My Grandfather served in WW II, and brought home a Mauser pistol.

The markings on the side are as follows:

Mauser-Werke A.G. Oberndorf a. N.
Mod. H S c ======= Kal. 7.65mm



This gun has not been fired in probably fifty years.

Is it legal for me to have it, even though it's not registered and all of that?
Will I need to register it somehow?
I probably need to have it checked to see if it's safe before firing, but where would I take it?

I have a small amount of ammunition, so I can match to see if modern ammo will work.

Please help me out, thanks in advance.

Its a C96 also known as a 'broomhandled mauser' chambered in .30 mauser, they were also chambered in 9mm Luger.

Its a very unique pistol, its fed with a 10 rd stripper clip.

You don't need to register them unless you live in one of the socialist states: NJ, NY, Mass, Ca, etc. If it were illegal to own where you were at, I'd advise not turning it in, but finding a buyer for it in a state where it is legal- it'd be a shame to have a piece of history like that melted down. Oh, and I wouldn't take anything less than $1200 for it if its in decent shape, double that if its in really good condition.

Neat sidenote- a lot of surplus guns were used in the making of Star Wars- Han Solo's blaster was a C-96 Mauser

Nope, it is an HSC (hammer self cocking). Caliber is 7.65 Browning, AKA .32 ACP. Don't know where you live, but we don't "register" guns in my state.

OOH I was waaaaaay off. Doggone it, I learned something new today

Thanks a lot for your help, I might be able to get some pictures of it tonight or tomarrow to give you an idea of it's condition, because I really don't know what to call it as all of my other firearms are brand new.