Erfurt Magazine Mystery

ithacaartist · 05-19-2024, 08:32 PM

The mag bottom displays rather crusty looking "dishes," while the bottom is smooth and clean, and appears recently finished. The parts of the knobs' circumferences that become flatter when the serial number is removed look pretty danged flattened to me. The pins don't seem to have been disturbed, so my sense is that it's a DWM mag that was force-matched to this pistol.

The digits of the font used to number the mag should be compared to others known to have been marked at that time, which may yield further clues.

It would be a shame to blow out the bottom of an original mag, whether it's been doctored or not. Grab a couple Mec-Gar mags next chance you get, and use those for shooting.

BadWolf · 05-20-2024, 07:07 PM

Thank you Ithaca Artist - a reworked mag SN does seem the most probable.

But as you suggested, I looked at the font of the SN stamp on the mag in question, and though I have no other period mags to compare it to, I DO have the gun. And here it is...

The font on the mag IS a close match to the SN font on the gun itself. And then we have the two inspection marks on the mag bottom, AND it even appears that the script "f" as the alphabet part of the SN was put on there as well (unless that's a dent). Is it a dent? Anyway, seems like the extra markings beyond the SN itself are a lot of effort to go through to fake up a mag.

So I had a thought. It appears the gun has rework/repair marks on it - could the mag have been reworked at the factory?

And one final general comment - I noticed there are inspection marks on the GRIP SCREWS! I love it! As a person of German/Swedish descent myself, this kind of anal retentiveness really resonates with me.

05-19-2024, 08:32 PM	#1
ithacaartist Twice a Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Atop the highest hill in Schuyler County NY Posts: 3,368 Thanks: 7,432 Thanked 2,610 Times in 1,378 Posts	The mag bottom displays rather crusty looking "dishes," while the bottom is smooth and clean, and appears recently finished. The parts of the knobs' circumferences that become flatter when the serial number is removed look pretty danged flattened to me. The pins don't seem to have been disturbed, so my sense is that it's a DWM mag that was force-matched to this pistol. The digits of the font used to number the mag should be compared to others known to have been marked at that time, which may yield further clues. It would be a shame to blow out the bottom of an original mag, whether it's been doctored or not. Grab a couple Mec-Gar mags next chance you get, and use those for shooting. __________________ "... Liberty is the seed and soil, the air and light, the dew and rain of progress, love and joy."-- Robert Greene Ingersoll 1894

05-20-2024, 07:07 PM	#2
BadWolf User Join Date: May 2024 Posts: 7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Thank you Ithaca Artist - a reworked mag SN does seem the most probable. But as you suggested, I looked at the font of the SN stamp on the mag in question, and though I have no other period mags to compare it to, I DO have the gun. And here it is... The font on the mag IS a close match to the SN font on the gun itself. And then we have the two inspection marks on the mag bottom, AND it even appears that the script "f" as the alphabet part of the SN was put on there as well (unless that's a dent). Is it a dent? Anyway, seems like the extra markings beyond the SN itself are a lot of effort to go through to fake up a mag. So I had a thought. It appears the gun has rework/repair marks on it - could the mag have been reworked at the factory? And one final general comment - I noticed there are inspection marks on the GRIP SCREWS! I love it! As a person of German/Swedish descent myself, this kind of anal retentiveness really resonates with me. Attached Thumbnails