Original grips

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Tony Min

... I didn't even realize they did it by hand. I wonder what kind of a tool they used. Surely not a chisel and carve each groove?...

Special tools are required, often hand made by the purists. I think most involved use Dem-Bart brand tools. Google 'em up to learn more specifics. I followed a link in somebody's post a while ago and saw a short film clip of a technician doing this work at the Mauser factory, and the tool he was using cut what looked like around six or seven lines at once. And man! he was fast!

Originally Posted by Tony Min

...a BYF 41 a couple of weeks ago and since there was some square edges showing I thought the grips might be repros...

Good to keep in mind that hand work is time-consuming, and susceptible to being rushed or slightly deficient in QC compared to the norm during all-out production for war!

p.s. Avoid frustration by applying a bit of patience when expecting answers to questions. Not everyone on the forum sits by the workstation 24/7 "drooling Lugers"--as I've seen it described. Within a day or two, you'll find most of the comments have arrived.