1940 "Black Widow"

[lugerholsterrepair]

I wondered for some time how to tell the difference between real and fake so did some homework. The important items are not only the outside but the inside.The holes on the inside were threaded to hold the grip screws when the grips were off the pistol. Also used to remove the grips from the shallow mold when finished. Later they simply gouged them out with a sharp tool. So the grips have gouge marks in the center instead of threaded holes. Take a gander at Randall Gibsons excellent book, Krieghoff Parabellum. He has a nice page or two with photos and explinations of what is and what is not real. You will be amazed you did not read this sooner. These grips were manufactured in wartime Germany of petroleum and coal materials that really stink. You can smell an original pair of grips. They also crumble easily. Not that I would recomend this as a test but you need to know. Jerry Burney