By 1926, after a reorganization and expansion, the Shanxi Arsenal was manufacturing Maxim and Vickers machine guns and small arms ammunition. Technical advisors, hired from Germany, helped to oversee the arsenal’s 8,000 workers, who were capable of producing 1,500 rifles, 500 Mauser C96-type pistols, and 2.4 to 3.6 million rifle cartridges per month.

The first C96-type guns were conventionally dimensioned and chambered for the popular 7.63 mm Mauser cartridge. All reported examples had Chinese characters in a Mauser-type logo on the left side of the frame. A two-line factory name, ROC (Republic of China), and a date were applied to the right side of the frame. Examples have been noted with 1926, 1927 and 1928 dates. If the quoted figure of 500 Mauser-type pistols per month was accurate, Taiyuan’s annual production should have been close to 6,000 and, assuming that the guns were made for at least two years (mid-1926 to mid-1928), approximately 12,000 pistols should have been completed. Surveyed serial numbers suggest otherwise; total production was much smaller, probably fewer than 2,000.

By 1927 the Shanxi Arsenal was building guns chambered to fire the .45 ACP. Starting with a copy of the Thompson Model 1921 submachine gun, the firm went on to build a companion pistol, namely the Model 17 Handgun (named after its year of introduction—the 17th year after the 1911 revolution) in 1928. The massive and well-marked gun, matched to a proportionately enlarged shoulder stock, proved very popular.

Most Model 17s had identifying markings placed on each side of the frame: the model reference was applied to the left side panel while the Taiyuan Arsenal reference and year of manufacture appeared on the right side. The earliest guns were marked with traditional characters. By 1929 the pistol name and arsenal reference were rewritten, using Zhuan Xu font characters, and made substantially larger. Frames were marked in that manner until the 8000 serial range, which was reached in 1931. Subsequently assembled guns had only the Model 17 designation on the left side panel.

Production of the Model 17 likely continued into 1932. The precise year production stopped is unclear for, as previously indicated, the arsenal ceased dating the guns in 1931. The highest recorded serial number for a Model 17 was 8555, suggesting a total production of just under 9,000 pistols.*

Several years later, in 1936 and 1937, the Taiyuan Arsenal assembled a limited number of pistols in 7.63 mm. Most were of standard configuration though a few, presumably of later assembly, were selective-fire. The few reported serial numbers ranged from 1 to 250.

While a review of China’s indigenous handgun production highlights a fascinating page in that country’s history, a number of seemingly straightforward questions remain insoluble. Language issues aside, the lack of proper identification remains a real stumbling block. Furthermore, as pistol production was a sidebar for most arsenals, production was relatively small and, in most remaining records, given only an oblique reference. Heavy use through many years, a low survival rate, and the even smaller number of recorded examples make for difficult extrapolations, all of which provide fertile soil for further exploration.

Arsenal background largely derived from Anthony B. Chan’s "Arming the Chinese: The Western Armaments Trade in Warlord China, 1920-1928." Serial data courtesy of Maj.-Gen. Lew Curtis, U.S. Air Force (Ret.).

* In the early 1980s, collector demand in the United States for Taiyuan .45 ACP pistols had driven prices to unprecedented levels. Perceiving the potential for an easy profit, a group of Chinese businessmen reproduced the gun with markings patterned after the late Model 17s. The new guns were quietly introduced as “refinished originals” for $2,000-$2,500, ostensibly selected to have excellent bores and with replaced parts. The subterfuge was soon discovered. The most obvious telltale sign lay in the markings. Original Model 17s had roll die characters whose lines were of unequal width and frequently tapered at their end. The new guns had pantographed characters. While details differed from one pistol to another, lines were of uniform width and invariably ended with a blunt tip.

After discovery, their price dropped in half. To bolster interest and mislead the still-naïve, some were then distressed to appear aged. The antiquing was performed so skillfully that the novice’s best clue to determine originality is to carefully examine the panel markings.