Opinions please on this 41 byf

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by usmedalman

dju

Another of the right side. I have closely examined it for any proof marks and don't see any evidence that there ever were any in the normal locations that I have seen in other byf Lugers on this and other sites. The wear pattern on the receiver seems natural as if it was in and out of its holster a lot as is also evidenced by the fact the right grip is more heavily worn than the left also. Color balance is a bit off in this picture as the sun has gone down and this was taken with just room light.

Sorry, no, continuous holstering does not wear off the acceptance marks. The first pic shows the damage, which is compounded, just ahead of where the proofs should be. Though there's other wear elsewhere, the finish isn't worn completely away. Lastly, the rail of the frame protrudes sufficiently to protect the area in question quite well, and it is not as worn... This could well be a gun that was de-Nazified by a concerned former owner. What do you think?

*edit* This will teach me to read the posts following the one I think I want to respond to! But Bill and Don seem to have you pointed in the right direction. Good call, to check like this before you sell. It is honorable to be educated about such things for such purposes, and although we've sort of torn it apart and knocked it down to shooter status, it will be at the top of that range. Fine tuning your expectations here will avoid potential dissatisfaction for both parties when it's sold for a fair, researched price.