[quote]Also if you look at the machining marks around the safety they are the same on both pistols. <hr></blockquote>
Jerry, the near identical machining marks don't necessarily mean that it is conclusively the same gun. With a couple of years in industrial engineering and design I can tell you that if the two guns were made on the same machinery with virtually identical tooling, the marks will be very very similar, and depending on the jigs and dies used for stamping the serial number, the image on both guns can also be very similar.
As an example, Luke Smithwick and I have been working (Very slowly I might add) on a photo study and narrative article that we hope to publish here on the lugerforum that is about telling the difference between genuine Black Widow bakelite grips and reproduction BW grips. Without getting into too much detail before our work is done, Luke and I discovered that the genuine grips that are installed on our repective byf Lugers are SO identical, right down to mold marks that it is very uncanny...
Not only our grips, but also those grips of other members who contributed hi-res scans of their grips for comparison.
I know my grips to be genuine because I bought the gun from the vet who brought it back and kept it unfired for more than 20 years on a closet shelf before he sold it to me... It was never modified. The results of the study are dramatic. The image on the left of the attached photo shows the lower inside grip oval of my left grip, and the center image is from Luke's left grip... the image on the right is a merged image combining the other two... our conclusion? These grips were obviously produced on the exact same equipment many months apart...
As to the photographs in Gibson's book... My personal guess is that mistakes do happen in printing production. Various prints can get mixed up during layout. Unless we can get Mr. Gibson to comment on the matter of the serial numbers... OR both of the subject guns are located and made available for evaluation...I can't see where anyone can come to any conclusion... we only have more speculation and that isn't profiting anyone any more than gossip does...
My suggestion is: Just like the infamous .45 carbine issue, let's look for bonafide facts instead of casting additional shadows...
Jesus Christ was crucified by suggestion and innuendo because His accusers could provide no substantive proof of guilt... and never a more innocent man ever lived...
Brad Simpson has raised a serious question, but the only thing that will answer the question is serious answers and not serious speculation.
On the surface, I can readily agree that the circumstances and photographs are cause for concern...
But let's all think about what could be done, ...who could be interviewed, ...what could be shown ...that will either substantiate or disprove what the photos
imply before a verdict is decided by the court of public opinion.
WHEW! This was almost $2.00 instead of my normal $0.02
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