I finally got the story on the gun. The man who got it was in the Army Air Corps in Germany right after the war. He was with some friends and one of them found a cache of guns. His buddies called out to him to come and get one. Thinking the good ones were already taken he went along and found the one I now have. His name was Ivan "Ike" Dethman. He was later a Col. in the USAF and was instrumental in helping the F-111 get into service doing a lot of the test flying in Viet Nam.
According to his widow he researched the gun and somehow determined it had seen police service prior to WWII. The only thing I can see that would give him that impression is the non-matching mag has a "+" stamped on it.
The magazine's number is 2527d. Wood bottom/ nickel. The other magazine that came with it is blue stamped, alum bottom marked 8484.
__________________
"Dyin' aint much of a livin', boy".
|