|
|
|
HFC 'Box Cannon' M712 Broomhandle Mauser
|
|
|
|
Reviews
|
Views
|
Date of last review
|
|
11
|
21565
|
23/12/08
|
|
 |
|
Recommended By
|
Average Price
|
Average Rating
|
|
100% of reviewers
|
£101.00
|
9.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author
|
|
Guinness
My Goodness, My Guinness!
Registered: October 2005
Location: God's second home, Colorado US and A!
Posts: 1387
|
|
Review Date: 28/12/05
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £160.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Full Metal Goodness! -Very Realistic and Heavy!
|
|
Cons:
|
Full Metal Goodness..? Very Heavy....and Heavy
|
|
Real Steel Background & History
The "Broomhandle" Mauser is arguably one of the most well known and recognized designs of the two World Wars. This weapon has been featured in films about World War I, World War II, not to mention 'B' movies, and most notably as the basis for Han Solo's Blaster from Star Wars.
It is hard to imagine that this design actually dates back to the late 1800's, a time in the western United States's Territories that was still ruled by so-called "Gunslingers" and 'outlaws' using the Colt .45 "Peacemaker" or cap-and-ball handguns used in the US Civil War.
Surprisingly, the C96 was not actually designed and created by Paul Mauser, but by his employees the Feederle Brothers, Fidel, Friedrich, and Josef. All three worked in the Mauser 'Experimental' division and had been interested in the newer "Self-Loading" mechanical handgun systems under development in the late 1800's such as the Browning - Colt firearms and the Steyr Mannlicher pistols. They dubbed their design the "C96" or "Feederle Pistol"
The brothers presented their work to Mauser and he renamed it the "Mauser Military Pistol" in hopes of securing Government contracts to sell the new design. Although the weapon was purchased by Germany, China, Turkey, Indonesia, and Italy it was never adopted as the primary sidearm of any country and thus never had the sales success that Mauser envisioned.
The 1896 "Mauser Military Pistol" and it's variants were produced by Mauser and its licensed subsidiaries in reasonable numbers through to the 1930's (And by China into the 1950's). The original Mauser factory records were all destroyed by a short-sighted US Army Officer in 1945, so subsequent C96 model identification and product evolution has been difficult to track since that time.
More information and detail on the 'real-steel' weapon can be found at:
C96 Homepage
Airsoft Replica Description
Presentation:
Packaging
As usual with these reviews, yes- the box is heavy....This is a FULL METAL replica! the box states 1250 grams, which is just shy of 3lbs, and let me tell ya, it's ALL of that!
The Product
VERY Impressive on first glance- Honestly I have never owned a HFC replica and ...well was not expecting that much. I had read some initial reviews of other HFC products saying things like "Good value for the money" and the like, so I just kind of figured "Well, let's see for ourselves"
The metal used is something along the lines of a 'parkerized' gray-ish cast- which is not bad at all. I would have preferred a nice blued finish like the Marushin modelgun I own, but this is not ugly or odd looking at all as you can tell from the photos.
I ordered the more expensive "Collectors Edition"
http://www.wgcshop.com/pcart/shopper.php?itm=HFC-PS-M712CV_cat_HFC%20Handguns&PHPSESSID=d19173db90aed8f1b0f483e6a83dfd33
from WGC Shop because, well ok, I'm a trademark freak....There, I said it  Anyway, I own the Marushin PFC modelgun version of the M712 and had been considering picking up the Airsoft version, when the Full Metal HFC replica came along I thought some more about it, and then when I saw the 'Collectors Edition' with full trades, that settled it.
A Little Replica Background
The HFC Airsoft "Box Cannon" is based upon the 1932 M712 "Schnelfeuer" variant of the Broomhandle Mauser. This version had select fire ability with a flip of the switch on the left side taking the pistol from Single Fire to Full Auto. Most C96-Broomhandle-M712's were produced to fire the 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridge, however there were many produced in 9mm Luger as well. And there are Chinese variants in .45 Auto.
Impressions
As stated this weapon is H-E-A-V-Y (3lbs whew!). I am used to heavy pistols, I own a KSC Mk23 SOCOM with metal slide and Barrel, and this is even heavier than that. I listed the Full Metal feature as both a 'pro' and a 'con' because I think a prospective buyer should consider that before they decide to field this weapon for WWII skirmishes.
I believe the weight will take some getting used too, and at very least provide a stable platform for shooting this weapon system.
There are repro wood stocks availible for this gun from a militaria retailer in the US, I am considering purchasing that to add to the 'cool' factor as well as providing increased stability for using this Airsoft weapon.
Shooting the Weapon
I'm not cool enough to own a chrono yet- I use the local Airsoft groups equipment ( http://www.coloradoairsoft.org ) but have not been with them to clock this gun yet- and I will update this review with pics from the 'target practice' test I performed, but long story short, this gun performs quite well, 4 to 5 inch groups at 30 feet using GreenGas. I have read reports that this weapon is in the 400+ range with GreenGas.
The HFC Broomhandle Mauser is a NBB, so there is no blowback machanism. I am not usually a fan of this system, pretty much a 'GBB or nuttin' kind of guy, however in this instance since this is such a large gun, I believe the NBB feature works and the double action system allows you to keep the firing rate high and keep the long barrel on-target better.
The HFC Mauser magazine holds 30 rounds, unfortunately I have not seen any extra, backup mags offered for sale by any of the retailers as yet.
Conclusion
To wrap up, I believe the HFC represents a great value for the Airsoft Replica owners hard-earned Dollar, Pound, Euro, or whatever currency you trade in.
The combination of Full Metal authenticity, weight and 'real-steel' feel really adds to the overall experience with this weapon. The only 'down-side' if you can call it that is this beast could well be a burden for some of our younger or smaller players to field for a long Airsoft battle and that should be taken into consideration. However the sturdyness of this gun combined with its power and accuracy may well out'weigh' (Pun intended) any drawbacks- I would consider this weapon as a serious 'intermediate' between a rifle and a handgun as the long barrel length will allow 'stand off' shooting.
The real bonus for many purchasers without my silly trademark fetish is this gun in its 'plain brown wrapper' as it generally retails right around the $100 dollar mark- an exceptional value in my opinion. As well there is a "Box Cannon Carbine" version with stock and greatly extended barrel that may well be the 'sleeper' sniper weapon on the market today- Cheap, accurate, powerful...and did I say cheap?
Check it out- This isn't your older brother's Taiwanese low-quality knockoff anymore
-Guinness
(Thanks to WGC Shop, C96 Home Page, Arnies Airsoft, Colorado Airsoft Group and my friends at WW2Airsoft Association)------------------------------  "Objects in Mirror" ...are behind you!
|
|
|
|
|
| |
AGuy
MIDN 4/C
Registered: June 2005
Location: Vallejo/Newbury Park CA, USA
Posts: 1026
|
|
Review Date: 9/2/06
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £120.00
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
heavy/realistic, accurate, fast, metal
|
|
Cons:
|
heacy trigger pull, heavy.
|
|
I would have to agree. Although this was only my second gas, I'm sure I'll be using it for a while due to its accuracy and speed.------------------------------ 'Ello gentlemen, any of you blokes no whats for lunch today? Lunchie Munchies mmmm?
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Outlaw of Torn
Games in the morning, games in the evening!
Registered: October 2004
Location: Cheltenham, England
Posts: 718
|
|
Review Date: 26/2/06
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Full metal, very powerful, accurate, excellent value.
|
|
Cons:
|
Finish scratchs easily, magazines are hit and miss.
|
|
I would agree with everything said so far. I got mine in a trade for a Marui Desert Eagle. When I recived this gun, I was very, very impressed with the weight and finish. The gun is powerful and accurate, although it has a very heavy triger pull, which could put people off. You can, though, pull the hammer back by hand and half the trigger pull, if you wish to make more accurate shots.
Unfortuntaly, my magazine doesn't work properly. It appears the the spring that pushes the mag pin back (to shut off the gas) isn't really strong enough, and with some use, it loses it strength, causing the mag to leak. This may only be a problem with my magazine, but, as mentioned in the first review, spare mags are very hard to come across. The other downside is the the finish, while looking very nice, can be scratched easily. Mine has marks down the side, from where it has been used with a holster, so that is something to look out for.
That being said, this my favorite gun, and wouldn't change it for anything  ------------------------------ 
|
|
|
|
|
| |
nuclearfeet
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 311
|
|
Review Date: 19/4/06
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
heavy, range, high power, metal, very cool
|
|
Cons:
|
no holster will hold this beast, heavy
|
|
This gun is great. Attachment on the back of the handle for if you want to attach a wood stock. The original stock for the real c96 will fit on this gun. The mags aren't that hard to find. $25 on Redwolf.
If you want to get a holster for this gun, you will either have to get the leather c96 holster (expensive!) or the wooden stock that can double as a holster (not as expensive). |
|
|
|
|
| |
andydenver
Registered: May 2006
Posts: 1
|
|
Review Date: 9/5/06
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
heavy, cool, high accuracy, fine finish, high power
|
|
Cons:
|
sratch
|
|
It's just good.
Nothing could be said about that although the only downside it has is the scratch that can be made easily on the metal part. Other than that, it is fine with high accuracy and power.
I freaked out my friends with this. (haha =P)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Trotsky
Registered: August 2005
Location: Norfolk, the flat English one... famous for Admiral Nelson and real friendly locals...
Posts: 45
|
|
Review Date: 24/6/06
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £45.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Full metal, heavy, awesome power and accuracy, good gas and ammo capacity
|
|
Cons:
|
Heavy, hefty trigger pull, lack of HOP adjustment tool, hideous power, possible problem with firing pin
|
|
I first saw this mother of a gun on Resi 4 and instantly knew I had to have one, luckily my friend was equally impressed so after a visit to WGC and 10 days shipping, here they are.
The first thing I noticed about this gun is the size, it's just shy of a foot long, but it didn't feel like it, probably due to the fairly narrow grip. Nevertheless, I still loved it and gassed up the enormous mag. This has a slient fill valve on it so it's very hard to tell when it's totally full, but a 3 second fill is usually enough.
Loading the mag however took a little longer. Speedloading this thing is a definite no-no, with the BB's simply rolling straight through the loading gate and onto the floor. the loading technique is tricky and very hard to explain, but it's easy once you know how.
Firing the beast however is elagantly simple,either pull the trigger straight back and perforate whatever your aiming at, or thumb back the hammer and go for the lazy option.
Either way, this thing will hit its mark, hard. It was putting out around 400 fps on Green gas which is probably too much for close quarters work, so I reccomend using 134a unless you want to make a lot of enemies.
Aiming is relatively easy, thus allowing you to deliver white pain at considerable ranges, although the notch in the adjustable rear sight is a little shallow.
The HOP on this thing really helps but can only be adjusted with a 1mm hex wrench (or Allen Key, it's up to you) which is all too easily lost.
About the only problem that I can see is that the trigger is a little heavy on double action which may cause some people with smaller hands to struggle, but other than this, the gun seems to be uniformly excellent.
[EDIT] For the love of whoever, DO NOT dry fire this thing without a magazine in the well, my Mauser is now slightly trickier to use because the firing pin no longer stays locked back in position and has a tendency to wander forward into the mag-well, thus stopping a magazine from slotting into place all the way, don't force it, just stick your finger in and push it back home
( never thought I'd have to say that again)
Despite this, it's still a potent little piece and should be considered as it is only £45 from WGC, which is 'stupid-cheap' by my very dubious book.
Spare mags aren't too hard to find either, and are a necessity if you intend to use this as a primary weapon.------------------------------ Airsoft and Masturbation: If you aren't careful, you'll go blind...
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Raekwon0
Registered: July 2006
Posts: 20
|
|
Review Date: 2/9/06
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
accurate, realistic, fast, long barrel
|
|
Cons:
|
heavy trigger, hop up ajustment, no extra mags
|
|
My gas chamber broke and it is almost impossible to find a spare mag, also there does not appear to be a holster anywhere that can hold this beast. It fires great....once you can adjust the hop up..
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sir Aug of M14
Registered: June 2006
Posts: 3
|
|
Review Date: 2/10/06
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Dirt cheap, Metal, Looks, Huge
|
|
Cons:
|
Not all metal
|
|
First of all I'd like to say I got the no trademark version with an extra mag, a bag of bb's, and a little black nylon bag for it from RedWolf for $91.
This gun is a beast, almost all metal except for 2 parts that would probably have to been CNCed and of high quality metal. I don't mind them, they are small, and the cheapness of this gun is outstanding.
I got a stock for it off ebay a while back. It is the kind that is also a holster. It came with a sling and everything I needed to keep the gun holstered at my side, and able to turn into a sexy and shoulderable weapon in a few seconds. As for the guy that said he can't find holsters for it, he needs to do a google search. There are a bajillion of them around, leather ones with the big WW2 style flap, shoulder harnesses, and the wooden stock ones. Rememeber, several armies across the globe used these guns, including CHINA, where the HFC is made.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Paka
Registered: July 2007
Posts: 1
|
|
Review Date: 28/7/07
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £80.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Wintron Churchill had one.
|
|
Cons:
|
Han Solo did too.
|
|
Well Kiddies, after reading whats on here, and seeing as I feel I'm somewhat of an expert on the old C96 and it variants, I feel its time for Uncle Paka sorted out a few things.
Number 1, There 'is' a problem with the feeding pin for the bbs. Contact any good airsoft retailer and they can sort this (airsoftware.co.uk did this for free for me, because I bought it from them), all it needs is re-crimping, and then it shouldnt bother you ever again.
Number 2, If you find 400fps a little underpowered, this thing is durable enough to take propane gas neat... ahem.... dont do that...
Also the screw on the right side can be loosened allowing you to move the switch on the other side, this is a valve control, and it will double the gas used per shot... ahem... dont do that either... It shoots about 800fps on a warm day...
I have got a bad reputation for out-ranging snipers... and hurting people... (not my fault if they dont think to crono my pistol)
Number 3, Cant find magazines... try here http://airsoftskirmish.co.uk. I havent bought one myself yet, but I have a spare magazine anyway.
Number 4, Too expensive? try my good friend keith at (shameless advertising) www.rsov.com, it sells for £54.99.
He also has the stock/holster for it now.
Sadly he dosent have magazines yet.
Number 5, lastly for its real world counterpart, http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg90-e.htm
I think thats everything, If anyone needs more information about this piece or someone to Repair/Mod a gun in the Bristol area, feel free to contact myself at ashleypacker@hotmail.com
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Unregistered
|
|
Review Date: 5/7/08
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Very realistic model, nice weight, lots of metal!
|
|
Cons:
|
Filling the mags with BB's! Non blow back, a bit front heavy.
|
|
Anyone interested, I have a review of this pistol over here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055322060
Also, a takedown/dissassembly guide here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055328776
Also, with regard to the previous posters idea of turning the fire selector switch to increase the power. Well, sorry, but it does nothing of the sort. If you strip the gun down, and look at the internals with the switch is rotated it makes absolutely no difference, and does not interfere with the internals in any way.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
DanR.
Registered: December 2008
Posts: 8
|
|
Review Date: 23/12/08
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £100.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
fps,accuracy
|
|
Cons:
|
NBB,expensive spare mags
|
|
Hi,
I was wondering what the differences were between the Marushin and HFC version. I beleive the marushin has nicer wood grips and finish but plastic body. The HFC has no trades and metal body. I was looking into buying a Marushin one but was wondering if the parts are interchangeable between them and if the Marushin will still put out 400 fps. Thanks
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Statistics
|
| Users |
44,109 |
| Products |
850 |
| Reviews |
1,707 |
| Views |
5,510,487 |
|
| January 2009 |
| Sun | Mon |
Tue | Wed |
Thu | Fri |
Sat | | | | | | 1 | 2 | 3 | | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
|
|
Random Products - NBBs
|
Colt .25
ChrisNorthInGer
|
|
|
FAQ / Help
|
|
If you are new to the sytem please read the FAQ before uploading products and reviews to ensure that you know how things work.
Common problems include:
- adding reviews in the "description" field of a product
- not adding images to a product upload
- using images that are copyright or not your own
These points and more are covered in the FAQ, please take a moment to read it. |
|
|
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
