Norm, in spite of what TRL says, there is a school of collectors (including me) that believes the Bakelite Grips were authorized at the same time as the black plastic magazine bottoms. This occurred in July (I think July 1, 1941). Turns out that this corresponds with the end of the serialized magazine bottoms, that is at the end of the U-Block.
Others believe that the Bakelite Grips were authorized for use in 1940.
The difficulty about the originality of such grips is difficult to establish. Were these grips on earlier lugers added by armorers or post war? Tough to say.
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