WW2 artifact with no serial number - legal?

[frankie_the_yankee]

Check out these pictures.






Look at the blueing and the wood. This gun is over 60 years old and it looks like it just came off the assembly line.

And not an ID mark anywhere.

[Texbow]

Thanks for the photos. Very interesting.

[CHL/LEO]

raid on the Sauer factory in Suhl, Germany in 1943-44

FYI - on April 3, 1945, American troops began to occupy the city of Suhl. Weapons manufacturing was completely prohibited during this time.

[frankie_the_yankee]

raid on the Sauer factory in Suhl, Germany in 1943-44

FYI - on April 3, 1945, American troops began to occupy the city of Suhl. Weapons manufacturing was completely prohibited during this time.

My friend is trying to dig up historical info on the actuaol raid where this gun was captured. Things like the date, what units were involved, etc.

The guy who actually "liberated" the gun passed away some time ago. My friend's dad got it as a gift from that guy. But he doesn't have first hand knowledge of the raid himself.

I'm just blown away by the incredible condition that the gun is in. My friend wants to take it to a local range and shoot it. And I'm telling him, "No! Don't do it!"

This thing has only a handful of rounds through it at the most. (One of the boxes of original German ammo that came with it has a few rounds missing. We think that it all that have been fired through it.)

It would be a shame to shoot it, IMO.

[seamusTX]

I'm just blown away by the incredible condition that the gun is in. My friend wants to take it to a local range and shoot it. And I'm telling him, "No! Don't do it!"

This thing has only a handful of rounds through it at the most. (One of the boxes of original German ammo that came with it has a few rounds missing. We think that it all that have been fired through it.)

It would be a shame to shoot it, IMO.

Um, yeah.

The pistol probably did not pass through quality control, and however nice it looks, it could have a latent defect.

- Jim

[CHL/LEO]

My friend is trying to dig up historical info on the actuaol raid where this gun was captured. Things like the date, what units were involved, etc.

Have him go to Google - type in: Suhl, Germany + World War 2 and then hit search. He will probably find everything he's looking for.

Good luck

[Texbow]

I suspect the gun could have been manufactured many months or more before it was found at the plant. Investigating these old war weapons is very interesting.

[frankie_the_yankee]

I suspect the gun could have been manufactured many months or more before it was found at the plant. Investigating these old war weapons is very interesting.

One thing that is pretty certain is that this is an earlier model of this gun. Guns built towards the end of the war lacked either the manual safety, the cocker/decocker, or both. At the very end, blueing was also ommitted.

This gun has all of the normal features, including what look like walnut grips, and the quality of finish is excellent. So it is almost certainly early war production. As such, it is very strange that it has no markings.

The date of the raid might shed some light on this when we find out what it was.

[CHL/LEO]

So it is almost certainly early war production. As such, it is very strange that it has no markings.

Could of been one of many production samples that they kept stored in the factory. If you went into a Glock, Sig, or H&K factory right now they would have plenty of early production samples stored away. Wouldn't you just love to get your hands on one the first samples of their pistols?

I'm sure that the first GIs into that factory in Suhl had no problems "liberating" those type of samples. If they were smart and knowledgeable they went for the vault - not what was on the production line.

[frankie_the_yankee]

Could of been one of many production samples that they kept stored in the factory. If you went into a Glock, Sig, or H&K factory right now they would have plenty of early production samples stored away. Wouldn't you just love to get your hands on one the first samples of their pistols?

Wow. If it could ever be established that that's what this gun is, its value would be off the charts.