Red Nine left its mark on WW I
- kb5947
- Apr 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 13
Mauser C96 brings WWI history to our shop
BY KELLY BOSTIAN
Facing grim losses and a need to bolster its World War I effort, the Prussian Army, the core of the German Imperial Army in 1916, turned to Mauser for an unconventional solution, and the Red Nine was born.
A modified C96, originally manufactured two decades earlier in 1896, the pistol is admittedly ungainly, with its ‘broomhandle’ grip, square magazine chamber in front of the trigger, and half-pistol, half-rifle appearance. But it is a nifty and solid piece of Mauser engineering, a firearm that made history and remains a collector’s dream, especially as an original wartime relic in fine working order, like one that rolled into J. Gray’s shop this week.
Rejected by the U.S. military in favor of the M1911 and its heavy-hitting .45 ACP rounds, and outcompeted across Europe by the superior balance, ease, and one-handed fit of the P08 Luger, the Mauser C96 was a choice of desperation halfway through WW1, according to Jonathan Ferguson’s historical accounts in his book, “The ‘Broomhandle’ Mauser.
Design oddities
Before Swiss and German-made Lugers dominated, Britain and Germany had embraced earlier versions of the C96; it was the design to beat, and it remained popular in civilian use.
Ferguson noted its most famous proponent was future British Prime Minister Winston Spencer Churchill. All British officers were compelled to purchase their own sidearms, and many chose the C96 from the civilian market. He purchased his first in London on July 25, 1898, just before departing for a war campaign in Sudan.
Fergson notes that Churchill sang its praises in his 1899 book, “The River War,” recalling a letter home to his mother in which he said his purchase was “the best thing ever.”
In his autobiography, “My Early Life,” Churchill describes a panicked skirmish in which he kills five men with 10 rounds from his Broomhandle.
The C96 is among the first, but certainly not the last, attempt at a hybrid option to meld a short-barreled weapon with a detachable stock. This one even features a tangent rear sight adjustable from 50 to 1000 meters (500 meters on the Red Nine).
The Red Nine in our shop is standard issue, housed in a leather holster with a pouch for a spare magazine spring and a specialized cleaning rod. It rides inside a wooden stock with a spring-loaded top that, after more than 100 years, still pops up wide open with the push of a button.
Extract the pistol, and the hollowed case snaps shut as a rifle stock with a steel lug and locking mechanism at the front that slides into a corresponding slot cut into the back of the pistol's grip handle for a solid connection.
Uniquely, the pistol is loaded with 10 rounds in a stripper clip that, when extracted, automatically sends the bolt forward to load the first round.
Without the stock, the pistol certainly feels like it could be used one-handed, but obviously lacks the balance and compact “handy” feel of a Luger or Colt. Still, it is one nifty bit of engineering.
Birth of the Red Nine
As the war began to turn in 1915, followed by devastating German losses at Verdun and the Somme in 1916, Germany turned to Mauser, ordering 150,000 modified C96 semi-autos. German soldiers bought civilian C96s and the Army issued some of the remaining small stock of their own, all chambered in the standard 7.63mm, according to historical accounts.
In what would become a history-making move, the military ordered 150,000 Mausers, but wanted them chambered for more readily available 9mm Parabellum. (Reports note 130,000 were delivered)
Ferguson writes, “To prevent users attempting to chamber existing stocks of 7.63mm ammunition, the 9x19mm pistols had a larger number ‘9’ cut or burned into their grips and usually filled with red paint (hence the nickname ‘Red Nine’).”
That moniker is known to those with even a casual acquaintance with historic military firearms, and existing samples are sought-after.
The most highly collectible specimens are early-production C96s of the turn of the century, but Red Nines in fine condition may be worth as much or more. Also of interest are later, shorter 1920s factory-made C96s called the “Bolo,” which featured shorter barrels and frames to attract civilian sales and comply with post-war European firearms regulations.
Post-war, many of these Mausers found their way from battlefields to gunsmithing workbenches worldwide and later saw decades of battlefield use. So, finding a Red Nine made near the Great War’s end in 1918, showing some field wear but in fine condition, with all original parts and matching serial numbers throughout, is a rare find indeed.
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