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View Full Version : Shansi .45 ACP Broomhandle


Cutaway
10-25-2008, 10:06 PM
Is this pistol as good as the M1911?, Its just that it takes 10 rounds and can imagine it to be more accurate and stronger in construction.

http://gunsplanet.com/mauser/c96/graphs/Shansei_L.jpg

http://www.theboxotruth.com/images/e38-1.jpg
Norton
10-25-2008, 10:22 PM
Is this pistol as good as the M1911?, Its just that it takes 10 rounds and can imagine it to be more accurate and stronger in construction.

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That is a cool pistol, I remember Shotgun New selling Chinese Broomhandles at fair prices in the mid 1980s. Weren't they called BOLOs. I never saw one in 45. How did you come across it?

I don't know how accurate it is but I don't believe a Chinese made broomhandle is a better than a US made M 1911 in workmanship, materials or reliabilty. I think the War Dept tested German Broomhandles in the late 1890s thru the Pre WW1 period. They did not make the cut.
Optimus Prime
10-25-2008, 11:00 PM
I highly doubt it would be as reliable as a 1911, and it looks a bit heavier to me as well, making it more difficult to keep on target.
Perro Del Diablo
10-26-2008, 09:08 AM
not a chance will it be more reliable than that argentine made FMAP

cool piece of history and all - i have a german one with matching numbers, but if my life depended on it, i wouldnt be betting my life on a broomhandle
oramoc
10-26-2008, 09:30 AM
Even winston churchill's favorite handgun was the 1911. I know it's my favorite wish i never sold mine.
sdk1968
10-26-2008, 10:42 AM
thats still a COOL looking broom handle and if you dont want tit i'll make you an offer.
AZPhil
10-26-2008, 08:19 PM
Even winston churchill's favorite handgun was the 1911. I know it's my favorite wish i never sold mine.

But I believe he carried a broomhandle during WW1:thumbup:
Optimus Prime
10-26-2008, 08:46 PM
Just 'cause he was issued it, doesn't mean he liked it...
nevada
10-26-2008, 11:12 PM
I thought british officers bought their own sidearms in WWI. I read that he liked it.

No where near as easy to load/carry/use as a 1911. My C96 is a pain to load, it's bulky - the .45 is even bigger - and a pain to clean. It has a high cool factor though.

I've read that about 1000 of th C96s in .45 were made by the Chinese. Many more of the 7.62 and 9mm were made when China couldn't get enough from Germany and Spain. Some quaility, some grenades. You have a neat gun.
Cavalryman
11-01-2008, 01:38 PM
According to Churchill's memoirs, he carried a 10 shot .30 caliber Mauser pistol in Sudan when he made the famous charge with (I think) the 17th Lancers. He had injured his right arm and was unable to use a sword, so he used the pistol. He credited that with saving his life, as they were so closely pressed by the enemy that he thought the rapid-fire pistol kept him from being overwhelmed. I don't know what he carried in WWI.
Patria Povo
11-01-2008, 01:42 PM
I don't know what he carried in WWI.

Either as Lord of the Admiralty or Battalion commander, at those lofty heights any sidearm is just decoration.
Templar
11-01-2008, 06:11 PM
But I believe he carried a broomhandle during WW1:thumbup:

Actually it was the 2nd Boer War, but yes, he did carry a privately purchased M1896 as a young Lieutenant.

The Broomhandle is a wonderful piece of history and engineering, but no way, no how is it the equal of a 1911 as a fighting pistol, which is why the 1911 is still around, and the M1896 isn't.
AZPhil
11-02-2008, 09:30 AM
Actually it was the 2nd Boer War, but yes, he did carry a privately purchased M1896 as a young Lieutenant.

The Broomhandle is a wonderful piece of history and engineering, but no way, no how is it the equal of a 1911 as a fighting pistol, which is why the 1911 is still around, and the M1896 isn't.

I stand corrected. Thank you Sir.
I just remembered a pic if him as a young buck in a dirt trench holding his broomhandle.