Hi,
This gun actually has the 'hump', and the serial number 150B places it neatly into the last months of 1937. 1937 numbering did restart in the last months of 1937, after the 10000z was reached earlier that year. A new series from 1 to about 500b was produced in late 1937. So this gun righteously has both the Mauser-hump and the blued small-parts (although blued over).
What this gun also lacks is the typical 'etched' firing pin number or other non-matching parts normally found on DDR reworks.
As I mentioned earlier, I managed to retrace some steps of this particular piece and the rebarreling was done by the company that reworked these guns a few years ago and they just used DDR-surplus parts (they're still being offered through Frankonia!).
The source of this particular gun is either Russia or Hungary and I'm trying to understand how to tell the different capture-versions apart. I'm confident that the Russian capture mark can also be found on DDR-reworks, makes complete sense. I'm also confident that 150b was not one of the DDR-reworks.
Of course I'd love to see another late-1937 or early-1938 gun in order to compare details.
Some thoughts for now:
-The X on the front gripstrap is interpreted as a russian capture mark. Some of these made their way back into DDR service, others were kept in storage. So we can find DDR guns with the X and without it. We can also find Russian guns with the X and again without it.
-The X does not denote DDR use, nor does it denote Russian use, it only records one-time Russian ownership. Later redistribution of guns means they could have ended up anywhere in the former eastern-block.
-150b fits late 1937 production and unless I see other specimens from the same era with another numbering style, I tend to view numbering as original.
-DDR barrels (including crown-N proof) can be found on non-DDR issued pistols, simply because they are available as spares.
The main objective of my initial posting was to describe a variation that is now commercially available on European markets. Considering the number of mixed reactions, conclusions and comparisons, I'm sure this posting has served it's purpose.
I also hope it will bring a better understanding of former Eastern block storage stock, issued weapons and reworks based on Easter block stock.
Simply identifying a gun as a VoPo (or as not one) seems to be getting more and more difficult
