Gun of the Day - Schnellfeuer Machine Pistol (Mauser 712)
While this stocked pistol may resemble the classic Mauser M1896 Broomhandle, the aptly named Model 712 “Schnellfeuer” (“Fast-fire”) pistol is a selective-fire machine pistol. This pistol featured a removable stock as well as a detachable magazine capable of holding 20 rounds of 7.63mm ammunition. The Schnellfeuer was capable of firing at a 900 round-per-minute cyclic rate—meaning that the operator could blow through an entire magazine in just over a second.
In the 1930s, Mauser produced the Model 712 to compete against full-auto Spanish copies of the M1896 in the Chinese market. Most of the guns produced during this time were shipped to China. At the beginning of the Second World War however, the German military began acquiring the Schnellfeuer for combat purposes. Ultimately, the Mauser was replaced with MP38 and MP40 submachine guns soon after the war began.
