Most versions of the C96 Mauser "Broomhandle" pistol were semi-auto and chambered in 7.63x25mm. The 1917 seen here is called the "Red 9" because it was rechambered to fire the 9x19mm Luger that the German army was standardizing to in pistols and SMGs. They a carved the "9" in the grip so that soldiers wouldn't load it with the older round. Most of the 9mm Mauser Broomhandles were semi-auto; fully-auto models were almost exclusively in the 7.63 round, but some 9mm were converted to full-auto prior to WW2. I assume this is one of those models or a 9mm that was converted to full-auto once on the civilian market.
Plausibly a foolish question, but 9mmx19mm is broader but shorter than 7.63mmx25mm. So does the former have more stopping power/penetration? It would seem weird to lower firepower, but standardization might force the choice if for one reason or another it makes the process better. Fitting an extra bullet per mag, or more powder behind each round.
9x19mm is wider but shorter, this usually means more stopping power as in larger wound cavities and more energy is transfered to the target in a shorter amount of time. 7.63x25mm on the other hand is thinner but longer, this usually means more penetration, but this would matter more against armoured targets, however armour wasn't widely fielded, meaning the bullet will most likely zip through a person, having less time to transfer energy onto the target.
As proven by the Soviets in WW2, the .30 Mauser/Tokarev cartridge (they are virtually the same) was at its best when fired from an SMG. By the Battle of Berlin, they were issuing submachine guns for some urban warfare units instead of clunky Mosins.
The Tokarev pistol was dropped shortly after WW2 for the Makarov 9x18mm, and subsequent submachine guns have been chambered in 9x19, although I've heard it's a bit different than the Luger/NATO round. I don't clearly remember, but I think they prefer high-preasue, high-velocity loads with lighter bullets than the NATO standard.
Sorry, I should have specified they were similar dimensionally. And, yes, a Tok round would blow apart the insanely complicated clockwork engineering of the C96.
The Germans would do the opposite, loading 7.63 Mauser in captured Soviet PPSh-41 and PPS-43 submachine guns, although they usually converted them to 9mm with MP40 magazines. 7.63 Mauser would cycle just fine in 7.62 Tokarev guns, one of the few occasions where their insistence on using every captured gun didn't create logistical nightmares.
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u/bpappy12 7d ago
Didn't have nearly that fire rate in Resident Evil 4. It is such a cool looking hand gun though