Mauser C96: Han Solo Blaster meets Steampunk and Dieselpunk

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I have always had a love affair with the Mauser C96, even before most people fell in love with it in the guise of Han Solo's magnificent blaster or the "Sherlock Holmes: Games of Shadows" 2011 movie. I first saw it's distinctive shape as a kid in the Western "Joe Kidd". I was baffled. I'd never seen a gun like this in a Western. It looked weird, slick and elegant, yet over mechanical in some way.

Finally, decades later, now with an interest in Steampunk and Dieselpunk, I finally got my hands on a Denix replica, and I can report that my love was not misplaced. Holding the gun makes you want to strike a pose. It's solid and heavy but balanced and almost delicate.

Functional sights and cocking mechanism

This Denix replica comes imitation wood grips. It's a pretty solid metal construction and is sometimes used as the basis for a all metal Han Solo Blaster using available retail kits.

I may work up the courage to dive into one of these expensive kits and produce a metal Han Solo Blaster, but for now, I'm just enjoying my C96 Mauser.

If anyone is interested in owning one of these magnificent pistols, here's a link to it at my shop!