Gunboards Forums banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

7.6mm, Mauser C78 "Zig-Zag" Revolver

Tags
c96 mauser mauser rare revolver ww1
Jump to Latest
1 - 12 of 12 Posts

flyfightwin1947

· Registered
Joined
·
98 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Thought I'd show and discuss my rarest firearm I managed to acquire back in February of this year for a pretty good deal. Spent about 1.5K on a 7.6mm caliber Mauser C78 "Zig-Zag" revolver. It's pretty rough condition and sadly I hadn't known prior to me acquiring it the top barrel rib roll engraved Mauser address was missing from the top of the revolver. Besides that, everything is there. Though being the only pistol in 7.6mm Mauser I'll probably never get a chance to shoot it.

With approximately 3,000 or fewer revolvers produced in three calibers: 7.6mm, 9mm (most common), and 10.6mm, the frame sizes and barrel lengths increase with caliber. Many unique design features exist, such as the zig-zag on the cylinder used to cycle the cylinder and the fact that the revolver brakes open upwards rather than downwards. Despite having an important place in Mauser's legacy as the second attempt at a handgun, it would be overshadowed by its successor, the C96, a far better designed pistol.

Image

Image
Image
Image


Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Image
 
Discussion starter · #3 · (Edited)
Watson99 said:
Wow, you surely have a good eye for these oddballs.:oops: I've never even seen one in the wild... Any chance of firing this one up?
Click to expand...
Appreciate the complement, I've always had an eye for German firearms especially from the big German companies (Mauser, Walther, etc.). It's a really cool piece of history I actually stumbled on it by accident when I was searching for a Mauser 1934. Sadly, the two factors lead me to believe I won't be able to get it up and running, though I really would love to shoot it.

1st: The most glaring issue I can see is the hammer and spur are cast solid together and the tip of the spur is dull thus if I potential found ammo it wouldn't be able to strike the primer if fired.

2nd: Issue being the caliber of this particular revolver was 7.6mm Mauser which was a Berdan-type black powder and piston cartridge, that was only made for this gun, and the last production run of this ammo I can tell was in about 1912-1914. Finding original ammo is extremely rare and is considered a collectable. I would love to find all the ammo information to attempt to recreate it though.

7.6mm next to the 9mm Mauser
Image


Infor on the 7.6mm Mauser cartridge
Image
 
#4 ·
Yeah, that's often a problem with these firearms. I've always thought that 1905 Mannlicher would make one slick woods/hiking/fishing carry pistol, I even had a couple of them, but the ammo situation made me sell both. And I really liked them, very elegant design. I do reload for everything I have, including the .25 acp, but I have to draw the line somewhere.... I already spend more time crawling on my knees looking for the empties than I do actual shooting...
 
Discussion starter · #5 · (Edited)
Watson99 said:
Yeah, that's often a problem with these firearms. I've always thought that 1905 Mannlicher would make one slick woods/hiking/fishing carry pistol, I even had a couple of them, but the ammo situation made me sell both. And I really liked them, very elegant design. I do reload for everything I have, including the .25 acp, but I have to draw the line somewhere.... I already spend more time crawling on my knees looking for the empties than I do actual shooting...
Click to expand...
Complete agree and knew when i purchased this rare white elephant that I'll probably never get the chance to shoot it. Though I love it for its historical precedent which is nice as I do public speaking at the museum I'm apart of and its a great link in the chain of the Mauser Company. Showing how they went from an odd revolver like this to later a modern pistol like the Mauser HSc.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
ClayBelt said:
That looks pretty close in dimensions to 32 Long Colt, which I believe Buffalo Arms sells brass for. Shooting it may not be as out there as you'd think
Click to expand...
Great idea, I've looked at the idea of 32 long colt and I would agree its plausible. I just personally don't have the skills to create or even reload ammo sadly. I'm more of a history type, though if I found anyone interested in the challenge, I would be game.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
NY50/70 said:
Thanks for sharing.
Most of us will never even get to hold one.
Click to expand...
Any time, enjoy being able to at least show this and hopefully more my collection to the forum to people who will appreciate these pieces of history. As I said above, I just stumbled on it and recognized what it was and was lucky to be in the right place.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
flyfightwin1947 said:
Thought I'd show and discuss my rarest firearm I managed to acquire back in February of this year for a pretty good deal. Spent about 1.5K on a 7.6mm caliber Mauser C78 "Zig-Zag" revolver. It's pretty rough condition and sadly I hadn't known prior to me acquiring it the top barrel rib roll engraved Mauser address was missing from the top of the revolver. Besides that, everything is there. Though being the only pistol in 7.6mm Mauser I'll probably never get a chance to shoot it.

With approximately 3,000 or fewer revolvers produced in three calibers: 7.6mm, 9mm (most common), and 10.6mm, the frame sizes and barrel lengths increase with caliber. Many unique design features exist, such as the zig-zag on the cylinder used to cycle the cylinder and the fact that the revolver brakes open upwards rather than downwards. Despite having an important place in Mauser's legacy as the second attempt at a handgun, it would be overshadowed by its successor, the C96, a far better designed pistol.

View attachment 4236006
View attachment 4236001 View attachment 4236008 View attachment 4236007

View attachment 4236004 View attachment 4236003 View attachment 4236002 View attachment 4236005 View attachment 4236000
View attachment 4235999
Click to expand...
Some more images:

Image

Image

Image

Image
 
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
About this Discussion
11 Replies
5 Participants
Last post:
flyfightwin1947
Gunboards Forums
posts
5.9M
members
138K
Since
2007
A forum community dedicated to all firearm owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about optics, makes, models, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
The Collector's Forum - Mosin Nagant HQ Firearms Of The Rising Sun The Lee-Enfield Forum The K98k Mauser Forum RKBA Forum