Where are the shoulder straps ??
 

Hello Gentlemen,

I have been collecting Artillery holsters for many years now, and the greatest difficulty for me is to find original shoulder straps ! We can find rare and early holsters, stocks, we can find sometimes a Maury stamped boot or a closure flap on Ebay. But a shoulder strap : never !
Where are all the original shoulder straps ?? :grr: :mad: :o ;)

probably hardly any left , they would have been vulnerable and the first thing to get lost, damaged or rot away !

while on the subject of artillery rigs , did all stock heels have the guns number stamped on them ? I have a 1918 model with a shoulder board and holster . the holster has a 1915 stamp in it and the shoulder board looks original but has no number stamped on the metal heel that attaches to the butt of the gun ? were some made like this or is it possibly a repo . if its a repo its a bloody good one !

hey Chris,

From what I know, the militar stocks had an imperial stamp on the wood and a #serial number on the iron attaching part. That does not mean your stock is a repro since commercial stocks have been made too. Is there an imperial stamp on your stock ?

Christian
There is a number stamped into the wood near the heel but it doesn't match the serial of the gun . haven't found an imperial stamp yet , believe they are very small . where should I look ?

The military acceptance stamp should be located beneath the 4 holes for the attaching leather.

Re: straps, I have purchased stocks and holsters simply to acquire the straps. I then part out the rest. I have only seen 2 straps FS in the past 20 years.

Tom A

pic
 

Chris, here attached a photo for the imperial stamp. What is this number near the heel ? is it 1920 ? can you post a close photo please ?

Tom, yes you are right.. I must do the same...:(

The thinnest pieces of leather on the LPO8 holster rig, were the shoulder straps, closure strap and cleaning rod cover, so these were the most subject to damage. TH

Re: pic
 

No , its a nondescript number with at least 5 digits , and the closure strap screwed to the back of the stock is Missing. I might have to prevail upon "holster repair" to help me out there . It is still up the road at the gun shop untill I finish the paperwork , but I visit it at least once a week !

will go up with a magnifying glass and look for an imperial stamp next week . see if I can get some pictures too .

OK here are the picks of my recently acquired artillery rig . came with a very nice 1918 pistol , but don't think the holster and stock match , but may have been together a long time ! straps and mag pouches and boot are repo or "later period" any clues ?

Can't see any imperial mark on the stock , just the number in the photo , and no number on the heel !?

Holster has on the inside flap --- BAXIV , 1915 and an eliptical stamp that is partly obscured . top edge - - - - GEN . bottom edge . - - - - SRUHE

see what you can make of that ?


http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/artil_hol_1.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload..._003_copy1.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload..._002_copy1.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/artil_hol_004.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...olster_007.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...olster_008.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...olster_006.jpg

hello Chris,

very nice holster. it has the ink marking BA XIV for "Bekleidungsamt XIV" which is the army clothing depot No 14. The other stamp is probably the maker:
L.Ritgen Karlsruhe. 1915.
I have never seen this kind of number on a stock, but the wood is beautiful and it seems to me original. Who can help ?

Most likely the stock is an armorer's replacement and the full SN of the pistol to which it was issued was stamped into the wood by the unit armorer.

Oh, BTW, the mag pouch is not a period piece.

Tom A

I have had one of these stocks with the number in exactly the same place. Traded it off awhile ago. Stock ( To me anyway ) 100% original . Not sure its issue Commerical..?

No doubt to me the stock is European walnut.

There is no doubt in my mind that the stock is an original DWM or later Mauser stock but the five digit serial number and seeming lack of acceptance stamp tells us that it was not German military issue.

It could be postwar commercial, which I doubt, or it could be one that passed to the North to Scandinavia.

I have in my stock collection something similar...
I assume mine belongs to the one sold to Finland and stamped in the wood.


http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/p1180150r.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/p1180153r.jpg

Cheers,
Mauro

Thanks very much for your usefull feed back gentlemen . at least it appears to be genuine if of unknown origin / issue .

I am also looking to replace the closure flap !? We know the straps are virtually impossible to find but if I can find more authentic mag pouches and heel boot that would be good too !? I have PM'd "holster repair" to that effect but if anyone has any clues feel free to chime in .