Carabiner Mauser K-96
In order to increase the range of manufactured weapons and attract the attention of potential customers, on the basis of a Mauser K-96 pistol by Waffenfabrik Mauser a pistol-carbine was developed.
The weapon should have been of interest to the military for use as a light cavalry carbine, besides the Mauser K-96 carbine could be in demand among hunters and travelers. The first copy of the carbine was released in 1897 year. The carbine had a barrel long 300 mm, full butt and forearm, located under the barrel. The first models of the carbine pistol were produced with a so-called conical trigger.
Later began the release of carbines with a trigger in the form of a large ring. The frame of the carbine, unlike the standard Mauser K-96 pistol, was distinguished by the absence of a handle frame. Instead, in the lower part of the frame of the arms were made guide slots, in which the butt was installed.
Fixing the butt was carried out by a special button located on the left side of the body of the butt. The lid of the magazine box protruded slightly and slightly covered the shank from the bottom. Carabiners were made chambered for 7,63 × 25 Mauser.
The carbine chamber had an octahedral cross-section and smoothly turned into a round barrel. On the top of the chamber there was a marking of the Mauser factory in Oberndorf. The carbines made on the base of the Mauser K-96 pistol have a lock-off trigger mechanism when the butt is disconnected. Weapons without a stock or mounted pistol grip cannot fire. This feature of the design was due to the requirement of German law for folding long-barreled weapons.
As for the rest, the carbine design practically did not differ from Mauser K-96 pistols, which had a frame with a milled outer surface. Carabiners of a similar design were released slightly more than 800 copies. Their release ended by 1905.
Interestingly, unlike many Mauser K-96 pistols, the maximum distance scale was not 1000, but only 500 meters on the sighting bar of the carbine.
Some carbines were additionally equipped with removable pistol grip. In such a weapon, the butt was easily replaced with a handle and the weapon turned into an elongated gun.
The fly on a carbine mounted more massive than a short-barreled weapon, it was often closed.
At the initial stage of production, the Mauser K-96 carbine pistol was produced with a barrel of length 300 mm, by the end of the production of carbines the barrel length was increased to 370 mm.
After a short break, approximately in 1907, the release of Mauser C96 carbines pistols was revived with a small ring and a smooth frame that did not have milled grooves on the outer surfaces characteristic of Mauser.
The weapon also had a new model fuse installed.
However, the carbine remained unclaimed both in the military and in the civilian market and due to low demand, after the release of the last batch of approximately 140 copies, the production of carbines was finally stopped.
According to some estimates, the total number of carbines released is of the order of 1100 units. For the original weapon, this is a very small number. That is why the demand among collectors for these weapons is very high. The average price for a Mauser K-96 carbine is from 12 to 18 thousand dollars. There is a case when at one of the auctions, a carbine Mauser K-96 in excellent condition was sold for 34500 dollars.
Currently, single modern modifications of carbines with barrels of length 400 mm and more are being produced. Hunters, collectors and weapon lovers, especially in the United States, are pleased to acquire these weapons.
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