Mitchell Arms P.08

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Typically, it's everything except the "gun" (grip frame).

Since original replacement parts for them are impossible to obtain, I'd think that someone parted one out. Now the question would be what happened to the frame...

One known theory...There was a time in the mid-last-century when I knew a person who worked for a major metropolitan police department's crime lab, that when ordered to destroy confiscated pistols, would strip the serial numbered frame of all parts before the destruction of the numbered part took place. He would keep all the removed parts, and sell them as parts kits... to supplement his income...

There was nothing illegal about it... at least at the time, because all the parts were disposed of in the trash...

Just one concept of where "parts kits" come from....