Oddball Browning Hi Power, last ditch?

[MP41]

Hey guys, just picked this one up. Has anyone ever seen one like this? I don't know what to think of it. I was thinking possibly it is a "last ditch" gun?

It has Nazi test fire proofs on it, but no waffenampts. It is all matching. It has the fixed type rear sight, but is slotted for a stock!

Opinions welcome.

Matt

[MP41]

photos

[MP41]

more photos.

[MP41]

last ones.

[hatleyj]

Really weird. The serial numbers do not make sense. When the Germans took over they were making tangent sight models with no number suffix. They then went into a, b, and c suffixes. So for it to not have a suffix it would need to be a tangent slide, but it is a fixed sight model. The number on the rear of the frame is not somewhere the Germans put serial numbers.

[cossack1648]

Maybe frame was replaced and numbered to match in unusual location. Also I don't see any 140WaA proofs.

[buckle1]

Very strange pistol. Usually pistols w/only the eagle proof denote commercial use similar to HsC's Mod, 1922"s. Never heard of a commercial issue for the German HP.
I agree about the frame renumbered to match the slide and barrel.

Bill

[MP41]

Thanks guys. It is an oddball.

I was thinking it was a possibly a commercial pistol. There are commercial Hi powers. I don't have it, but Anthony Vanderlinden's book covers these pistols.
Apparently there are some pistols that have the eagle N & others that only have the test proof. He says test proof pistols are scarcer.

Matt

[MP41]

I posted this pistol on another forum, and had some interesting replies.

One thinks that this may be a "post liberation" pistol. In other words, a wartime assembled gun, but it was made after the Germans had left the Browning factory using German parts though.

It's an interesting theory, and certainly is possible. I was wondering has anyone ever seen one like this? or do you know of any "post liberation" production that was done at FN Browning by the Allies?

Any other thoughts on this one?

Matt

[buckle1]

Matt,

This is a really weird pistol. The last # on the slide and barrel has been over stamped w/a 5. The proofs on both the slide and receiver are also double(over top of each other or over stamps. The left stamp on the frame appears to be an over stamp of some other proof, but hard to tell what . It does not look like a Waffen proof underneath but I am getting old and my eye sight is not as good as it used to be.
What ever it is it certainly interesting.
Bill

[Jimmy]

Nazi made sold to US troops. AA q

[MP41]

Nazi made sold to US troops. AA q

So, you're thinking "post liberation" pistol as well?

Matt

[MP41]

Matt,

This is a really weird pistol. The last # on the slide and barrel has been over stamped w/a 5. The proofs on both the slide and receiver are also double(over top of each other or over stamps. The left stamp on the frame appears to be an over stamp of some other proof, but hard to tell what . It does not look like a Waffen proof underneath but I am getting old and my eye sight is not as good as it used to be.
What ever it is it certainly interesting.
Bill

Bill,

Yes, you are correct. The barrel/slide S/N has last diget "5" overstamped. But both look exactly alike. Also, if you compare the "103" they are exactly alike as well in shape placement, font, and size. So, I don't think it's a force match or anything like that.
The proofs on the slide and frame all look to be double stamped for some reason? don't know why?
There are no waffenampts on this gun at all.

Matt

[buckle1]

Matt,

Sorry about the Waffen Ampt comment. I knew there were none, just eagle swast. Post war, I don't think so otherwise why the ser.# over stamps? The frame ser. # had to be added as a match to the barrel/frame #'s , so those had to be stamped first. I bet it was an issue from used parts and for commercial use by the Germans but who really knows.

Bill

[MP41]

Bill,

Thanks for your comments.

Matt