Mauser C-96 Disassembly Pictures

Last month I picked up a Mauser C-96 Broomhandle. I got it to the range after detail stripping it, cleaning out the last bits of the Western Front, lubing it, and replacing the hammer and recoil springs. Unfortunately, the bore is so worn that bullets keyhole and there's enough blow-by that the gun fails to eject empties. It will be definitely be sent off to Redman's for relining to the original 7.63x25 caliber.

While I had the gun apart I took pictures. If you right click on each pic and select View Image (or your browser's equivalent, you'll see a descriptive file name.

The Mauser C-96 is one of the finest examples of the machinist's art you'll ever find. It's remarkable how this was able to be mass produced on manual machinery.

Portable Vertical HF Antenna

Over on Survivalpreps, clickenzee here.

First QRP QSO

I had my first QSO using my Yaesu FT-817ND QRP rig and the Ultimax-100 antenna on my roof. Transmitting on 5 watts using the PSK-31 mode, I was able to complete a QSO with W0TY in St. Charles, MO. That's 823 miles from me.

Before W0TY replied to my CQ, a couple other hams did but when I replied to them directly they didn't come back. Such is the nature of radio communication, especially at low power.

To control the rig I used my Apple iPad 2 running PSKER, connected using an Easy Digi interface from KF5INZ.

Clifford Wareham, KF5INZ makes the Easy Digi interface for more than just Apple iThingies, and will supply the correct cables to connect your device to your rig. Highly recommended. The interface I bought will also work with my iPhone. Using either my iPad or iPhone, Clifford's little box in combination with my FT-817ND makes for a very portable digital communications setup.

Mauser C-96 Broomhandle

As Tam likes to say, "The Internet likes gun pics." So, here's a pic of my latest acquisition, something I've wanted since I was a kid, even before I saw Han Solo blow away Greedo*:

It's a wartime commercial Mauser Model 1896 "Broomhandle," AKA, "C-96," chambered for 7.63x25 Mauser. It was made around 1915 - 1916. How I acquired it is a bit of a story, but first, some history.

The Mauser C-96 is generally considered to be the first successful semiautomatic pistol. It was produced from 1896 up until 1937. About a million were made (not including copies). It saw service in numerous wars and copies were made in Spain and China, where it was especially popular. Unlike modern semiauto pistols, it had a fixed, 10 round magazine located ahead of the trigger, loaded with stripper clips. Most C-96s are chambered for 7.63x25 with some in 9x19. The first Broomhandles in 9mm were built at the behest of the German Army in WW1, when production of the standard P-08 Luger couldn't meet demand. Most of these 1916 Prussian Contract guns have grips with red "9"s on them, to differentiate them from the guns in 7.63mm. Many C-96s with shot out barrels have been bored out to 9mm and had Red 9 grips installed. A lot of these were done in the 1980s and '90s, when  thousands of very well used Broomhandles were imported into the US from China.

One of the most unique features was the C-96's construction, which contained only one screw -- the one holding on the grip panels. Everything else fits together like a jigsaw puzzle.

While the gun looks a bit ungainly to 21st Century eyes, it actually handles pretty well. It's a little heavier than a full size 1911 but the balance is different.

Among the most well known users of the Broomhandle were Winston Churchill and T.E. Lawrence. I also ran across of photo of a young Ritter von Leeb packing a C-96.

My dad bought the gun earlier this year. A couple weeks ago he was over at my house to share some Woodford Reserve bourbon and conversation, and I asked him when he was sending the Broomhandle off to get relined (since the bore is shot out). In reply, he asked me if I wanted it, in trade for a nice Polish Radom VIS-35 that he'd given me a few years ago. As nice as the Radom is, the Broomhandle is one of my grails, so I didn't hesitate even a microsecond before agreeing to the trade. (Odds are I'll eventually get the Radom back anyway.)

The exterior of the gun has some pitting and may have been reblued at some point in the past century.  As alluded to previously, the bore is in bad shape. It looks like the entire Heer marched through it.

I plan to shoot it. Before doing so I am going to replace the original springs with a kit from Wolff. (I'll keep the originals in a plastic bag along with the gun.) I have some Hansen (Prvi Partizan) .30 Mauser ammo to try in it. With the bore in such poor shape I am not expecting much in the way of accuracy.

Redman's Rifling & Reboring in Washington State offers a relining service for Broomhandles. I'll probably send the barrel and bolt off to them in early January.

Some thoughts on the correct ammo for Broomhandles in 7.63:

When I was younger the consensus was that 7.63 Mauser was loaded hotter than the dimensionally identical 7.62x25 Tokarev. At some point this reversed and nowadays, the common belief is that Tokarev ammo is loaded hotter than Mauser ammo, and is unsafe to shoot in Broomhandles. However, after doing a lot of research, my belief is that there isn't much of a difference between them, unless you are talking about post-WW2 Czech 7.62 SMG ammo or current Prvi Partizan high pressure 7.62 TT ammo. There is a good discussion of ammo on 1896Mauser.com. (And don't get me started on the myth that the CZ-52 pistol is stronger than Tokarevs. It's not.)

Another characteristic feature of the C-96 is its ability to accept a combination holster/shoulder stock. Normally, in the US, attaching a shoulder stock to a pistol with a barrel less than 16 inches long creates a Short Barreled Rifle, regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934. However, certain curios and relics have been exempted from the purview of the NFA by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. What is sometimes unclear is whether one of these C&Rs is exempt if a replica of the original German stock is attached, rather than an actual original German stock. Being able to use a replica would be ideal because they are available on eBay and other places online for much less than original stocks, which start around $400. I have found scans of letters from BATFE saying replica stocks are OK to use, while there are other ATF letters extant taking the opposite position.

Here's a video from Iraqveteran8888 demonstrating how the shoulder stock is attached and used:

Since I have already invited The Man into my life by building a silencer on a Form 1, I felt that discretion was the better part of valor and emailed the ATF's Firearms Tech Branch, inquiring whether it was legal to attach a replica stock so long as it is substantially identical to the original design. Here's the reply I received:

Received from: Fire_tech@atf.gov

Date: 12/12/14

Dear Sir,

On page 38, in Section III of the Firearms Curio & Relic List, the Mauser Model 1896 is listed with the specific requirement that it be “accompanied by original German mfd. Detachable wooden holster/shoulder stocks…. (Bold in original email.)

ATF – Firearms & Technology Division

From: Dave Markowitz

Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2014 9:46 AM

To: Fire Tech

Subject: Question regarding the legality of a Reproduction Mauser Model 1896 Stock

Dear Sir:

I own a Mauser Model 1896 (AKA "C96") pistol manufactured in 1915 or 1916. The pistol is chambered for the original 7.63x25mm cartridge and remains unmodified.

After reviewing the Curio and Relic list at <http://www.atf.gov/files/publications/firearms/curios-relics/p-5300-11-firearms-curios-or-relics-list.pdf>, I see that the Model 1896 manufactured before 1940, and fitted with an original German-manufactured holster/shoulder stock has been exempted from the provisions of the National Firearms Act ("NFA"). See Section III, page 38 of that list.

Can you confirm for me whether or not a Model 1896 manufactured prior to 1940, but fitted with a reproduction holster/shoulderstock that is substantially the same as an original holster/shoulder stock would also be exempted from the NFA?

Thank you in advance.

David S. Markowitz

[ADDRESS REDACTED]

Sigh. I guess I'm in the market for an original stock, rather than an inexpensive replica.

Wikipedia has a nice article on the C-96, but the best site I've come across about the Broomhandle is 1896Mauser.com. The Mauser C-96 is a significant development in small arms history and has made appearances in many movies, including From Russia With Love, not to mention the Star Wars franchise, as the basis for blasters used by Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. I'd love to see a modern made replica to get as a shooter, even if I had to pay a grand for it.

* Han did not shoot first. ONLY Han shot.

CCI Quiet .22 LR

I got the chance to fire off a few rounds of CCI Quiet .22 LR yesterday. It's a 40 grain lead round nose bullet at 710 FPS. Last month I got 2 bricks of it from Midway.

From my daughter's Savage Rascal with a 16.25" barrel, it makes less noise than a high powered spring piston air rifle. Remington CBee loads are louder.

From my Beretta 71 pistol it's a lot louder and sounds like a gun. It did not have enough oomph to cycle the action. I'm looking forward to trying it in my Ruger 22/45 with suppressor. I'm hoping the can will add enough back pressure to allow the gun to cycle.

I didn't test for accuracy as we were in a friend's yard plinking.

If you can find some and you have a gun that shoots it well, the CCI Quiet should make a good load for discrete pest control or small game hunting.

Survivor Library

This site has a ton of old books on everything from farming to Boy Scout manuals, engineering, chemistry, education, and radio. They can be downloaded as PDFs or ePub files. 

http://www.survivorlibrary.com

Kovea LPG Adapter for Canister Stoves

Check it out on my other blog:

http://survivalpreps.blogspot.com/2014/10/kovea-lpg-adapter.html

ARRL Web Server Breach

10/07/2014

Late last month, a security breach occurred, involving a web server at ARRL Headquarters. ARRL IT Manager Mike Keane, K1MK, said that League members have no reason to be concerned about sensitive personal information being leaked.

Link.

If you have a login at arrl.org, I suggest you go change your password.

Free Book: Radio Monitoring A How To Guide

N2EI has made his book, Radio Monitoring A How To Guide, freely available under the Creative Commons License. Go download it here.

{Hat tip to Sparks.}

New Mini CNC Mill from Defense Distributed

Cody Wilson, the guy who made the antigunners piss their pants with a 3D printed guns, is at it again. This time, it is a mini CNC mill that will retail for under $1500 and come ready to go out of the box. It's big enough to do 80% AR15 lowers and 1911 frames. Of course, it's not limited to making guns.

The hardware and software are open source. The website says that it'll be shipping for "Holiday 2014," and it's available now for pre-order.

https://ghostgunner.net

This has the potential to be more significant for the right to bear arms than 3D printed guns. This will allow you to make the receiver (i.e., the part registered and controlled in the US) out of metal, from which the majority of guns are made. With many traditional designs you cannot simply substitute synthetics, due to engineering constraints.

Making gun control moot via technology will be one of the greatest advances for personal liberty that we see in the 21st Century.

9/11

Last year I posted about the 12th anniversary of 9/11, and find that what I wrote one year ago still reflects my feelings. Only now, we’ve gone further down the rabbit hole and are facing a new enemy in the form of ISIS.

Unfortunately, after Obama’s dithering of the past few weeks, and last night’s lackluster call to arms, I fear we are no closer to confronting and repulsing this threat. With our wide open southern border and “leaders” who inspire neither fear nor respect by our foes, it is probably only a matter of time before more major attacks happen on our soil.

A pox on everyone in the White House and Congress.

Baofeng UV-5RA Extended Battery

Up until recently one downside of getting the Baofeng UV-5RA HT was that the extra capacity batteries made for the other variants of the UV-5R did not fit it. At the start of last week I found a 3600 mAH battery to fit the UV-5RA. It’s from eBay seller radioshop8888 located in Hong Kong. This link should take you directly to the battery.

The cost was $21 shipped from HK to the US.

Here are some pictures, with a regular Bic lighter for scale. First, the UV-5RA with the stock 1800 mAH battery, then with the 3600 mAH battery, and finally the two batteries together.

Note that my radio is fitted with a Nagoya NA-701 2M/70cm antenna. It provides a little better performance than the stock rubber duck.

Aside from having double the capacity of the OEM battery, the extended battery makes the HT easier to hold, especially when you’re trying to work the buttons while holding it with only one hand.

Solar Flare and Incoming X-Class CME

As reported in the news over the past couple days, the Earth was hit by a solar flare on 9/9.  An X-class coronal mass ejection is following the flare and is expected to hit us with a glancing blow early Friday morning, 9/12. When the flare hit HF radio transmissions were severely disrupted, e.g., 20M was pretty much wiped out for awhile.

Other than HF disruptions and some better than normal auroras, any other effects are likely to be minimal. That said, I’ll be unplugging my radio antennas and power cords tonight, just in case the predictions are wrong. Likeiwse, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do things like fill the gas tanks in your vehicles and any spare gas cans, just in case.

Good sites to follow what’s going on with the Sun, solar flares, and CMEs are Solar Ham and Space Weather.

Using Fldigi on a Mac to Control an Icom 7200

Ray, W3PRR, asked me for help on configuring Fldigi running on a Mac with OS 10.9.4 so that it can control an Icom 7200 radio. Here’s how I did it:

1. Get yourself a plain USB-A to USB-B cable, as used with most recent computer printers. This one at Amazon will work fine. The IC7200 has a built in sound card, and the USB cable will provide both rig control and audio input/output through the one cable.

2. Make sure the OS is up to date by running OS X’s Software Update.

3. You need to install the driver for the Silicon Labs CP210 USB-to-UART bridge, which is what provides the brains for the USB-B port on the back of the radio. You can download that here.

Note: Do not connect the radio to your Mac when you install the driver. Connect the radio after you install and reboot the Mac.

4. Download and install the Hamlib radio control libraries.

5. Download and install the latest version of Fldigi.

6. Connect and power on the radio to your computer using the USB cable. Make sure that the radio is in Data mode, and make sure that Data mode is set to U, so that it accepts audio and CAT commands through the USB port. See page 43 of the Icom 7200 Instruction Manual for details.

7.In Fldigi, under Configuration > Audio > Devices, select PortAudio, then USB Audio CODEC for both Capture and Playback. Click Save before you move to the next step.



Note: If the radio is not connected and powered on, the USB Audio CODEC option will not be visible.

8. Under Configuration > Rig use these settings.



Click Initialize, then Save, then Close.

At this point you should be able to see activity in the Fldigi waterfall (ASSuming there is anyone on frequency), and you should be able to transmit from within the program. The 20M PSK31 calling frequncy, 14.070 MHz, is a good frequency to use for testing because it tends to be active.

MacBook Pro SSD Upgrade

This morning I drove down to MicroCenter and bought a Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD (Amazon link), which I used to upgrade my mid-2009 MacBook Pro. The machine has 8 GB of RAM and a 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, so it was still useful, although before I replaced it with my current work MBP was starting to feel a bit pokey. My goal with the SSD was to improve performance, and especially battery life, for use with my ham radios while camping.

The SSD is smaller than the original Hitatchi disk (256 GB vs. 320 GB) but I don't plan on keeping multimedia files on the machine, so it should have enough space. While at MicroCenter I added a $5 USB 2.0 external enclosure to my cart, into which I put the old disk. I can bring it along for extra storage if need be.

The SSD went in easily and I did a clean install of OS 10.6 Snow Leopard onto it from a disc. I then had to update Snow Leopard to get the App Store, so I could then download and install OS 10.9.4 Mavericks. This all took a couple hours. After getting the OS configured like I wanted I installed the apps I need:

• CHIRP
• Fldigi
• USB drivers for my Baofeng programming cable and for my Icom 7200's USB interface
• LibreOffice
• MS Office for Mac 2011
• TextWrangler
• Skype
• Chrome and Firefox
• Evernote
• StatusClock (to display UTC time in my toolbar)
• Various other utilities

The laptop is noticeably faster in both boot time and how quickly applications open. Excel 2011 in particular opens much more quickly.

Next weekend I'll be taking the MBP into the field, so I tested that CHIRP works with my Baofeng UV5RA and that Fldigi can send and receive PSK31 when connected to my Icom 7200.

As an aside, OWC sells a larger capacity battery to fit this old MacBook Pro. If I find myself getting significant use out of the machine I may invest in one.

I should note that I had considered upgrading the hard disk in my MSI Wind U100 netbook instead. It's certainly handier to pack into the field for use with ham radio ops, but I chose to upgrade the Mac because (a) it's way faster, and (b) the larger keyboard and screen and much easier to use.

Performance and battery life are already noticeably better with the SSD. If you have a laptop that's a few years old changing out the old spinning disk for an SSD is a quick way to give it a new lease on life.

The Baofeng UV5R 2M/70cm Ham Radio

The Baofeng UV5R and variants like the UV5RA have become popular with preppers because they are a very low cost way to get into ham radio. Back in June a friend who is a new ham and I both picked up UV5RAs, and for the money, we’re both impressed with them.

As handy talkies (HTs), the Baofengs allow you to have a small, light, and inexpensive two-way radio for communication on the 2 meter (144 MHz) and 70 centimeter (440 MHz) ham bands. They can be used in simplex mode or with repeaters, allowing you to communicate over longer distances.

The Baofengs will also receive FM broadcast band stations, NOAA Weather broadcasts, and can be programmed to operate on FRS, GMRS, and MURS frequencies.

Note that the Baofengs are not FCC type-accepted for FRS, GMRS, or MURS, so it is illegal to transmit on these freqs with them unless it’s an emergency.

There are a few accessories you should get with one of these little HTs in order to maximize their usefulness:

• The stock antenna sucks. The Nagoya NA-701 offers improved reception and transmission without being too long.
• For use in a vehicle you want an external antenna. The Tram 1185 is an inexpensive mag mount antenna that works well. You’ll also need this jumper to go between the HT’s antenna connection and the Tram’s SO-239 plug.
• This Baofeng speaker-mic will improve audio for both transmission and reception. (I originally got a Pofung speaker-mic but it was DOA. I returned it to Amazon on their dime and got the Baofeng branded speaker-mic in its place.)
• When I’m using the UV5RA in my truck I use this battery eliminator to power the radio. Note that this is not a charger, despite the Amazon product description. Rather, it replaces the battery with a regulator that powers the radio from your vehicle’s 12V outlet.
• Finally, programming the Baofeng by hand is a tedious, frustrating job. Save yourself a lot of aggravation and use your computer and this USB cable. If you already have a programming cable for Icom radios it will be compatible. Check out Miklor.com for troubleshooting any issues related to driver installation. Don’t use Baofeng’s software, which sucks. Rather, use the open source, free software CHIRP, which supports both the UV5R and many other radios. CHIRP is available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and FreeBSD.

Everything linked above, including a radio, can be bought from Amazon for under $100.

Although my friend and I both got the UV5RA, were I purchasing again I’d probably go with the plain UV5R. The insides of the two radios are the same but there are extra capacity batteries that fit the UV5R that don’t fit the UV5RA.

This thread on Arfcom is a gold mine of information on how to get up and running with a Baofeng UV5R radio:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/664274_Baofeng_UV_5R_information.html

Despite their popularity, the Baofeng’s are low end radios. HTs from any of the Big Three – Icom, Kenwood, or Yaesu – will be sturdier and have better performance. But, they are a lot more expensive. E.g., even the relatively simple Yaesu FT-60R will run you more than three times the cost of a Baofeng UV5R. The Chinese radio is good if you’re on a tight budget or if you need to use a radio in an environment where it’s susceptible to loss or damage, and it’s cheap enough to keep extras on hand. If you have at least your Technician license or are looking to get it, the Baofeng UV5R is not a bad choice for an entry level radio.

openSUSE 13.1 Linux

As you may remember, my primary computing platform for the past several years has been a Mac. I've also maintained Windows PCs at home -- one in my office and one out in my workshop. The office PC had been setup as a dual boot Windows 7 Professional / Debian Linux box for awhile, but I hardly ever booted into Debian.

A couple weeks ago I replaced Debian with openSUSE 13.1 and have been using it quite a bit after work. The install went smoothly with all of my hardware recognized. This included my Icom 7200 ham radio that is connected via a USB port, as well as the programming cable I use with my Baofeng UV5RA 2M/70cm ham radio.

The default openSUSE desktop environment is KDE, but Gnome is also available from the openSUSE repositories, as are several other desktops. After using KDE for a few days, then LXDE for a day, I settled on the XFCE desktop and have been pleased with it. It's lightweight but is a complete environment.

The primary applications I've been using:

• Chromium for web browsing, including accessing Gmail via the web.
• Firefox when a web page doesn't behave with Chromium.
• Fldigi for digital mode ham radio operation on HF using the Icom 7200.
• CHIRP for programming my Baofeng UV5RA.
• Leafpad for text editing.

For system administration I've primarily been using YaST, openSUSE's GUI admin tool. I ran SUSE Linux as my home desktop for a few years in the early '00s and YaST is still a good tool.

Another program that I installed was VMware Player, so that I can run a Windows 7 virtual machine if I'm working from home. I'd built the VM at work on my VMware vSphere environment and brought it home on disk, and was using it on the Windows side, to keep my own stuff and my work stuff separate. I copied it to the Linux partition and it works just as well there. Now, if I'm working from home I can use the Windows VM to connect to work's VPN, while I my own stuff can access the Internet without going through the VPN.

Note: VMware Player is proprietary but free (as in beer) software, as opposed to VirtualBox, which is open source software and which would also let me run a VM. However, I've found VMware Player to give me better performance than VirtualBox.

Overall I'd say my experience so far with openSUSE 13.1 has been very positive.  I have my old MacBook Pro from work and I'm considering replacing the spinning hard disk with an SSD, then setting it up to dual boot OS X and openSUSE, for use as a portable ham radio laptop.

Ham Radio - Going Mobile

Portable HF ops -- over on Survival Preps.

Backyard Small Pistol Penetration Tests

Over on The High Road, “marb4” posted a thread in which he tested the penetration and expansion of several different loads from small handguns.

The loads tested were:

• 9mm Speer Gold Dot 115 grain JHP
• Federal .380 ACP Hydrashock 90 grain JHP low-recoil
• Winchester .380 95 grain FMJ flat nose
• Remington .38 Special 148 grain wadcutter
• CCI .22 LR 40 grain Mini Mag lead round nose.

The penetration of the two .380 loads and the CCI .22 LR Mini Mags is especially impressive. I load Federal 95 grain FMJ-RN in my Ruger LCP .380 because I’ve been concerned that .380 lacks penetration. It looks like some of the modern .380 JHPs may actually penetrate deeply enough.

I've always suggested Mini Mag solids for someone who must use a .22 for defense, because (1) solids penetrate better than hollowpoints, especially from a .22 rifle, (2) CCI rimfire ammunition has the most reliable priming in my experience, and (3) Mini Mags work reliably in every .22 autoloader that I’ve tried them in, something I cannot say for any other type of ammunition.

My Springfield XD9 is loaded with 9mm 124 grain Gold Dots.

With the popularity of the Kel-Tec P32, I’d like to see similar testing done with a few different .32 ACP loads. Many people, including myself, recommend a European-spec .32 FMJ load to get adequate penetration. It would be nice to see if any of the modern JHPs can penetrate at least 12”.

Kudos to marb4 for providing us with some additional data on with which to choose carry loads.

Hill People Gear Kit Bag Review

Yesterday I took a vacation day and went for a hike in French Creek State Park in SE PA. It was my first chance to try out my new Hill People Gear Kit Bag. It’s a great option for carrying a handgun plus some basic survival gear out in the woods. I posted a full review over on Survival & Emergency Preparedness.

Aside from the Kit Bag review, I’ve also posted some pics from the hike in my gallery at Flintlock.org. Linky.