The C96 had many different models that fired different types of bullets. The first models fired 7.63x25mm Mauser bullets, but Germany later made a 9x19mm Parabellum version. 9x19mm versions of the gun have a red number 9 imprinted on the handle so that people would know to only load 9x19mm bullets and not the 7.63x25mm bullets. This is how the 9x19mm versions got the nickname "Red 9". In China, .45 ACP versions were made for the police and the military. The Chinese Army nicknamed the C96 the boxcannon, but the official name was the Type 17 pistol.