By Eric Nestor via wideopenspaces.com
Invented in 1895, this pistol was way ahead of its time. The Mauser C96 is affectionately called “the broomhandle” due to its wooden handle. It’s a fast semi-automatic shooter that uses stripper clips to load. It fires the 7.63×25 bottleneck cartridge, a very fascinating design. The wooden holster transforms into a buttstock to attach to the pistol . . .
A short carbine is then made. In this modern age, anti-gun forces would definitely ban this one if they could. It loads and shoots eight rounds rather quickly. The Mauser C96 was ahead of its time and can still be found world-wide at gun shows.