Shanxi Type 17
| Factions | Weapon | Icon | Classes | Ammo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 VC |
 Shanxi Type 17 |
 |
 Medic Radioman |
10 / 40 |
| Damage Base | Headshot × | Chest × | Stomach × | Leg × | Arm × | Bayonet | Rifle Grenades | Reload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | ×2.4 = 100.8 | ×1.2 = 50.4 | ×1.15 = 48.3 | ×0.8 = 33.6 | ×0.7 = 29.4 | NO | NO | 2.733 Seconds |
| Designation | Weapon Type | Fire Modes | Fire Rate | Bullet Spread ° | Range Modifier | Muzzle Velocity | Projectile weight | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 17 | Carbine | Semi | 120 RPM | 6.1° & 1.55° ADS | 0.945 | 607 m/s | 7.1 g (109.57 gr) | 2.4 kg (5.29 lbs) |
| Full name | Caliber | Place of Origin | Date | Manufacturer | Barrel Length | Total Length | Weapon Script Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanxi Type 17 | .45 ACP | China | 1928-1932 | Taiyuan Arsenal | 5.5 in (140 mm) | 12.3 in (312 mm) + Stock |
weapon_type17 |
Shanxi Type 17 is a Chinese semi-automatic pistol based on an enlarged Mauser C96 pattern, chambered in .45 ACP. It was produced at the Taiyuan Arsenal in Shanxi during China’s warlord era to simplify ammunition supply alongside locally made Thompson-type submachine guns. The Type 17 is best known for its oversized “broomhandle” frame, distinctive markings, and rarity today due to limited production and later destruction of many examples.
HISTORY
The Shanxi Type 17 was developed under warlord Yan Xishan in the late 1920s after Shanxi forces adopted locally produced Thompson-pattern submachine guns in .45 ACP while many sidearms remained 7.63mm C96 types. To standardize ammunition and logistics, Taiyuan Arsenal scaled up the C96 design to fire .45 ACP and marked the pistols with “Type 17” and “Republic Year Eighteen, Made in Shansi.” The weapon was issued in Shanxi for security duties such as railway protection and internal defense during an era of banditry and conflict between regional forces.
Compared to standard 7.63mm C96 variants, the Type 17 used a noticeably larger frame with a 10-round internal magazine that protrudes below the trigger guard, a 140 mm barrel, and loading by two five-round stripper clips. Because it was redesigned around the larger cartridge, it does not share interchangeable parts with typical C96 pistols. After the Communist victory in China, many surviving pistols were reportedly destroyed, and collector literature notes ongoing debate about surviving originals versus later-made examples assembled for the commercial market.
Sources
- The Chinese Shanxi Type 17: A Local Warlord’s .45 Caliber Version of the Mauser C96 (VGCA PDF)
- Chinese Broomhandles | American Rifleman
- Chinese Warlord Pistols: The Huge Shanxi .45 ACP Broomhandle | Forgotten Weapons
-
Shanxi Type 17 pistol. -
Shanxi Type 17 (.45 ACP) C96-pattern pistol. -
A Chinese soldier aiming the Shanxi Type 17.
