Chinese Warlord Pistols: The Huge Shanxi .45 ACP Broomhandle

The "Pistols of the Warlords Kickstarter ends Friday night; don't miss out!
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The best known and most highly valued of the Warlord Era Chinese pistols is undoubtedly the .45 ACP copy of the C96 Mauser. These were made at the Taiyuan Arsenal in Shanxi Province between 1928 and 1931, with more than 8,000 made in total. They were the product of a proper Western-style production line, and Taiyuan Arsenal actually made standard C96 copies in 7.63mm Mauser before scaling up to the .45 ACP version. This change was made because the Arsenal was also making Thompson submachine guns, and it made sense to have caliber compatibility with their C96-style pistols. The result was a truly massive hand cannon, holding 10 rounds of ammunition in its fixed magazine, and fitted with an equally large combination shoulder stock and holster.
In the 1980s, a run of copies of these pistols were made in China and imported into the United States under the guise of being refinished originals. In actuality, they are poorly made imitations - the original Shanxi .45 Broomhandles are quite high quality pistols.
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle 36270
Tucson, AZ 85740

[@eg5443]

I'm waiting for Ian to find higher calibre versions of the Mauser until he stumbles on a Chinese copy chambered in .50 BMG.

[@joshuabessire9169]

So Ian, where's the type 50?

[@ComradeBenedict]

Broomhandle chambered in 40mm Bofors when?

[@Shadow_Hawk_Streaming]

Honestly if they loved it so much I'm surprised none were made in a more potent revolver cartriges or a stocked variant as a horse carbine

[@foureye7058]

I'd need to poke aroumd, but there are photos of a craft produced PA Luty in 50 BMG.

[@LUR1FAX]

.50 GI Broomhandle when?

[@simonrook5743]

The 7.63 Mauser cartridge has a muzzle energy of circa 402 ft.lbf which places it broadly in the middle of the range of common .45 ACP cartridges at that ime, so not really surprising it doesn’t take much to upgrade it to .45. It’s only the modern ammo that gets much over about 450.

[@keithallardice6139]

Fantastic looking pistol and I think the hammer "lock-open" idea is first rate, would certainly have saved some poor sod's fingers lol .45 ACP Mausers eh? Who'd a thunk it?!?

[@qiuweida]

其实做工都还蛮好的。

[@wastool]

OK, ok I'm sold how do I get one?

[@enricopaolocoronado2511]

Seeing this gun makes me want to ride a motorcycle through a Russian forest and fire at soldiers Bandit-Style.

[@luxmid7486]

i have never heard of this weapon until now but now i feel everyone should be given one for free

[@calanon534]

Came here to say this, beaten to the punch, not disappointed, will eat tree frog for lunch.

[@johnnicholson7090]

Who are the patriots!?

[@CallOfCutie69]

And relieve a reptile of its virginity?

[@healingvisioner1]

Out here, even THAT is hard to come by

[@VeraTR909]

Looks like a decent pistol, the Chinese weren't wrong about the c96 being awesome. The hammer lock-open function seems like a good idea.

[@Bacteriophagebs]

It was something of a waste, though, since putting the magazine in front of the trigger leaves room for even more powerful cartridges. Someone should really make a pistol with that design, but chambered for, like, 5.56mm...and maybe give it a detachable box magazine...make it gas-operated...maybe make it modular, so you can change calibers... I think it would be really popular with Americans.

[@VeraTR909]

@@Bacteriophagebs A modern, large calibre, 'mag in front of trigger' pistol would be cool yeah. *AR pistols are a thing of course.

[@tenofprime]

@@Bacteriophagebs it would most likely be classed as a fully simi automatic assault weapon.

[@Bacteriophagebs]

@@VeraTR909 That was the joke.

[@atomic_wait]

Seems like a fun case for a long cartridge like 30 carbine.

[@TheSpectacledSteve]

Packs quite a punch when you're on a bike.

[@Initial_Gopnik]

Or a rickshaw.

[@wyattpeterson6286]

A bike?

[@TheSpectacledSteve]

@@wyattpeterson6286 its a reference to metal gear solid 3 snake eater a character named EVA used the same chinese copy broomhandle

[@ryandull6581]

@@TheSpectacledSteve I bet everyone thought you meant Hickok45

[@wyattpeterson6286]

@@TheSpectacledSteve Oh.

[@acorgiwithacrown467]

They should have called it the "Boomhandle"

[@christian12gauge68]

Underrated comment

[@CalamityCain]

I call my wife's right hand the "Groomhandle"

[@andersjjensen]

Someone further up the comments (who's apparently Chinese) said the literal translation of the slang name for it is "long bore box cannon". I think that fits perfectly! :P

[@broomhwauser3380]

No because my name is broom

[@thepancakemann]

@@CalamityCain hah

[@rcforb5255]

1st episode: 9x25mm mauser 2nd episode: .45 ACP mauser 3rd episode: .50 BMG mauser 4th episode: 20mm mauser 5th episode: 105mm mauser 6th episode: 800mm schwerer gustav mauser

[@dehydratedH2O_4805]

3th? Edit: you changed it

[@thatsnotafact7840]

7th episode: a Mauser hastily taped to a cruise missile

[@SlavicCelery]

@@thatsnotafact7840 does the cruise missile say WAUSER WAUSER WAUSER PATRIOTIC WISSILE?

[@nicolasheung441]

8th episode: An underground ICBM launching system that is actually a Mauser

[@verasinha7863]

9th episode: Mauser tank

[@bami2]

In a couple of weeks: Chinese Warlord Pistols: Shanxi 20mm autocannon broomhandle For when you want to conceal-carry a gun with anti-aircraft properties.

[@twestgard2]

You know someday we are going to hear about some fudd shooting himself in the balls by waistband carrying that.

[@TheWolfsnack]

...and thousand meter accuracy...

[@crtikal1937]

Didn't only broke your wrist but your ribcage as well

[@untermench3502]

I've handled one of these. I knew a CIA staff who served in Laos. He was friends with one of the royalist officers who gave him access to their armory. They had saved weapons going back to the 19th Century. He had a couple of variants acquired from that source.

[@BohemianFish]

"Who are the patriots?"

[@fredflintstone5108]

La Li Lu Le Lo

[@panfriedmarmot]

La Li Lu Le Lo

[@nooblangpoo]

La Li Lu Le Lo

[@LUR1FAX]

"Get down!" *Holds gun sideways, mowing down Spetsnaz soldiers with a horizontal sweep*

[@robertjensen1438]

The left typically calls them racists or white supremacists.

[@bigsolidboss781]

Usually referred to as 大眼盒子 back then in China, which literall means large bore box cannon.

[@fuuryuuSKK]

soooo, a big iron basically?

[@yulinfu860]

Another common way of calling it is"盒子炮" which means a cannon in the box.

[@StevieB8363]

Sounds like the perfect weapon for "Thunder-Studded Battle Pits!"

[@汪浪涛]

这枪现在很罕见啊

[@mikehoare6093]

i thought that would mean egg fried rice !

[@lordofonion-rings9426]

The Governor, Yan Xi-Shan, deliberately set up the railway system (rails) to be different from the rest of the country so that no large number of troops from other warlord cannot enter the province and takeover. The province is surrounded by mountains and very reclusive in that way, especially back then. With high mountains and canyons, only 3 ways to enter it by foot through the wild, as it's all forest in the south and desert northwest. To give an example, my city has only just had high speed train-line set up last year, before that, to travel from Beijing to it, will take 12-14 hours by standard train. In history, the province has always been able to stay away from war due to geographical advantages. With ample natural resources (coal, iron ore, etc), Yan was able to build his army to defend and stayed away from most of the warlord conflicts during WW1, and a short period of time from Japanese force in WW2.

[@brianmccarthy5557]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@AshleyPomeroy]

And he died of old age, which is impressive.

[@semibreve]

Thanks for the local perspective!

[@trainsbangsandautomobiles824]

I like trains..

[@ShortArmStrongArm]

Cool!

[@GuardianOfTheHeaven]

"The Japanese call it bandit shooting, and used to fear it." This is the variant of C96 pistol used by EVA in MGS3. C96 pistols is already a personal favorite, but the kinds chambered for .45ACP must have been packing quite some punch indeed.

[@MalikCarr]

I thought it might have been just a little too convenient that EVA was able to turn one of those up. It's not entirely unreasonable to be able to get such a weapon considering MGS3 took place fairly far in the eastern Soviet Union, but hey, it uses the same ammo as BB's 1911? So we don't have to add a third type of pistol ammo to the game? Huzzah!

[@cosmiceyness]

i always loved the c96 after watching “The Great Silence” that thing was badass

[@Rambo_fromage]

@@MalikCarr SPOILER She's a chinese spy so it's legit

[@austinkeown7263]

"Mauser military..... " -hits cigar-

[@fowlergaming5140]

@@Rambo_fromage exactly. It was supposed to be a hint or tell, more or less.

[@minuit242]

"they couldn't go on the internet and read reviews" - Sorry Ian, but I'm gonna need a citation for this.

[@kohinarec6580]

Come on, it's common knowledge that the Internet was launched in 2005, duh!!

[@brianmccarthy5557]

I was using a primitive version of the Internet based on the old PROFS office system in the 1980's at McDonnell Douglas. Obviously I wasn't the first or only one. Never did hook it up to China, as far as I know, though it would have been useful for our reps there. Of course we all know Al Gore invented the Internet, right after he invented the Al Gore Rythm. I'm darn sure Joe Biden was involved, when they were both starting in politics about 120 years ago, according to Old Joe. No two fisted pony soldier dares contradict him! Hey man!!

[@thesmallestminorityisthein4045]

"Microsoft word wouldve made this book easier"-Sun Tzu

[@Ghelasin]

@@thesmallestminorityisthein4045 Everyone knows Sun Tzu was an Open Office man.

[@vizualvoice]

It’s pretty obvious since Al Gore wasn’t born yet

[@Ni999]

Today's video supported by Fireplace Guy's neighbor, Rustic Wood Wall Guy.

[@lightweight1974]

Maybe it's the same guy? Gotta have an awesome room to go with the fireplace room.

[@Ni999]

@@lightweight1974 Maybe it's never been one guy.

[@phil1606]

it's a green screen... keep dreaming!

[@Ni999]

@@phil1606 Nothing gets past you.

[@andersjjensen]

@@phil1606 Nope. Ian commented on it in one of the episodes where the breeze was catching it a little. It's a makeshift backdrop.

[@TheMandalp]

i hear the Chinese use these Guns in the inversion of Alaska in the 2070s

[@davidbrennan660]

Ian will cover those given time, have no fear.

[@teter1096]

I heard it won't end well for them either. Tbh I hadn't made the historical connection until.

[@itsapittie]

@@teter1096 It's an interesting thought exercise. I suspect people who don't live here don't truly grasp the enormity of trying to subdue a dispersed population which is heavily armed and accustomed to living off the land/sea/rivers. Roads are few and most of them are easily blocked with landslides. I'd hate to be the engineer trying to clear a road for tanks while locals took shots at me. Fun fact: Alaska Natives serve in the armed forces at a higher rate per population than any other demographic. You don't want a bunch of guys/girls who can live on berries and caribou and fought in Afghanistan hunting you. It makes for some interesting speculative fiction stories. As a tangent, read Tom Brennan's novel The Snowflake Rebellion. It's a good look into the frustrations of Alaskans with the federal government and how things might have gone very differently.

[@teter1096]

@@itsapittie I've been up to AK a couple of times. Once in summer once in September. It really left me with the impression of "oh these folks are Americans for convenience". Almost a different country up there. Also not to mention the Alaskan Airforce uses mosquitos thr size of VW Bugs for close air support in the summer. Come to think of it theres enough individually licensed plane owning people in AK you really only need the state bird in the Air Reserves. Edit: I dont know if you realize this, but we are referencing fallout 3 here.

[@itsapittie]

@@teter1096 "Americans of convenience" 🤣🤣🤣 There's probably some truth in that. I don't know anything about the Fallout games but invasion of Alaska has been the subject of several stories. As I said, it's an interesting thought exercise, similar to invasion of the contiguous states but with some unique twists.

[@LUR1FAX]

"It's a Chinese Type 17 pistol. It packs quite a punch. Nice to have on a bike" "You held it sideways, and used the muzzle climb to create a horizontal sweep. That was impressive"

[@GuardianOfTheHeaven]

Adding to this quote: "The Japanese call it bandit shooting, and used to fear it."

[@brantgarratt9873]

Bet you've never seen that technique in the west

[@Simpin4Holo]

was looking for this comment

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

*takes drag from cigar*

[@LUR1FAX]

@@GuardianOfTheHeaven "Makes you wonder where she learned to shoot like that"

[@jameshenderson4876]

Thoroughly enjoying this warlord pistols series. My Master's dissertation back in 1988 was on Feng Yuxiang and the warlord period. Brings it all back :)

[@brianmccarthy5557]

Wasn't he the Christian Warlord? Very tall, big guy with a beard who often wore what looked like a cowboy hat?

[@jameshenderson4876]

@@brianmccarthy5557 That was him.

[@praveenb9048]

From wikipedia: He was reputed to have liked baptizing his troops with a fire hose.

[@gregorypaulbox3035]

I never knew I needed a book of Chinese domestic pistols until Ian decided to write and publish one!

[@FishTheJim]

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.

[@worldtraveler930]

Don't everyone think me at once!

[@magoid]

The Chinese were fond on the C96 because they knew that, with one of those, they will shoot first.

[@garyliang2462]

I love how Ian shows his respect and admiration to that part of Chinese history and these pistols certainly have their beauty in a mysterious way.

[@calthepeacelovingclover5935]

No one: Eva: *Points pistol sideways to shoot enemies lined up next to each-other, using the recoil to aim at the next target quickly.*

[@wombatkins]

Bet you've never seen that technique in the west...

[@calthepeacelovingclover5935]

@@wombatkins I've seen it on Metal Gear Solid 3. But not in real life no. The warlords sure were like wild west cowboys except its the wild east! They got my respect for joining up with The Republic Of China to fight their common enemy the Imperial Japanese.

[@StevenHeins]

My grandfather used to claim that was how they were taught in the Navy to shoot a Thompson....

[@ZGryphon]

Given that _actual_ Thompsons operate on a mechanical principle (the Blish effect) that turns out to have been completely fictional, one hesitates to imagine what an experience a Chinese Mystery Thompson must have been.

[@clothar23]

I mean the Japanese only got like what 300 klicks into China during WW2 so it couldn't have been all that bad.

[@douglaspurcell4192]

It probably shot like the streamlined Thompson without the blish crap in it.

[@clothar23]

@@justforever96 No I think any Chinese success during WW2 was entirely up to the incompetence and infighting of the Japanese Armed Forces. Each service branch was high on its own crap and busy fighting each other for resources. That being said having better gear ain't exactly a non factor mate. After all I would rather have a automatic smg in my hand than a Type 99 rifle...And I own four Type 99 rifles , one of them the Long with an inact flower I paid a ridiculous price for.

[@HDcamel]

I came here for the MGS3 comments

[@Schrodingers_kid]

My great grandpa had one. He was soldier from USSR side in China and he picked up such pistol from one of the bodies as trophy. My dad told me that great grandpa told stories how Chinese would fall to the ground and never move again after being hit and he used to say that this is very accurate gun "Bullet goes right where you aim" ED:My dad corrected me.Great grandpa was HELPING CHINESE in war against JAPANESE. +Pistol was lost when he tried to get back home in 1948,on the border

[@comediangj4955]

What era was it? Why was he in China?

[@Schrodingers_kid]

@@comediangj4955 WWII He was there because of war :/ Almost illegally,btw He lied about his age and was soldier for a year and only then people found out that he was 2 years younger and commander said to send him back home,but Germans already were in Ukraine and city he was from,so they had no other choice than leaving him with them + he already was soldier for a year and had experience

[@dukeofburgundy4229]

What happened to it?

[@hairymcnipples]

...why would a Soviet soldier be shooting Chinese people in WWII, the Chinese were aligned with the allies.

[@semicolontransistor]

​@@hairymcnipples Northeastern China (Manchuria) was still occupied by the Japanese at that time and they have some Chinese collaborationist forces fighting for them. Probably one of them got shot when the Soviets invaded.

[@susanbutler2498]

"Pistols of the Warlords" LITERALLY a Dream Book breaking into my Reality!!!! Bloody Fascinating Era, People and Weapons.

[@MrNexor-cj8gs]

I'm sure someone has already mentioned this, but assuming it's written in Pinyin, "xi" is pronounced like the English word "she."

[@xiaochen6426]

Shanxi's warlord Yan Xishan had a nickname ：Yan Lao Xi er, which means he behaved like a stingy businessman. He put many efforts in producing good quality weapons and using them as his bargaining chips with other warlords. As a result, he was able to rule Shanxi province form 1912 to 1949.

[@powereater]

@Lrony Yeo he collaborated with the Japanese from time to time, especially near the end when the PLA closed in on Taiyuan

[@xiaochen6426]

@Lrony Yeo retreated to Taiwan province and died there

[@gerrymandarin6388]

@@xiaochen6426 Taiwan is not a province, it's a country. Get your facts straight buddy.

[@xiaochen6426]

@@gerrymandarin6388 don't want to continue this meaningless argument, but talking about fact, Chen Cheng was the Governor of Taiwan Province when Yan retreated to Taiwan Province.

[@gerrymandarin6388]

@@xiaochen6426 There's nothing meaningless about facts. Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation and is NOT a part of China. That is a fact.

[@mikepette4422]

IF you played Fallout 3 you'll recall that there is something called a Chinese Officers pistol ( I think ) And it looks exactly like a Mauser C-96 even though the setting of the WW3 is almost 200 years after the c-96 was invented thats how popular the "Broom Handle" Mauser C-96 was in China lol and if I recall they even say its based on the type 17 Shanxi pistol based on the C-96

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Ceremonial and honor guards in today's PRC still occasionally carry the .45 Broomhandles. On certain important days for the CCP, the guards of the Maosoleum would cosplay in old Red Army uniforms geared up with these guns.

[@goforbroke4428]

@@andrewsuryali8540 not really cosplay, that was just the uniform of the day.

[@jrggrop]

The Chinese liked the C96 so much the PLA ordered a new version into production as late as the 80s.

[@goforbroke4428]

@@jrggrop as a sub machine gun like the scorpion.

[@fckgooogle1000x]

Ah yes, the Chinese Shanxi 10mm. Shame it had crap stats in game.

[@austinkeown7263]

I was really hopeing for the Metal Gear comments... Was not disappointed

[@GundamReviver]

Your pretty good!

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

An ocelot never lets his prey escape. _twirls Makarov_

[@devinwilson5162]

Imagine getting shot by a 45 in China and u think they have either 1911s or some weird 45 acp pistol and it turns out they just have these big fellas

[@totallylegalshit7579]

I imagine getting shot witha. 45, you probably wouldn't get to wonder very much,for very long.

[@liltigris4335]

You know it's kinda badass to have a Mauser pistol that shoots .45 ACP.

[@Schrodingers_kid]

It's also OP

[@classicnestetris3268]

I want one so bad just for shits and giggles

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@classicnestetris3268 you and me both.

[@andersjjensen]

@@classicnestetris3268 It's not exactly shits and giggles if you actually point it at something lesser than a foot of solid concrete wall :P

[@jakeblanton6853]

If they made a modern version that could headspace on the extractor and chambered in .45WinMag so that it could also chamber .45ACP and .460 Rowland, plus used a detachable magazine, you might find a lot of people interested in it... If the barrel was made so that it could be easily swapped, then switching to a 16" barrel and the buttstock would make for an acceptable hunting rifle for a lot of locations...

[@jllucci]

It's the Gospel of Chinese guns according to Gun Jesus

[@austinhughes6852]

A Mauser Broomhandle C96 in 45 acp.Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

[@andersjjensen]

I'd be really worried every time the bolt comes halfway out the back end like that... 45ACP is not exactly a pea on a fire cracker...

[@clothar23]

An Imperialistic German pistol chambered in a Republican American cartridge...sounds like a very odd combo to me.

[@CarlVolt]

IM STIIIILLL INNNN A DREEEEAMMMM

[@GundamReviver]

Snaaaaakkkeeee eateeeeeerrrre -jazz music-

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

@@GundamReviver *whispers* _snake eater_

[@avnrulz]

So early my C96 is still chambered in 7.63 instead of 9MM.

[@Psiberzerker]

Unless it's been re-chambered. How early? They did make 9x19mm Mausers, but not in mass production before WWI. If you do have an earlier 9mm (And it hasn't been rechambered) it might be very valuable.

[@avnrulz8587]

@@Psiberzerker no, it has been rechambered to 9MM. Bore sucks.

[@Psiberzerker]

@@avnrulz8587 Yeesh. Way to fuck up a great gun? I love .30 Mauser, Borchardt/Luger, and Tokarev. (Not all the same calibers, but very Very similar. Some of them you can chamber newer cases in older guns, but don't, because they can't handle the pressure like Borchardt/Luger/Tokarev.) So, I admit, I'm biased AF. Okay, real quick, the Borchardt is C93. The Mauzer is C96...

[@avnrulz8587]

@@Psiberzerker yes, well it was rechambered when I bought it in the 1980s, I don't know about the history of the pistol specifically.

[@bazookallamaproductions5280]

YOOOOO ITS THE FALLOUT 3 GUN THAT SET SHIT ON FIRE 😂👌 (Zhu-Rong v418)

[@dphalanx7465]

First saw this gun in a comic book of the 1980's "Jon Sable, Freelance." The main character, who was a bounty hunter & mercenary, had rebuilt one of these with a German Schnellfeuer action, creating a 45-cal machine-pistol!

[@dphalanx7465]

@@justforever96 It's not. If I wanted a 45-cal autoweapon; I'd take the Grease Gun. But if I wanted an iconic weapon with a high "cool factor," that's my choice.

[@alohm]

Pronounced like 'Sean-She'(shaun-she). Like Sean Connery in Zardoz.

[@caidurkan2916]

The Gun is Good.

[@aiayou]

No it’s not.

[@Alex-zg2xi]

山西 shanxi, shaun shee

[@caidurkan2916]

@@aiayou The Penis is Evil.

[@nothingtodowiththat]

The pronunciation of Shān (山 - mountains or hills) is closer to how a native English speaker might say, well, shan, with a short vowel sound, as in "shan't", and not really at all like "Sean" as in Sean Connery. Xī (西 -west) is quite similar to the English pronoun she. Both with a high, flat tone.

[@scottmaddow7879]

I remember seeing bv these show up in a Gun World magazine advertisement in the 80's.

[@FightCain]

Id like a video about “bandit shooting” Also love all these MGS3 references in the comments

[@thereve]

Just a thought - It'd be interesting to see some discussion about the different manufacturing methods and equipment that these armories would have used over the years.

[@alohm]

The 'pointed star' is a sun. The symbol of the ROC: the republic of.. Also of Taiwan today. A sun rising, like Japan. Sun beaming ;)

[@penguin_Dusk]

Just a random Taiwanese crossing over, and I also think that's the symbol of the ROC. Drop the wiki link here if anyone wants to check the flag =) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan

[@lavrentivs9891]

You too find it annoying to have to explain the difference between Republic of China and Peoples Republic of China whenever you've used the ROC term?^^

[@User-nu6km]

It is still the same country. their airforce is called the ROCAF.

[@blackmesa1992]

@@User-nu6km No they are not. Communist's China air force (PLAAF) and Nationalist's China air force(ROCAF) are foes to each other. Recently news shows that the tension between them have raised as PLAAF's aircrafts routinely flying around Taiwan and ROCAF's are intercepting them.

[@User-nu6km]

@@blackmesa1992 I was saying that "taiwan" and the ROC are the same country.

[@captainscarlett1]

I like the wood background but real wood wood be good. Gooder. More good. Max good? Goodest? What is the newspeak word for this? Help please.?

[@Ni999]

Perhaps you're looking for doubleplusgood. _He likes a doubleplusgood woodwise wall._

[@erwintatp]

That one with serial number 13 is the only known surviving Type 17 that was actually made in year 17 (1928 A.D.). Before this video, for years it had been only shown as pictures in an obscure book. Extremely rare find.

[@mpchappelle]

Mauser Military... The "Broomhandle"

[@autofox1744]

This is pretty much the gun that got me into weird firearms, and also Warlord-era China. Fascinating stuff! Yan Xisan was quite the character, too.

[@HistoricalWeapons]

Oh yeah the Chinese box cannon

[@khps0413]

During the Warlords era, only Shanxi clique made a large number of submachine guns. There were some interesting improvements to the Yan Xishan's Thompson compared to American original. Firstly, the barrel was longer. Yan Xishan believed that the defence of Shanxi was all about mountain warfare. In mountain warfare, the enemy and friendly were often far away and men could not march quickly enough to get to them. Therefore, the light machine gun seemed to be more useful than the submachine gun. However, the range of the light machine gun was so long that in many battles it was unnecessary and overpowered and the light machine gun was too heavy for the mountainous terrain where the emphasis was on mobility. Therefore, Yan Xishan made the barrel of the Thompson submachine gun longer in order to increase its range and make it suitable for mountain warfare. Secondly, it could be fitted with a bipod. In the opinion of Yan Xishan, the submachine gun was often the mainstay of firepower in mountain warfare and was more practical than the light machine gun. However, the biggest problem with the submachine gun was that it was less accurate in sustained fire, as it often took dozens of rounds to hit a single shot. So, Yan Xishan fitted some of the submachine guns with bipods, hoping it could greatly improving the accuracy and stability. Thirdly, the drum was not used. This was mainly because Chinese had weaker arms and the use of Thompson's large drums severely affected the stability of the pistol's fire. This is why all of the Shanxi's Thompson were designed with straight magazines.

[@daniellewis1789]

I assume it would also be easier to produce and maintain the simpler, lighter stick magazines, as well as having better weight for a given number of rounds carried and being easier to pack. If you don't need the high capacity between reloading of a drum, stick magazines make good sense for many reasons and it sounds like they had that figured out quickly.

[@crktritual]

Han Solo’s C96 was chambered in .45, that’s why it only took one shot on Greedo.

[@FlutterGuy121]

*Metal Gear Solid fans breathing heavily*

[@countersphere2924]

My fav pistol in Fallout 3 🤧

[@GeronKizan]

Her mentioning it was a Chinese copy was a clue, Snake.

[@iobey]

Hey Ian, when are you going to use one of these bad boys in a competition? Looks great for me.

[@chanman819]

That's cool and all, but the real question is: will we get to see Ian shoot it at a backup gun match?

[@andersjjensen]

This is not a back up gun. This is a primary assault weapon when loaded and an effective blunt force trauma weapon when empty. It may also be an excellent hammer if you're in a pinch, and it will most certainly derail the tracks of any armoured vehicle of the time if you throw it in the driving sprocket just right. In short: Ian is going to be penalized down to minus 11 rounds per loading if he shows up with this :P

[@chanman819]

@@andersjjensen Naw, backup is relative to whatever the main weapon is. I don't think anyone will complain if Ian's other gun is his 7.62 x 39mm Bren. And then he can shoot a 2-gun match entirely with weird 20th century Chinese calibre conversions

[@clothar23]

@@chanman819 ...A Bren in...a Soviet caliber...That's wrong on so many levels.

[@azarashi_hieda]

​@@clothar23 kzbin.info/www/bejne/noTCk4BpjdGqba8 have fun

[@StupidDumbIdiotStore]

Thank you for this video. My dad always told me my grandfather fought the Japanese during WW2, then during the warlord era of China and into the Chinese civil war, and the Chinese type 17 was his side arm he kept with him at all times.

[@rayray6490]

@@justforever96maybe his dad was a poor historian

[@kfeltenberger]

Ever since I read the Mike Grell comic, "Jon Sable, Freelance", back in the 1980s, I've wanted one of these. Well, one of these and a SxS .375H&H Mag.

[@williamsample2631]

One can always dream, but I like your thinking!

[@AresWasTaken]

“Shanxi” is a difficult pronunciation for English speakers because English doesn’t have the sounds it makes. “Sh” is well, “sh”, but “an” is somewhere between “an” in “Can” and “ean” in “Sean”. If you speak German however it’s basically “ann” in “Mann”. “Xi” is tricky because the X is like halfway between a “S” and “Sh”, and there isn’t any analog for it in Latin based languages. I guess try to make the S sound but move the tip of your tongue back a bit? And finally, the “i” in “Xi” is basically “ee” in “need”.

[@snappers_antique_firearms]

A good friend of mine has one of these. I shot it for the first time a couple weeks ago. It was unbelievably accurate. His was probably the most accurate pistol, I've ever shot in my life. and a joy to shoot

[@ScottKenny1978]

Color me *very* jealous!

[@snappers_antique_firearms]

@@ScottKenny1978 trust me after I shot it. I wish I owned it. If you ever get the chance to own one its worth the money.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@snappers_antique_firearms definitely on my list to own.

[@bobjones5674]

9:21 1000 meters with a subsonic cartridge. Now THAT is optimism!

[@fien111]

A .45 ACP with sights out to 1000m, in case you want to SERIOUSLY ANNOY some Japanese army soldier from the next mountain over

[@mattdickson2]

the chinese created the most american gun ever over almost 100years ago. china, always innovating.

[@silvirhunter3607]

Eva from MGS3 approves.

[@thespecialbru]

My lady says your pronunciation of “Shanxi” sounds French, which sounds about right!

[@JoJo-vm8vk]

Ian doesn't know it but he is half French 🤣

[@LeafseasonMagbag]

The fact the Chinese knocked these off decades later is like them going “Hey, one of our old domestic pistols wasn’t a poorly-made piece of junk! That’s simply will not do!”

[@MisterResistance101]

Are the reproduction versions any good to shoot? I've personally been hearing that the bolt stops are weak as well as all of the internals being crudely made and not being heat treated.

[@vchalmel]

"Yes that's a .45 ACP Broomhandle in my pocket and yes I'm indeed happy to see you."

[@DavidCowie2022]

I'm happy to see your .45 ACP Broomhandle.

[@CalamityCain]

Damn ... they never ask to see my Astra CUB pocket pistol, even though it's such a quaint li'l classic ;(

[@fender_ketchup]

"you held it sideways, and used the muzzle jump to create a horizontal sweep. That was impressive"

[@joearnold6881]

Oh man, Shanxi might be the most interesting and unique clique, with definitely the most interesting leader, of the whole era. Read up on Yan Xishan sometime. Guy stayed in power till the very end of the civil war, played the Japanese (and everyone else), kinda sorta was Confucius-Jesus….

[@dwi2921]

He was a very complex man indeed. Anti-Campitalist, Socialist/Communist, traditionalist, Conservative. The man was not any one thing.

[@shatterquartz]

In the alternate history book With Iron and Fire, he becomes Prime minister of China in 1931 and stays in charge throughout the Sino-Japanese War.

[@ducomaritiem7160]

Hey Ian, do I spot some grey in your hair? No sweat, I'm 58 and a bit greyish too here and there...

[@theeggman1199]

Bruh I dont care about caliber I just want a c96, they cost as much as a spas 12! Some sell over 2,000 dollars! Can someone make a modern copy like norincos trench guns?

[@weirdsciencethe2nd205]

The Spas is so iconic I would love one and a pancore jackhammer and a aa12 lol I like weird and wonderful shottys

[@ScottKenny1978]

They'd be stupid expensive. Forged steel requires specific tooling to make the shapes in one go. The Lugerman copies are $5000+ for that reason.

[@theeggman1199]

@@ScottKenny1978 well can it be made of milled steel?

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@theeggman1199 probably, but you lose strength by not forging it. So some parts would have to be thicker to compensate. Now you're messing with weights and dimensions, which introduces more potentials for error. And that lengthens your development time.

[@mattwoodard2535]

These are a very interesting weapons. I wrote a story where the main character used one of these (though highly and rather unrealistically modified.) Wonder what the recoil would be like on those. sm

[@sawyere2496]

I’d guess the recoil was pretty bad, or at least the muzzle flip because of the high ass bore axis

[@linkroblox9474]

3rd to comment but who cares because ian posted

[@ConorD1990]

All comments are good for the algorithm, so

[@stevestoll3124]

They fire smoothly, there is some muzzle flip.

[@ЗвездыБольшойПротуберанец]

The original C96 can also be loaded with loose rounds without holding the bolt by hand, there is a second bolt position for this. While watching a different videos with reviews of the Mauser C96, I saw this lock-open function several times. For example, in the video of Hickok45, when he loads the pistol with loose rounds, it is clearly seen that he pulls the bolt to the second position and it does not close. Also on Hickok's video "Mauser C96 Woods Walk" from the 3rd minute it is clearly visible that after emptying the magazine, he pulls the open bolt a little further, loads the weapon from the stripper clip, and after removing the clip, the bolt remains in the open position. Again at 5: 13 when he had a malfunction. In his review of this pistol, he says that he did little research and that this particular GERMAN C96 was produced between 1911 and 1915.

[@vince_nevermind1159]

I love this gun since MGS3, it's good to finaly learn more about it !

[@stoneylonesome4062]

Will we ever see the 10mm Auto version?

[@mrbootystealer5712]

I don't think 10mm Mausers exist but I might be wrong

[@trainsbangsandautomobiles824]

I remember seeing the fake ones for sale in Shotgun News for like $500 in the 90's

[@kkwun4969]

how do you knock off a chinese knock off

[@trainsbangsandautomobiles824]

@@kkwun4969 Because, China 😂

[@MarkSynthesis]

Much belated note: the twelve-pointed star, called the "Blue Sky with the White Sun", specifically was (and still is) the party flag of the Kuomintang (KMT, called "Chinese Nationalists" in western parlance); it became the national flag, replacing the earlier five-stripe flag of the Chinese Republic when they prevailed in the late 1920's and established a monopoly on power and were eventually acknowledged by the western powers (who previously endorsed their rivals in the Beiyang government, hence the warlord era--a similar situation as happened with the Russian Republic; the Chinese Revolution frequently has a lot of similarities, albeit stretched over several times the time frame). Likewise, the Republic of China calendar (sometimes just called "the Chinese calendar"), was the formal calendar system of the party and continues to be used in Taiwan and happens the share the same start date as the DPRK's calendar, 1912; how common it is in Taiwan is a little unclear; as someone born in Year 74; it was on my official documentation, but it's increasingly anachronistic. It was used in China until the Communist Party adopted the same Gregorian calendar used in the western and eastern blocs in 1949.

[@aoyawang3890]

Hearing Ian saying Shanxi(山西) using only the English pronounciation is yet another entertaining element for this already outstanding video. XD

[@ianfinrir8724]

Was he close, at least?

[@aoyawang3890]

@@ianfinrir8724 He's close, but it will confuse some local people thinking he might be saying "Shuangshi" (双喜，means"double happiness") ;)

[@tangoprime]

Man - saw one of these years ago on gunbroker, really wish I'd have tried a little harder to win that one. I may be mixing it up with another one I'd tried to win on there, but want to say it had Shanghai Police markings on it.

[@andersjjensen]

Then it was an FN 1900 clone if the teachings of Gun Jesus are true gospel :P

[@Obi_Wan_Kenobi_027]

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side”

[@pbayers]

Has anyone thought about how this thing holds more rounds than a 1911, and how some folks here are still die hard 1911 enthusiasts, despite uts 7 or 8 round magazines...? Maybe old fudds in China still have the same veneration for these old guns...🤷‍♂️

[@jrggrop]

They did, hence the PLA ordering the Type 80 handgun into production, much to the disgust of most enlisted men.

[@ChristianMcAngus]

For military forces with poor logistics a pistol with an internal magazine and using stripper clips makes sense.

[@stevelewis7263]

It would be cool to see the .45 C-96 in action on the range

[@GundamReviver]

Especially fired sideways in an arc :p

[@whufee]

民国十七年 太原兵工厂造 (I’m from Taiyuan Shanxi by the way)

[@munkSWE88]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYnGg6ekbcSWfKM "Mauser Military.... It's imitation isn't it ?"

[@modulo3664]

I bought a firepower upgrade from some shady dude in a hooded coat and my Red 9 turned into one of these

[@cnlbenmc]

Metal Gear Solid 3 references *INTENSIFIES* *!*

[@yaoypl]

Broomhandle, the most recognizable gun in China

[@stijnVDA1994]

One often speaks of over 9000, we say it's under 9000🤣😉

[@tenlittleindians]

With the upgraded versions of the AR rifle platform that no longer need a buffer tube it's only a matter of time before we see modern production runs of handguns modeled in even larger calibers such as .50 Beowulf. I think Olympic Arms may have been the first without the tube in the back but Brownells now has their tubeless design and Mark Surbu is currently working on his version of a tubeless. There's a few others out there as well.

[@eaglestryker1338]

When you get beaten by a mysterious motorcyclist using your engraved single action that gives you no tactical advantage whatsoever

[@juliuscaesar709]

you can play a little game i like to call "spot the metal gear player" in the comments section

[@petesheppard1709]

So 'Broomhandle Thumb' was a thing??

[@janwitts2688]

The broomhandle .. between that and the 1911 you have the most acceptable weapons.. still not obsolete... though very much obsolescent... two giants of military style handgun history... we brits mostly went the other way with our eventually ultra reliable 6 shot manstopper revolvers.. then went BHP35 for a long spell.. so a bit hit and miss.. putting USA and Germany well ahead in tactical military handguns.. fortunately our rifle efforts turned out to be the way to go.. and the US basicly opted out of LMGs. ... for a long while BARRRR. .