Some even found their way into the last days of the Old West.
Slow deliveries of theLuger P08forced the Germans to turn to the next best thing.
During the Great War approximately 137,000 C96 pistols were chambered in 9mm.
Most of these are distinguished by a large red 9 cut and painted into the broom handle pistol grip.
Onward and Upward
After World War I, the Mauser pistol was busier than ever.
During this period, demand for the Mauser pistol was high, particularly in China.
The original C96 pistol was expensive, and several Spanish manufacturers seized the opportunity to make copies.
The Royal/ETAI was the first to appear during 1926.
These pistols were dead-ringer lookalikes, but with rather crude mechanics compared to the Mauser originals.
The Royal pistols started out as semi-auto designs, and then were quickly upgraded to select-fire weapons.
In 1927, Astra began producing its Astra 900 to capitalize on Chinese demand.
As these machine pistols proved popular, Mauser followed suit with their M1932/M712 Schnellfeuerpistol.
This is how the original Mauser pistol was described:
This Mauser pistol was first manufactured in 1896.
After World War I, it was largely replaced by the Luger M08 and the later Walther designs.
The weapon has been manufactured by Spain, China, and Switzerland.
Exceptional design using no pins or screws in mechanical construction.
These are really hybrids intended for carbine-pistol use with the holster used as a stock.
Peacetime construction to the highest standards.
Wartime manufacture has always produced varying quality.
The Germans never made this pistol an official military standard.
This pistol is usually issued in a wooden holster shaped so as to form a shoulder stock.
The front end of this holster fastens rigidly to the lower end of the grip of the pistol.
Its penetration is very great indeed.
It is a particular favorite in Russia, Siberia, China and Malaya.
It will be found in general use as a subsidiary weapon in nations all over the world.
Used strictly as a pistol it is bulky and rather clumsy.
The front-heavy construction coupled with the slender grip creates a strange sensation in the shooters hand.
The Mauser is certainly not a natural pointer.
Even so, with some practice, good results can be achieved.
The 7.63x25mm cartridge, zipping along at around 1,400 fps, certainly helps.
By comparison, the M1911s .45 ACP cartridge seems almost plodding at 830 fps.
That is, until it hits someone.
It remains a viable, if venerable, battlefield handgun.
Both pistols are legends today and were also legends in the context of their own times.
They faced each other in two world wars and multiple other conflicts through the 1960s.
Every bit of combat-tested toughness is built into each Springfield Armory 1911 pistol.
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1911Mil-Spec
