Editing Mauser C96 (section)

==Major variants==
There were many variants of the C96 besides the standard commercial model; the most common are detailed below.

===M1896 ''Kavallerie Karabiner''===
One of the experimental ideas was the creation of a pistol-carbine for use by light cavalry. They had "slab-sided" receivers, standard 10-round magazines, permanently affixed wooden stocks and forends, and lengthened {{convert|300|mm}} (early production) or {{convert|370|mm}} (late production) barrels. They were dropped from production after 1899 due to poor sales and little military interest.

There was limited sporting interest in the carbine version and, due to small production numbers, it is a highly prized collectable priced at about twice the value of the pistol version.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Official Price Guide to Gun Collecting |first=R. L. |last=Wilson  |edition=3rd |year=2000 |location=New York |publisher=House of Collectibles |pages=292–294 |isbn=978-0-67660-153-4}}</ref> Recently, importers like Navy Arms imported replica Mauser carbines with 16-inch or longer barrels for sale in the US.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://askmisterscience.com/1896mauserbackup/carbines.htm|title=Mauser C-96 Carbines|website=askmisterscience.com|access-date=20 December 2019}}</ref>

===M1896 compact Mauser===
A version of the Mauser pistol with a full-sized grip, six-shot internal magazine, and a {{convert|120|mm|adj=on}} barrel. Production was phased out by 1899.

===M1896 officer's model===
This is the unofficial term for a variant compact Mauser with a curved wooden or hard-rubber grip, like that of the ''[[Reichsrevolver]]''. The name comes from the US Army designation of the Mauser pistol sent to participate in their self-loading pistol trials.

===M1898 pistol carbine===
This was the first model to come cut for a combination wooden stock-holster. The stock doubles as a case or holster and attaches to a slot cut in the grip frame.

===M1912 Mauser Export model===
This model was the first to chamber the 9×25mm Mauser Export cartridge. It was designed to appeal to the arms markets in South America and China. Mauser C96 pistols in this caliber usually have an indentation milled into the upper surface of the magazine's follower to facilitate feeding of the straight-cased 9×25mm cartridge cases. The rifling in the barrel has a unique 13:8 twist. In addition, the flat surfaces extending around the chamber are longer, to accommodate the higher pressures of the 9×25mm cartridge. Examples of Mauser C96s in this caliber are rare, but are still occasionally found on the private collector's market. The 9×25mm Mauser Export calibre receded from the market as the armaments industry reoriented itself towards military manufacture during World War I, but the round enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as a submachine gun calibre in the 1930s.

===M1917 Mauser trench carbine===
[[File:Mauser C96 carbine noBG.jpg|220x220px|thumb|Mauser C96 Trench Carbine]]
This model features an extended stock and barrel similar to the M1896 ''Kavallerie Karabiner''. It also possesses a 40-round magazine and is chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum. The M1917 Mauser trench carbine was introduced during World War I and was intended to be a cheaper replacement for the expensive [[Luger pistol#Lange Pistole 08 (Artillery Luger)|Lange ''Pistole'' 08]] in close-quarters combat. However, the Imperial German Army did not believe it was a cost-effective substitute, and the project was shortly abandoned with only a few ever made.<ref name="americanrifleman.org">{{cite web |url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/2/19/magnificent-mausers-an-exploration-of-unusual-pistols-and-carbines/ |title=Magnificent Mausers: An Exploration of Unusual Pistols And Carbines |website=American Rifleman |access-date=5 December 2014}}</ref>

===M1920 Mauser rework===
The [[Treaty of Versailles]] (signed in 1919) imposed a number of restrictions on pistol barrel lengths and calibres on German arms manufacturers.<ref>Bishop (1998), p. 94.</ref> Pistols for German government issue or domestic market sales could not have a barrel longer than 4&nbsp;inches and could not be chambered for 9&nbsp;mm cartridges.

The [[Weimar Republic]] banned the private ownership of military-issue or military-style weapons in an attempt to recover valuable arms from returning soldiers. The confiscated weapons were then used to arm government forces, leaving them with a hodge-podge of military and civilian arms. To meet the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles, a major reworking project was begun that set about converting these weapons.

To be compliant, pre-war C.96 models belonging to the Weimar government had to have their barrels cut down to {{convert|99|mm}}. This meant that their tangent sights had to be replaced with fixed sights. They also had to be converted to the standard 7.63×25mm Mauser round, though a few hybrid Mausers were made with salvaged Navy Luger barrels that were chambered for [[7.65×21mm Parabellum|7.65mm Parabellum]]. Compliant confiscated government-issue guns were marked ''M1920''. This practice was continued on German service pistols even after the ban was ignored and the conversions had stopped.
[[File:Mauser C96 M.1920 Bolo in Tula State Arms Museum - 2016 01.jpg|thumb|Mauser C96 M1920 Bolo in Tula State Arms Museum in 2016]]

===M1921 "Bolo" Mauser===
Mauser began manufacturing a compliant version of the C96 for commercial sale from 1920 to 1921. It featured smaller grips, a shorter {{convert|99|mm|adj=on}} barrel,<ref name="Wilson 2009, p.100" /> and was chambered for the standard 7.63×25mm Mauser. An experimental 8.15×25.2mm Mauser cartridge (DWM 580) was used to replace the banned 9×19mm Parabellum and 9×25mm Mauser Export cartridges for domestic sales but it never supplanted the 9&nbsp;mm calibre.

Mass-production of the weapon was from 1921 to 1930. It was sold in quantity to armies in the contested Baltic region and was carried by the Poles, Lithuanians, German ''[[Freikorps]]'' and [[White movement|White Russians]]. The [[Bolshevik]] government (and later the new [[Red Army]]) of the embryonic Soviet Union purchased large numbers of this model in the 1920s and also appropriated them from defeated enemies.<ref name="Bishop 1998, p.96">Bishop (1998), p. 96.</ref> The distinctive pistol became associated with the Bolsheviks and was thus nicknamed the "Bolo".<ref name="Bishop 1998, p.96" /> The "Bolo" model was also popular elsewhere, as the shorter barrel and smaller overall size made the gun easier to conceal.<ref>Wilson (2009), p. 99.</ref>

There was also a transitional version in 1930 that used the "Bolo" frame but with a longer {{convert|132|mm|adj=on}} barrel.

===M1930 Mauser===
Also known as the ''M30'' by collectors, it was a simplification and improvement of the M1921 Mauser. It simplified production by removing several fine-machining details and reverted to the "pre-war" large grip and long barrel. The early model M30s had a {{convert|132|mm|adj=on}} barrel, but later models had the traditional {{convert|140|mm|adj=on}} barrel. It was made from 1930 until 1937.

Joseph Nickl designed a selective-fire conversion in 1930. It tended to "cook off" (fire by spontaneous ignition of the propellant when overheated) when fired in long bursts. 4,000 of this model were made between 1930 and 1931.<ref name="PASAM"/>

Since the M1932 / M712 variant was full-auto, the semi-auto M1930 it was derived from was sometimes called the ''M711'' by war surplus dealers and collectors.

===M1932/M712 ''Schnellfeuer''===
[[File:Mauser Schnellfeuer.jpg|thumb|M712 Schnellfeuer at the National Firearms Museum]]
The Spanish gunmaking firms of [[Beistegui Hermanos]] and [[Astra-Unceta y Cia SA|Astra]] began producing detachable magazine-fed, [[select-fire]] versions of the C96 in 1927 and 1928 respectively, intended for export to the Far East.<ref name="1896mauser.com" />

Mauser began production of the ''Schnellfeuer'' (rapid fire), their own select-fire, detachable magazine version of the M30 designed by Karl Westinger. Production started in 1932 and ended in 1936,<ref name="1896mauser.com" /> which has led to its unofficial designation of "M1932" by collectors. An extremely successful design, around 98,000 guns were made overall and they had their own series of serial numbers.<ref name="PASAM" />

It was largely intended for export to South America and China or to the opposing sides in the later Spanish Civil War. From 1932 to 1935, the Yugoslavian military tested batches of the Schnellfeuer in both 7.63mm and 9mm Parabellum for the purpose of arming mountain troops and special operations units. Improvements requested by the Yugoslavs included a detachable barrel, improved front and rear sights, more durable parts to prevent breakage under sustained fire and lowered position of the shoulder stock to avoid "hammer bite".<ref>{{cite web |title=Yugoslav Mauser-Schnellfeuer Automatic Pistols |url=http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1300 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624054832/http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1300 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |access-date=11 February 2018 |website=smallarmsreview.com}}</ref>

Small numbers of M1932s were supplied to the German Wehrmacht during World War II, who designated it the M712.<ref name="1896mauser.com" />

The US [[National Firearms Act]] of 1934 placed a $200 tax on select-fire weapons ("machine guns"), making exports of the ''Schnellfeuer'' guns to the US impractical since at the time this was roughly half the cost of a new car. After World War II, importers sold a semi-automatic conversion of the detachable magazine ''Schnellfeuer'' that was made for the US surplus market. The versions imported from China were built on new semi-auto-only frames; the ATF treats them under the law as new guns and not under the curio and relic exemption.

===PASAM machine pistol===
The Brazilian government bought five-hundred 7.63mm M1932 ''Schnellfeuer'' machine pistols for the ''[[Military Police (Brazil)|Policia Militar do Distrito Federal]]'' (Portuguese: "Federal District Military Police") during the mid-1930s. The PASAM (''pistola automática semi-automática Mauser'',<ref name="PASAM">{{cite web |url=http://www.forgottenweapons.com/brazilian-pasam-machine-pistol/ |title=Brazilian PASAM Machine Pistol |first=Ronaldo |last=Olive|date=15 August 2012|website=Forgotten Weapons}}</ref> or "semi-automatic / automatic Mauser pistol") used the M1932 as its base but made a few alterations. The controls were the same as the standard model, except the markings were in Portuguese. The selector switch (found on the left side, above the trigger guard) was marked ''N'' for ''normal'' ("average", or semi-automatic) and ''R'' for ''rápido'' ("rapid", or fully automatic). The safety control lever (found to the left of the hammer) was marked ''S'' for ''seguro'' ("safe") and ''F'' for ''fogo'' ("fire').<ref name="hogg1987" /> It was used with [[Military Police (Brazil)|Brazilian State Military Police]] (Polícia Militar) forces in the 1980s. They preferred to use it as a semi-automatic carbine and reserved its full-auto setting for emergencies due to its recoil and muzzle-climb.<ref name="hogg1987" />

In 1970, the [[State police#Brazil|''Policia Militar do Rio de Janeiro'' (PMRJ)]] asked the services of Jener Damau Arroyo, a Spanish-born gunsmith, to make modifications on their PASAMs in order to improve their handling. The first modification (PASAM MOD-1), of which 101 were modified, received a metal frame extension welded to the magazine housing. It was fitted with a metal forward grip well ahead of the gun under the muzzle.<ref name="PASAM" /> The original grip was left alone, making it compatible with the wooden holster/stock.<ref name="PASAM" /> The second modification (PASAM MOD-2), involving 89 pistols, featured a similar frame extension, but the forward grip had wooden panels and was of a different shape. The pistol grip frame used thicker rectangular wooden grips and had a {{convert|1.5|ft|mm|adj=on}} "t-bar" metal shoulder stock welded to it. A metal frame attached to the receiver supported a rectangular wooden foregrip, taking pressure off the barrel. In both models the barrel was left free to enable its short recoil during firing. (Two hundred and ninety five PASAMs were left in the original condition).<ref name="PASAM" /> The weapon took standard detachable 10-round box magazines,<ref name="hogg1987">{{page needed|date=November 2022}}{{cite book |title=Jane's Infantry Weapons 1987–1988 |editor-first=Ian V. |editor-last=Hogg |year=1987 |publisher=[[Janes Information Services|Jane's Publishing Group]]}}</ref> although they can also take the extended 20- and 40-round magazines.<ref name="PASAM" />