Make: Shansei Arsenal (Sometimes spelled Shansi or Shanxi), China, imported by Navy Arms

Model: Type 17 Broomhandle "Hand Cannon", scaled-up copy of C96 Broomhandle Mauser

Serial Number: 768

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1980s

Caliber: .45 ACP

Action Type: Single Action Semi –Auto with Ten Round Internal Magazine

Barrel Length: 5 1/2"

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade fixed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a "V"-notch tangent sight, graduated from 100-1000 yards and mounted to the top-rear of the barrel extension.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece serrated wood. The grips have minor handling wear but do show the slightly rough finish typical of these pistols. There are a few light marks, mostly around the edges. The serrations are well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good-Fine condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original, numbers match.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore, just some stubborn dried grease. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 9+/10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 98% of its metal finish. The action shows minor operational wear. There are a few spots of stubborn dried grease. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw head is sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Excellent condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a wood stock/holster with leather harness.

Our Assessment: The Broomhandle Model 1896 Mauser is certainly an interesting looking firearm. During the Chinese civil war in the 1920s and 30s, international arms embargoes made rifles difficult to acquire, which led to a lot of popularity for pistols with shoulder stocks. The C96 "Broomhandle" Mauser was particularly popular, and it was copied by a number of Spanish firms for sale in China as well. China began manufacturing a copy of the C96 as early as 1918 and by the late 1920s, there were a total of 11 government arsenals manufacturing C96 pistols. Yen Hsi-Shan, the Governor General of Shanxi province starting in 1912, wanted to equip his forces with the most modern firearms available and built an arsenal to produce weapons for his troops. They started making a copy of the M1921 Thompson submachine gun during the late 1920s, and the problem of having to supply and carry two different calibers of ammunition, one for their Thompsons and another for their 7.63mm C96 pistols is obvious. A scaled-up copy of the C96 to fire .45 ACP cartridges was designed and began manufacture in 1928. Approximately 8000 Type 17 (Seventeenth Year of the Nationalist Chinese Rule starting in 1911) "Hand Cannons" were made at the Shanxi Arsenal from 1928-1931 and became so popular with collectors that another batch was made in China during the 1980s.

This Model 17 .45 Caliber Broomhandle was one of those made in the 80s. This pistol shows little sign of use, retaining about 98% of its original finish and matching numbered parts. Collecting C96 Mausers can be quite an undertaking, as there are many variants (large and small ring hammers, etc.), and no C96 collection would be complete without Spanish and Chinese copies, at least the ones made by major gun manufacturers and arsenals. Of the oddball copies, the most collectible is the .45 Model 17 "Hand Cannon" made by Shanxi, and the more modern copies are proving just as collectable. Please see our photos and good luck!