorf A/N" stamped in front of the chamber.

Any help? Please.

 

[Patocazador]

Bump.

 

[Jim Watson]

I am not a C96 collector but the chart at:
http://www.northwest-denture.com/mauser1896/

Shows "1897-1899 SN 360-14999 ... cone hammer ..."

So I would say that you likely have a legitimate 4-digit Broomhandle.

 

[Patocazador]

Thanks Jim. I thought it might be. It's a shame that it's in such poor shape. It fires fine with the Serb ammo and I loaded up 50 rounds from new Starline hulls with Hornady 90 gr. HPs.
Its pitted finish makes it almost impossible to see any markings except the deeply-stamped ones.

 

[Trebor]

Thanks Jim. I thought it might be. It's a shame that it's in such poor shape. It fires fine with the Serb ammo and I loaded up 50 rounds from new Starline hulls with Hornady 90 gr. HPs.
Its pitted finish makes it almost impossible to see any markings except the deeply-stamped ones.
__________________

Personally, I think you should get the Broomhandle checked out by a smith familier with the design before you fire it again.

The markings sound like legit German manufacturer, but you should be aware that the Chinese also manuafactured the gun and, in many cases, imitated the German markings. I don't know that you know enough, right now, to know if it is indeed German or a Chinese clone.

Also, even if it German, there are safety concerns with 100 year old Broomhandles. The bolt stop might be peened or brittle after years of use and if the bolt stop fails the bolt will fly back into your face. The fact that it was "fired OK" in the past is no guarantee as the bolt stop only needs to fail once and the next round could be THE round to take it past it's limits.

At the very least, you should probably have new springs installed to replace the 100 plus year old original springs. The gun is likely battering itself to death at this point due to the worn springs being effectively undersprung.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

When I bought a C96 a few years back I made a point of getting new hammer and bolt springs (the hammer string absorbs a lot of the recoil) and had the firing pin spring checked.

 

[Patocazador]

Thanks for the safety advice. I was unaware of these potential hazards.