M30 Broomhandle - Need Opinions (With Pictures)

G

gjw

New member
Hi all, well I just got a M30 took her out and she just functioned and fired just fine. Overall it's in very good shape and is a good shooter. A very impressive and fun gun.

The SN puts it in the Chinese contract range as was discussed before. I don't see and Chinese markings, I also can't see were anything has be ground off. The gun is in 9mm.

One thing I do need clarified is the rasied "panel" is mde of bakelite or something like it. Same goes for the boarder around the Mauser banner. Is this correct? The fitting is excellent.

Anyway, any opinions on this gun are welcomed!!!

Thanks so much!!!

Greg

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Strange, I'm no Broomhandle expert by any means but where you have the raised panels they are supposed to recessed in the metal. It will be interesting to see if anyone can shed some light on those. Mine is a 7.62 and they are fun to shoot, usually draws a little attention at the gun range. Its very loud and spits a little fire.
 
One thing I do need clarified is the rasied "panel" is mde of bakelite or something like it. Same goes for the boarder around the Mauser banner. Is this correct?
Click to expand...

Never saw the like before.
Considering the heavy buffing of the frame and the blued-over pits on the upper, I have to think of it as somebody's project gun. Glad it shoots for you.
 
Thanks all! Yep, I'm sure that this one has been cleaned up and as someone suggested the raised panels are basically fillers, no doubt for cosmetic purposes. The gun is a nice looker, no collector piece but a nice shooter. As been said before, the bbl has been rebored to 9mm and I think the Red Nine grips added later (they sure look new too me) to reflect the new chambering. The previous owner said he got it from a retired gunsmith, so I'm sure that's were the "cleaning" and buffing came from.

This is a fun gun and I'm sure will get some looks at the range. Just a fun bit of gun history.

Overall, I'm happy with her and I think a keeper.

Anyone else?

Thanks again!

Greg
 
Those Red Nine grips are definitely modern replicas, the original Prussian contract grips were made with a brownish-red paint, not the bright Chinese red.

Looks like a fun shooter, enjoy it.
 
The raised panel is actually at the same level as the rest of the frame. It has a milled "trough' all the way around it, and is of typical Mauser pattern.
 
Judging from the pitting, I'd say it served its time in China killing Commies and later "reactionary Kuo Min Tang" troops or "counter revolutionary capitalist running dogs."

Sorry, I remember reading all that propaganda and laughing at it.
 
One of my favorite phrases was from the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (which for years pretended it was not run by the CIA) teletype reports to Washington of foreign news service transmissions:

"New China News Agency in Chinese Hellschreiber to Southeast Asia."

For some reason that has stuck in my mind lo, these many years.

On the pistol, yep, rode hard and put away wet, then buffed all to heck and probably rebored to 9mm from the original 7.63. The grips are, as Kilimanjaro says, modern copies. The panel certainly should not be Bakelite or anything but metal. I suspect the Mauser banner is pantographed or (re) engraved as there is no way it could look that good after all the buffing that gun has had (look at the markings on the other side for proof of that!).

Jim
 
We used to be capitalist running dogs, now the Chinese are singing "How Much is that Capitalist Running Doggie in the Window?", while they build their economy...
 
The Chinese once prepared to defeat us with massive manpower and nuclear weapons. Now all they have to do is foreclose.

Jim
 
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