[lugerholsterrepair]

Vlim is correct ..any drum that has rust spots splashed over it is immediately suspect. There are several other telltale signs.
The serial numbers front and back should be lines. Just that lines. No fancy double lines or carnival type numbering. You can spot a fake immediately by seeing fancy numbering.
The second is on the drum where the tabs have been folded over and spot welded. These spot welds on an original are hard to see. On a fake they are quite pronounced.

I would dearly love to get my hands on a fake drum to see if one will shoot. If they are shootable they would be worth $400-500 just for that. If the clowns who are making these would market them properly at an acceptable price without trying to commit fraud it would be a service to mankind. As they are fraudulant criminals wishing to make money from those who do not know better I spit into their rice bowl at every opportunity.
Anytime you encounter an Artillery drum..consider it suspect untill it proves itself.

The last time I was on Gunbroker there were several fakes being offered there as George says..These people are scum of the lowest kind and represent fake drums as real dispite being told otherwise by people who KNOW. They got stuck with them and will try to foist them off again so be careful.

Jerry Burney