Do we do c96 mausers here?
 

I recently picked up a red 9 for around 1700 from my lgs and wanted to see if I could get any info on it. The serial number is 85280 and everything matches except the grips, It fires flawlessly except for the fact the stripper clip guides seem to be a bit worn out so when it goes to close the bolt the steiper clip actually gets canted before pulling out. That's with 8 round clips as I don't have any 10s. The thing is extremely accurate shooting a 4 inch spinner target st 25 yds is extremely easy in pistol mode and even more so in Carbine mode. The only thing is after a few shots like 3 to 8 the barrel is insanely hot and I let it cool down before another clip.
In 30 shots it's only had one malfunction which was weird.
On the second to last round of one mag, it shot and ejected the casing along with the unfired bullet under it and then held open.
I haven't had this happen again.

Yes, the C-96 - especially the Red 9 versions - are discussed here at times. Other than knowing that your serial number falls within the correct range for a Red 9 and that the sight should go to 500 meters, my knowledge about them is limited. Other members know a lot more about them.

C96 numbers
 

Where do you find the serial number range info for red 9's?
Dave

My sightndoes go to 500 and it is under 90k serial number should it should be Prussian contract 1916

The contract called for 150,000 C-96 Mausers in 9mm and they had their own serial number range from 1 ~ 150,000. The war ended before the contract had been completed and, IIRC, it's thought that about 135,000 were delivered before production ceased.

This information is easily found using Google.

Thank you. I did google and found the ranges. Mine is a 120XXX and has the fixed rear sight. I have the grip marked : S. Kg. R. 674. Any ideas what the R meant? I have the other two figured out, but don't know about the R.
Dave

I can't help with the "R" meaning. Mine is #101XXX, and is all matching with a minty bore. Shoots much better than I can hold. It swallows the Winchester White box stuff with no failures, but does not like my reloads. Apparently my crimp is not strong enough to hold the bullet and after just a few rounds the projectile will be separated from the case, spilling powder and jamming. This same ammo runs fine through my P08's with no issues.

Woody

I will ad that I replaced the firing pin and bolt stop before shooting. Both are original and the stop is a serial numbered part that is prone to breakage.

Woody

Maybe I should replace my bolt stop and firing pin then if I shoot more. My gun functioned pretty close to flawless with full mags. As far as I can tell the spring is original but it does look in very good condition so I'm not sure. Firing pin should be original too but it's not serial numbered so I'm not sure, my bolt stop is original. Mine also doesn't have a notched follower, and the spot where the Prussian eagle may be has alot of wear or might have been polished off as it looks almost white in that area

The firing pin is not serial numbered, but it does have an inspection/acceptance stamp. The bolt stop is serial numbered to the firearm. I chose to replace both as a precaution. The follower can be notched, (mine is), but not all are. They too bear an acceptance/inspection stamp. My frame does have the eagle stamp on the front of the mag well. The frames for the red nines and the .30 cal are both identical. The .30 cal is ever so slightly longer than the 9mm. That is where the problem of projectiles being ejected under recoil. The mag well in the frame will take a longer OAL than the 9mm. This allows the shorter 9mm room to let the projo to eject from the case. The same round in a P08 mag does not have the room for the projo to be ejected.Your thoughts?


Woody

I mean that does make sense, it's probably best it only happened on the 2nd to last round otherwise it could have spewed the wholeag out and jammed the gun up. What happens exactly with a bolt stop failure in these guns?
Some people said your better off with a barely used all matching gun because not all bolt stops will fit your gun, since being hand fitted. The bolt stop could also have had much more use than your matching one. I also heard since 9mm is the lowest power round chambered for the c96 you have much less chance or breaking a red 9 than you do a 7 63 or 9mm export. I mean my gun while externally looks aged, internally the rifling is great the internal components all look and mate great and the gun shoots flawless. The only noticeably worn part on the gun is the stripper clip guides which don't seem to work quite right with steyr Hahn clips. If I did replace the firing pin and block where is a good place to get these parts in good checked condition? And what if reliability is worse?

Also do we allow shooting videos? I feel like seeing the gun in action always shows condition.

The "R" stands for Revierpolizei; and indicates it was issued to a "beat cop", who actually patrolled the streets from a police station.
(Ref. Don Maus' History Writ in Steel, p-19)

I replaced my firing pin and bolt stop with new made ones available from several sources, such as Ebay and Sarco. The bolt stop required minor hand fitting. The firing pin fit without any problem. I also replaced the coil springs with replacements obtained from Wolff Springs. So far, I have experienced two breakages after many hundreds of rounds. The sight elevator detent broke under recoil. That little part was hard to find. I eventually found one at Hoosier Gun Works. The other part was the hammer pin. This pin also has the disconnector spring. The tip of the spring that lays against the disconnector broke off. A new made replacement was obtained and fitted without any issue. If you play with old guns parts will break.

Woody