No offense taken at all. I bought it as a novelty item and for what I paid for it reproduction or real it was a steal. It has a fresh coat of paint on it. That's the way I bought it. Also has a new strap. Not a ding on it or beat up at all so you very well may be correct.

Well the grips do indeed appear to be genuine, not plastic.

Got it this AM. Better condition than the pics from seller portrayed it. Very tight gun.

The helmet is an Austrian M17.
My feeling says repro too - but if priced accordingly, then everybody's happy!

The plating is actually pretty clean. Some minor scratches here and there but there are no thin/wear spots. Highly reflictive. The magazine or wood base have no markings on them at all. Most all of the parts have same serial #. Only the takedown is different. Side plate has no markings at all.

That should make a great shooter....Congrats. I might suggest, just in case you don't know/remember, stick with std. velocity ammo like WWB 115gr FMJ or PMC 115gr FMJ. No NATO, +P,+P+ ammo. Let us know how it functions.

I think the plating and those grips make a nice product.

Neat looking grips. I think they are what is called "jigged bone" which very likely came from an animal that used to go "moo".:) They look pretty good on your gun.

+ 1 Real antler rarely comes in pieces that wide and flat.

I used to do 'custom' knife scales; I have a couple in cow bone. Old timers use a air tool used for cutting sheet metal with an assortment of tips to do the 'jigging'. They then go over the bone lightly with a torch to get the brown coloring (or stain them). Somebody put a lot of time & effort into that set; milling out the rears and fitting them.

Is it chromed or nickeled??? If you're not sure, hold it next to a chrome motorcycle bumper. Nickel will look slightly yellow-ish compared to chrome.

It's a show stopper. Vendors use these plated pistols to draw in the curious. Works on me. :rolleyes:

I will have to compare it to my Tahoe bumper. I am leaning towards nickel. Took a little polish to small spot and rag came up black. In my experience, chrome would not leave a black tarnish residue upon polishing it.
Whoever did the plating, did a good job. Markings not ground down too much and sharp edges pretty much still there. It may just be me but it seems heavier than my 1913 DWM. The grips are slightly thicker and actually feel nice in hand.

B.T.W. Thank you everyone for your comments and input.

I wasn't sure I liked these grips or not, but I've been watching the first four seasons of Longmire and I kind of like the stag grips on his 1911. I think I may look for a set...Either for a Luger or a 1911... ;)

...Although stag grips on a Nambu might look awesome too... :D

I believe your single inspection mark is the sign of a receiver destined as a spare, or not assembled until after WWI.

Had it been used by the German services, it would have additional inspection and a proof marking on the right of the receiver in addition to that single mark.

David, practically every Harley Davidson rider I see has a similar shaped helmet... so I wouldn't have thought twice about seeing someone driving a car with it... just that he had strange choices in hat styles. :cheers: Practical motorcycle enthusiasts, like myself, don't consider them safe for riding...

Returning to incomplete proofs:

You see them now and again. Here is a 1918 P08 with correct test firing proofs, but with final acceptance proofs missing.

Although this pistol has been reblued, it shows no signs of removed or obliterated proofs.