Mauser Grips

[Norme]

Hi Frank, I don't follow your reasoning. My 1940 42 has SE/655 Waffenamt marks as does Mike's, does this mean that they are armorer's replacement guns? My gun has seen little if an use, it appears to be unfired, why would the grips have to be replaced? I stand by what I wrote in post #2. Regards, Norm

[dsk]

I'm not a Luger expert by any means so I have no bones in this fight, but an experienced collector told me he's seen way too many otherwise original Mausers with grips like these to believe that they were all armorer replacements. I guess the debate continues.....

[Frank]

Okay Norm, It appears we are just going to agree to disagree!!

[Norme]

Hi Frank, The topic of grip numbering has interested me for a while, but on Imperial Navy Lugers, and I included it in the Navy List survey (which now has 1,200 guns listed). I have found that almost exactly 50% had unnumbered grips over all. However, only 32% of the 1906 and 1908 models, that were made before the war, had unnumbered grips while the figure for 1916 and 1917 dated guns is 84%. This leads me to conclude that grip numbering was not a priority at DWM and became even less so once hostilities started. Perhaps it was the same at Mauser? While I have not formally surveyed Erfurts (where numbering was a priority), I have examined a number of them over the years, and almost all of them had numbered grips. This leads me to believe that instances of armorers actually having to replace grips were quite rare.
Best regards, Norm

[Jan C Still]

Norme
" This leads me to believe that instances of armorers actually having to replace grips were quite rare."
Well stated!
Jan