Borchardt C/93 Modelgun

[sheepherder]

I have received word that CAW C/93 is now available in Japan, at JPY42,000. Modelgun forum member sent me these two pics (they are his own just-purchased CAW C/93 modelgun) -

[rhuff]

The photos look nice. I would love to be able to handle one and see fit and finish.

[sheepherder]

I am conversing with the owner/member of that C/93 as to what needs to be done to import one into the US; it seems there is some federal law that a replica modelgun must have the muzzle painted red...Doing that to a plastic modelgun in such a way as to be able to remove the paint without marring the finish of a rather expensive model is a problem...

Customs is also an unknown...Can they impound it??? Does it need to have import duty paid??? What would the duty be based on??? Receipt of sale or insured value???

I think it's a given that the dummy cartridges would need to be shipped separately; even though they are dummies, having them with the model is asking for trouble...

How to transfer funds??? Use whose currency converter to determine exchange rate???

Questions...

Edit -

OK!!! A vender/modelgun forum member willing to ship overseas has been found; PayPal transfer has been completed; and the CAW C/93 is on the way!!!

We are shipping it in three parcels; top [cannon] assembly; lower [grip frame]; and dummy cartridges. We agreed that shipping it complete and with metallic cartridges [they are brass] was tempting fate. The sender is also painting the muzzle red to comply with whatever that weird US law is...

The three are coming by air, shipper is EMS, whom I have never heard of, which begs the question: How does it get delivered here in US???

Edit2 -

This is exciting! I love tracking incoming shipments! I'll update this as it changes!

Oooohhh...It's on US soil!!!

Edit3 -

First parcel arrived today [22 Mar]! Gripframe assembly + magazine!







Here's what I'm finding -

- Grips are wood, excellent checkering, with steel panels inlet into wood (to add weight?)
- Magazine is steel with pinned wood bottom
- Magazine has twin coil springs exactly like real C/93
- Trigger screw, mag/safety spring, ejector (?), grips screws, trianglular panels at rear, loop at rear, and shelf under rear of frame are all steel. Rest is (I assume) plastic/ABS.

I tried Tokarev 7.62 cartridges [real Fiocchi] in magazine; they fit and stack OK!

Quality is outstanding! Feels heavy (due to steel inserts I imagine).

Mailer/modelgun forum member packed it up carefully; parcel appeared unopened; no duty. Delivered by USPS Express Mail (separate from regular mail delivery).

From 20 Mar in Japan to 23 Mar my front door is fantastic!!!

Time/date difference between Japan & USA is confusing.

I downloaded & bought Gerard Henrotin's EBook on the Borchardt. I now know how to get it apart & back together. However, my printer does not print the whole page [width] from the EBook; does anyone know how to correct this??? I can't copy the pages (there's some block on this) and shrink them...

Edit4 - Second parcel is en route! It's in the US!!!

[sheepherder]

Oh, be still my heart!!! The cannon assembly showed up today!!!

Here's some pics...I haven't picked off the red paint yet...



Size, compared with my 1900AE Luger -



Other side view -



...Here's some pics of the markings...













The CAW seems to be a direct copy of a Lowe's C/93 serial # 567...

Excellent attention to detail...I can even chamber a cartridge...But there is a ~6" steel plug in the barrel...Probably not a smart move to try shooting a real cartridge...

The rollers on the rear toggle actually work...The toggle train has to be pulled back about an eighth of an inch before lifting up, the same as my 1900AE Luger...The toggle lock is real, and is separate & screwed into the grip frame like the 1900 Luger...The toggle catch is spring loaded, same as the 1900 Luger...

The recoil spring is real, and as you might expect, is a PITA to get hooked on the link...

The barrel seem to be separately cast from the receiver; but I can't tell if it is screwed in or pressed...Witness mark is nicely lined up...

Trying to find a suitable glass-topped display case for it...Needs to have at least 2" inside depth...

If anyone is keeping a record of Borchardt C/93 pistols, I'm pretty sure Craft Apple Works in Japan has serial # 567...

I am very happy with this!!! I know I will never have a real Borchardt...But this is close enough!!!

...Now it's time for me to play with my toys...

[saab-bob]

Rich
Congrats on your new ersatz C/93!
Is this a plug fire model gun? I notice you got the shells for it. Did you get the little percussion caps to operate it?
You gonna fire it?

I have a plug fire replica machine pistol of a Skorpion Vz61 made by a Japanese company called Hudson. Lots of fun to play with.

It interesting that real guns are basically banned from private ownership in Japan,but most of the replicas are almost indistinguishable from real ones!
Every time I visit one of the shooting ranges in Las Vegas,Japanese tourists are lined up to shoot and usually its machine guns!

Bob

Bob

[alvin]

It's very cool. Is it heavy, what's the weight?

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by saab-bob

Is this a plug fire model gun? I notice you got the shells for it. Did you get the little percussion caps to operate it?

The cartridges are coming regular mail; take a while longer (the two parcels came Express Mail). I'm pretty sure the C/93 isn't offered in PFC; the breech wouldn't close (the detonator doesn't allow the PFC cartridges to go fully into the chamber). The cartridges do go into the dummy chamber. Box end attached; 'Dummy Model'. It's interesting that the box end is labeled 'Borchardt Pistole Ludwig Loewe'...CAW makes the Nambu T-14 in both early and late [Winter trigger guard] models; might indicate they are thinking of a DWM C/94 model as well as the Loewe C/93...

Originally Posted by alvin

It's very cool. Is it heavy, what's the weight?

I don't have a scale; but with the all-Zinc toggle train + Zinc springbox + steel grip inserts + steel barrel plug I would say a couple pounds...

I gotta say, the more I fool with it, the more impressed with the design I am...I'm "assuming" from the YouTube videos showing the plastic modelgun parts interchanging with the real C/93 parts, that this is an accurate replica. For instance, the recoil spring is a two-leaf steel snail spring riveted together. The safety works only when the action is cocked (it won't go up with an uncocked action). The toggle lock works just like the 1900 Luger. The rear sight blade is detachable. (So is the front sight blade, but the front is pinned & the rear has two tiny screws).

Maybe one of our resident Luger collectors who owns a real Borchardt can comment...

I just hope I don't fall off the pony and break this barrel off...

[rhuff]

Thanks for posting the photos and info.......now this is exciting, at least to me!! Don't wear the finish off by fondling it!!

[sheepherder]

I had to field strip it to scrub the muzzle paint off, so here is a pic of the springbox with 2-leaf 'snail' spring in it...



I don't have a 'real' spring to compare it with, so I don't know how close it is to original as far as thickness of leaves...

The cartridges came today; here's two pics of them...hard to get good pics, the auto-focus tracks all over the place...





Kind of amusing; the fake primers have the "U" on them...I have them displayed with actual 7.62 Tokarev cartridges [Fiocchi], dimensionally the same as 7.65 Borchardt (for all practical purposes)...The CAW dummy cartridges are heavier; I wonder if they are solid brass???

Edit1: A couple of natural light pics with paint removed...