[ This video has been updated to include better information courtesy of Mauro Baudino at the Paul Mauser Archive. Some of the editing is choppy as a result. ]
Hi guys, thanks for tuning in to another video on ForgottenWeapons.com.
I'm Ian McCollum, and I am here today at Legacy Collectibles
taking a look at a "Red Nine". This is an iconic
version of the C96 Broomhandle Mauser pistol.
And these were guns that were actually ordered
for wartime use during the First World War.
So this pistol was not, contrary to some assumptions,
not actually adopted by the German military prior to World War One.
It was German in origin, it was the first really commercially practical
and successful self-loading pistol.
But the German military didn't adopt it, they ended up adopting the Luger in 1908 instead.
(1904 by the Navy; 1908 by the Army)
So, by 1915 the German army was having a significant handgun shortage.
And as we can see from looking at what else they adopted,
they kind of went out there and said, "We'll take whatever you got."
They preferred 9mm Parabellum,
it was the standard sidearm cartridge that was used in the Luger.
And it was a good potent cartridge.
But during World War One they accepted a whole bunch of
.32 ACP (or 7.65 Browning) calibre pistols as well, those would do the job.
They were a weaker cartridge,
but that meant that they could be made in simple blowback pistols.
And that was easier and cheaper, and there were a lot of the
small-scale manufacturers that were able to supply those.
But of course, if you're looking for pistols in World War One Germany,
and you're trying to figure out, "What can we get made?" the C96 Mauser is an obvious option.
The German government contracted for 150,000 of these pistols chambered for 9mm Parabellum.
Which wasn't really a normal thing. Mauser made these guns in 7.63 Mauser calibre, 7.63x25mm.
So in order to fulfil the government contract
... it only took minor changes to adapt these guns to 9mm Parabellum.
And per German government requirements,
they carved this really big numeral nine, which was then painted red
(the paint's kind of faded out of this one), into the guns.
And this is because existing 7.63 calibre C96 pistols that were already floating around
had been brought into service as substitute standard guns.
Well, now you're bringing in 9mm versions of the same thing,
and this is a gun that anyone who was experienced with handguns would say,
"Ah! It's a C96 Mauser, it's in 7.63 millimetre."
Well, we don't want to interchange the two, we don't want to mix them up.
Keep it very clear what gun is what, so the 9mm ones get big red nines engraved into the grips.
Now, there is one little marking that will be found on most of these,
and they've got their own serial number range.
So let's take a minute and take a closer look at exactly what we've got here.
So as you saw the pistol a moment ago it was snapped into its shoulder stock,
which is certainly something that you could do
if you wanted to make a nice precision shot.
However, probably far more common for it to be left in this configuration.
When these were purchased by the German government
you got a whole rig. Or rather, the Germans got a whole rig.
You got the pistol, the combination holster/stock.
So we can unsnap this.
There is a button right here that allows us to open up
(gently) the holster.
And then the whole gun fits
right there inside,
and that is how you would actually carry this.
So in conventional use
... the holsters would originally have had a little lanyard ring on them.
And the Red Nines did not.
Instead they had this piece of leatherwork that ... the holster nested into.
And it's got a strap on top to secure the whole thing in there.
It's got a pocket here which is actually for a spare magazine spring and follower.
And then a pocket here and here that was for a handled cleaning rod.
And then on the back you've got a pair of belt loops.
So this constitutes a complete Red Nine rig.
And they were all purchased and issued like this.
Although today ... a lot of the leather has been destroyed over time or is missing,
the holsters are not always still present.
Now of course the most iconic element here
is the carved nine on the grip to designate the calibre.
And that's a pretty typical shape of that nine.
They were done by hand, so there will be a little bit of variation.
You can see a little bit of red paint remaining in this one.
Beyond that we have serial numbers in all the normal places.
Of course the frame and lockwork serial numbers are back here.
These will run from 1 up to approximately 135,000.
These Red Nine guns were in ... an independent serial number range
unrelated to other C96 production.
So you can't imply dates based on these the way that you can with other Mauser pistols.
Now I have a second example here that I want to show you, because some, but not all,
of the Red Nines will have a Prussian eagle proof mark on the front of the magazine.
This guy doesn't, but this example does, and both are correct.
The sights used on these pistols are 500 metre sights.
So, different variations of the C96 will have either 500 or 1,000 metre sights.
The Red Nines are all 500s with this style of markings.
We of course have a standard German proof mark up on the barrel,
along with the serial number again,
and the Waffenfabrik Mauser, Oberndorf A/N, for "am Neckar", the Neckar river.
That's the Mauser marking up there.
And these have the long 140mm, or just shy of 6 inch, barrels.
So these are not short-barrelled Bolo types, they are longer barrelled.
140 was a standard Mauser barrel length, standard in particular for military guns.
The holsters will also be serialised to the guns, based on the last three digits,
on the top of the holster metalwork.
Total production of the 9mm C96 was approximately 139,000 or 140,000,
and that's what you will find serial numbers going up to.
However, there has been a major misconception in the collecting community
that all of this production took place ... right up until the end of World War One.
In fact, production of the Red Nine ran into the early 1920s.
The actual production by the end of the war was, at most, 95,000.
So, serial numbers would continue.
The dates are a little bit hazy because in some cases Mauser was recording production
by fiscal years that run from August through September, instead of January through December.
If I am able to find a more specific number that were actually produced by November 11th 1918,
I will put it up in the description text under the video.
So if you are watching this check there, and if I have an update, I'll include it.
However, the salient point is the first deliveries of the Red Nines
to the German military were made on January 5th, 1918.
It took 5 or 6 months from when the order was placed in July of 1917
to actually get the guns both produced
and then shipped and distributed to German arms depots where they could be given to troops.
So the actual deployment of the Red Nine was only in 1918 at the very end of the war.
And, as I said, we have a total of, at most, about 95,000.
So, production continued after the war, the ... same serial number range
continued unchanged up to approximately 140,000.
That was circa 1922 or 1924 that production finally ended.
So, if you would like to see some of the nitty-gritty detail
on production dates, there are two books to check out.
One is "Paul Mauser" by Mauro Baudino, and the other is "The Mauser Archive" by Jon Speed.
In this case they are both based on the same raw Mauser archive data,
but the two books cover distinctive different sets of information.
So, I apologise for breaking into and revising the video here.
This information came to my attention only right after the video posted.
So, if you would like to see me get scooped more often, check out Milsurp World on YouTube.
That's where Mauro did his interview where he pointed out these issues,
which we are now including in this video.
Anyway, I will return to my originally filmed self.
Now that big red nine in the grips is obviously really distinctive,
and that became kind of a focal point for collectors,
and folks who were interested in the firearms of World War One.
So it's a well-known name, and it's something that everybody recognises.
Hopefully now you know a little bit more about what they really were, and how to identify one.
As opposed to any other random C96 that has just had
Red Nine grips stuck onto it, because that is a thing that happens.
A big thanks to Legacy Collectibles for giving me the opportunity
to take a look at their Red Nine rig here.
This is a thoroughly legitimate one, perhaps a little bit worse for wear, but
frankly that's kind of the condition I prefer them in,
rather than something that's so new that it looks like it's right out of the factory.
Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed the video.
If you'd like to see more stuff along these lines,
definitely make sure to check out Legacy Collectibles' YouTube channel.
They have a lot more content like this, you can check them out.
I have a link to their YouTube channel in the description below.
Thanks for watching.