Quote:
Originally Posted by DonVoigt
I'm not sure why one would expect it to be anything except 9mm P. 
Nice you can mig. |
I’ll go that sentiment one farther and say, “I don’t know why any C96 collector would expect any FrankenMauser to be any given thing at all.” I certainly don’t have any expectations as to this C96.
That said, my main line of speculation (please note word choice “speculation”) is this C96 was made up by someone from the frame salvaged from one Imperial contract “Red Nine” and the barrel/barrel extension salvaged from another Imperial contract “Red Nine”. If this line of speculation turns out to describe the reality then the barrel/barrel extension was originally, and may still be, chambered for the 9x19 Para cartridge.
There are some things about this C96 that suggest to me a connection with Austria during the inter-war years. That in turn leads me to a (secondary) line of speculation that this C96 is not, at present, chambered for the 9x19 Para cartridge. It’s this line of speculation that elicited my request for a photo of the top of the magazine follower. It was that photo of the top of the magazine follower, kindly provided by the C96’s present owner, which made me think it would be wise to get a chamber cast. As the owner has indicated he intends the C96 to be a shooter, it seems to me it would be prudent to confirm by chamber cast that this C96 is in fact chambered for the 9x19 Para.
I have, at this point in time, no expectations as to what a chamber cast would reveal.