VOPO mystery

[Dwight Gruber]

Originally Posted by jeffs

The mystery is the barrel, which bears a superimposed TP and an eagle, but was NOT dipped in black.

Jeff,

Your understanding of the armory practices of the Deutsche Volkspolizei is essentially correct, and you have provided the essence of the answer to your own question.

The barrel having a different finish from the rest of the gun indicates that it was replaced after the gun was 'dipped'. The TP/eagle stamping indicates that the barrel is not new, but originally assembled to a gun and proofed in the 1930s. The absence of DVP barrel markings suggests that the replacement was done privately, when or by whom cannot be known. It does appear that the front sight has been positioned backwards.

If there is a mark on the upper-left quadrant of the barrel, it will help establish the barrel's origin.

--Dwight