In this installment of "A Look Back," we're checking out the Mauser C96 "Broomhandle," one of the earliest semi-automatic handguns.

At first look, the Mauser C96 seems as ungainly as a newborn colt. Its weight and bulk hardly lends itself to any modern notion of a carry gun, but a closer inspection reveals a gracefulness in ...

The ammo for the 7.63mm Mauser was PPU (Prvi Partizan) 85-grain full metal jacket (FMJ), whilst the 8mm Nambu ammo was a generic (no manufacturing specs listed anywhere on the box) 106-grain FMJ.

THE MAUSER C96 The 96 in C96 stands for 1896, so by WWII, this gun was an old hat and had been around the world for a time or two.

Movie buffs will recognize the iconic “Broomhandle” Mauser as the template for the BlasTech DL-44 blaster that Han Solo uses in the Star Wars film franchise. But this gun’s real-world ...