Million Dollar Chip

[eagle7373]

I just bought a post-war Mauser Parabellum in 30 Luger. It looks to be unfired, except for the obvious test-firing at the factory in Oberndorf in Dec 1970. But it came with the left grip chipped.

So, while I realize that one theory on how these grips get chipped is from firing, I have to believe that, in my case, it was from handling, by some previous person or persons unknown. It's easy to snag the grip on the safety lever when removing unless you are really careful.

Note from the photo that the chip on this grip is slightly different others I have seen. The back edge of the grip is not missing, but a piece off the top outside surface is chipped off.

Another piece of data for the million-dollar chip

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by eagle7373

I just bought a post-war Mauser Parabellum in 30 Luger. It looks to be unfired, except for the obvious test-firing at the factory in Oberndorf in Dec 1970. But it came with the left grip chipped.

So, while I realize that one theory on how these grips get chipped is from firing, I have to believe that, in my case, it was from handling, by some previous person or persons unknown. It's easy to snag the grip on the safety lever when removing unless you are really careful.

Note from the photo that the chip on this grip is slightly different others I have seen. The back edge of the grip is not missing, but a piece off the top outside surface is chipped off.

Another piece of data for the million-dollar chip

The grips on the 1970's Mausers are not held in place the same way as the originals; and the safety lever is a different shape.

I agree your chip likely has another cause than recoil.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by eagle7373

Note from the photo that the chip on this grip is slightly different others I have seen. The back edge of the grip is not missing, but a piece off the top outside surface is chipped off.

This is missing 1 1/2 of the little diamond shaped pyramids of the checkered pattern. Tiy can see the diamond-shaped footprint where the complete point used to be, plus its neighbor in line, which was a partial one, interrupted by the edge of the grip.

It's sure a pain when this happens and it ruins the look of an otherwise--pristine, in your case--excellent grip.

Fixing this is no small challenge. Sometimes if it's a partial loss, just part of its tip, it can be blended in by running checkering cutters over the existing pattern to lower the surrounding peaks and define the blunt one a bit better. But the whole pyramid is gone, and judging by the way the panel is already recessed a bit in relation to the frame, I don't think there's enough meat there to accomplish this unobtrusively.

I'd rule out trying to replace that tiny piece with wood. Try a dab of stain where the raw wood is revealed. It will hide it at least enough to make a better first impression. If you need an actual diamond there, building up a few dots of tinted epoxy will give you some structure to cut down into shape.

[eagle7373]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Fixing this is no small challenge. Sometimes if it's a partial loss, just part of its tip, it can be blended in by running checkering cutters over the existing pattern to lower the surrounding peaks and define the blunt one a bit better. But the whole pyramid is gone, and judging by the way the panel is already recessed a bit in relation to the frame, I don't think there's enough meat there to accomplish this unobtrusively.

I'd rule out trying to replace that tiny piece with wood. Try a dab of stain where the raw wood is revealed. It will hide it at least enough to make a better first impression. If you need an actual diamond there, building up a few dots of tinted epoxy will give you some structure to cut down into shape.

Thanks very much for your suggestion on how to dress this up. I'll see what I can do.