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Old September 20, 2012, 08:27 PM   #7
carguychris
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Join Date: October 20, 2007
Location: Richardson, TX
Posts: 7,523
The only German military revolvers used in the 20th century were the Reichs Revolvers, Model 1879 and Model 1883. Both were officially retired in 1919, and most military examples were probably either exported or scrapped in accordance with the post-WWI Treaty of Versailles disarmament. Both guns were chambered in 10.55mm, supposedly a variation of .44 Russian. This cartridge would not have been found in the German military supply chain in 1944, and IMHO the chances of a front-line German soldier carrying this gun at the time would be nearly nil.

The US military used .38Spl S&W "Victory" revolvers in WWII, but these were mostly issued to rear-guard troops and aircrewmen, and would appear obviously American, with "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" markings on the topstrap. Although a German soldier could conceivably have been carrying one, IMHO it's unlikely, and the gun would be easily identifiable as non-German.

British troops used a variety of Webley & Scott, Enfield, and S&W revolvers during the war, but these were mostly chambered in .38 S&W, not .38Spl.

My hunch is that the seller is trying to pass off some sort of cheap 1950s or 60s German revolver as WWII vintage, probably out of ignorance, but possibly with malice. Keep in mind that a WWII or earlier German military firearm would not bear English-language markings, particularly "MADE IN GERMANY" or "MADE IN W. GERMANY". These markings clearly identify the gun as having been made for American commercial sale, and the latter marking indicates that the gun is definitely postwar. (Some such markings may have been added by American military surplus importers, but these markings are usually very small and inconspicuous, and it's usually obvious that they are not original.)
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