Editing Mauser C96 (section)

===M1916 Prussian "Red 9"===
[[File:Mauser C96 M1916 Red 4.JPG|thumb|right|Mauser "Red 9" C96 with [[stripper clip]]]]

During World War I, the [[German Army (German Empire)|Imperial German Army]] contracted with Mauser for 150,000 C96 pistols chambered in [[9mm Parabellum]] to offset the slow production of the standard-issue [[Luger P08|DWM P.08]] pistol. They use the same clip-loaded internal box magazines as the 7.63mm Mauser and also hold ten rounds. This variant of the C96 was named the "Red 9" after a large number ''9'' burned into the grip panels and painted in red.<ref>Skennerton (2005), p. 5.</ref> (This was done to warn the pistols' users not to incorrectly load them with 7.63mm ammunition.) Because the army delegated the branding to unit armourers, not all 9mm pistols carry the nine. Of the 150,000 pistols commissioned, approximately 137,000 were delivered before the war ended.<ref name="1896mauser.com" /> Original 9mm pistols can be told from 7.63mm-to-9mm conversions because they have 9mm-rated sights (marked "50 m-500 m") rather than 7.63mm-rated sights (marked "50 m-800 m").