^Lot 80 Mauser C96 'Red 9' 9mm #138368

WWI Mauser C96 Broomhandle Red Nine 9mm Semi-Automatic Pistol with matching shoulder stock. 9mm Military Contract. Serial Number: 138368 (The serial number range for this model was from 1 to about 141000.) Manufactured 1916-1918. The top of the barrel chamber flat is marked “WAFFENFABRIK / MAUSER / OBERNDORF A/N”, the left barrel flat with “138368”, with a single crowned “U” beneath it. The top rear of the bolt charging handle is marked with “8368” with a single crowned “U” and the underside is marked with a gothic script letter and block letter "Y". The right side of the frame is marked “WAFFENFABRIK MAUSER / OBERNDORF A. NECKAR”. The rear face of the frame is marked with “138368”. The rear face of the hammer is marked with a “S” stamped over the top of a “N” (New Safety) and “368”. The rear of the lock frame is marked “138368”. The top of the bolt stop is marked “8368”. The top right frame under the grip is marked "L". The under of the barrel is marked with "M" over 6-point star. (Some genuine "Red Nine" feature the "M/star" mark on the bottom of the barrel.) The flat is marked with various letters & numbers. Pistol has no Imperial Army acceptance marks. (Not all Mauser C96 "Red Nine" pistols have army acceptance proofs, though the majority do. While specifically ordered by the German Army, only about 95,000 were delivered; some often referred to as "commercial" examples.) Barrel Length is 5 1/2”. The rear sight is a “V” notch sliding elevator sight with markings from “50-500” meters that is pinned to the barrel extension. The front sight is an inverted “V” notch fixed to a rectangular base on the barrel. The lanyard loop appears to be an old replacement. The grips are two-piece walnut with 23 grooves and a large “9” burnt into both grips and filled with red paint. The “9s” are well formed and appear to be done at the factory. References show that the grip grooves changed from fine (32) to coarse (23) through production, “field” nines appear to be below SN 50,000 while “factory” nines appear in the 70,000+ range. Inside of both grips have the full serial numbers stamped, correct. The bore is excellent/bright, action is a little stiff, grips are very good, no chips or cracks, the red paint in the nines may have been touched up, the blue appears original as the markings are crisp/clear, no signs of pitting under the finish, about 96% with some minor scuffs/edge wear. Please look carefully at the photos. The trigger, bolt stop, safety lever, sight elevator and extractor are finished in bright nitre blue, about 70% from handling. Comes with correct Red Nine small ring pistol, steel assembly stamped "368", slot insert stamped "7". Fittings are correct, hinge has most of it's bright blue finish with some scattered surface rust. We compared the style and numbers to original examples, including the stamped grip numbers, and all appear to match.
NRA Condition-Very Good+. C&R Firearm.