[herve1861]

Hi gents
A friend of mine have this Astra 600 with waffenamt found in Brittany (France) in 1944 with an shoulder holster : the pistol is a nickel finish who is original but nobody can said is it's an rare version or not. I don't know yet if you can see the pic , but I send some others one tonight (I am at work !)
Regards
Hervé
Download Attachment: mini-astra600%20001.jpg
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[herve1861]

Now I hope it's ok !



Download Attachment: mini-astra600_20001.jpg
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[Edward Tinker]

Excellent, took out that space and now it shows up!

I have its "cousin" on my wall at home!

Ed

 

[herve1861]

Hi Weimar !
No more pics for the moment but some fews details by the actual owner :
On the slide :
UNCETA Y COMPAGNIA S.A. GUERNICA ESPAGNA
On the chamber:
pist.patr.08 an a P (in a circle)
on the frame :
WaAD20
some X O P on the frame
My main question is : is it current to have this sort of finish for a war pistol production ?
Regards
Hervé

 

[Edward Tinker]

I am no expert, but I think the majority of the nickle finishes you see are added on later.

Ed

 

[Pancho]

Hervé,

Every "original" nickeled WW2 pistol seems to turn out to be a fake--nickeled post-war after it was found or captured. Odds are against this being original, no matter what someone has told you about the pistol. I feel certain that the Wehrmacht was at least as strict in its codes as the U.S. military. If I had nickeled my 1911 45acp when I was in the army, I would likely have been temporarily locked up in the stockade; made to pay for replacing or repairing the weapon; written up for an article 15; and stripped of some rank. I know that that is exactly what happened to a paratrooper who lost his M16 (likely stolen).

You can't possibly believe some soldat would have chromed his pistol..."Hey OberLeutnant, looky here, I chromed my pistol!" Think about it.

Of course, now one would suggest that the pistol belonged to some extremely high ranking soldat, say, the equivalent of U.S. General Patton, who carried a nickeled and ivory gripped piece. This would be even less likely, and less believable.

I stay away from the chromed/nickeled pieces.

 

[msv]

One time I went to see some pistols for sale ,the owner
had show me two Radoms both late two lever but one of them
was so beautiful smooth and covered in chrome, the other was very ugly with poor finish and heavy machining marks-just original.
To the great suprice of the guy I bought the ugly one! ???
Anyway, polishing and plating a collector gun is the way to strip it's collector value plus it does cost money to do it.

 

[Michael Jon Littman]

I think a lot of guys plated their liberated pistols upon return to their homes. This is similar to the bronzing of childrens shoes back in the 50s-60s. You know, save it posterity! I suspect that most of the plated pistols were done in auto repair shops who simply put the pistol into the plate tank with bumpers and such. If the pistol was not buffed first there MAY be some saveable finish under the chrome.

 

[Ron Smith]

Herve, The pistol is typical of the early 50s fad of chrome plating everything. My oldest brother was in a Hotrod car club(another fad). They were chrome plating anything that did'nt move. He even took my Dad's favorite hand saw and plated it. It did,nt go over as planned.
I very much like the holster, however. Is it marked in anyway?

Ron

 

[herve1861]

Hi Gents
Thanks for your help !
I send this forum to my friend :-( !!!
Regards
Hervé

 

[shaw]

It was my understanding that all USArmy Direct Support Maint. Units (2nd Echelon)had plating shops for the purpose of plating tools for the invasion to keep them from rusting, hence we have all the plated pistols coming back from Europe because the GIs just took them back to the Maint.Units and had them plated! IMHO.

 

[Orv Reichert]

The returning American GI's that I talked with in '45-46 said that the Germans were doing the plating. If you could supply a piece of silver, they would silver plate it...or nickel...or whatever! They were starving and a pack of Camels would buy them food for a week!

Orv

Orvel L. Reichert
P O Box 67
Vader WA 98593
360 245 3492 tel
360 245 3702 fax
360 520 6520 cel
[email protected]

 

[garfield]

I have it straight from the vet that was there; for a package of cigarettes you could have your war trophy plated in a German bicycle shop. According to the vets that I talked to, it was a common practice of the occupation troops to have their trophy plated by the locals. It isn't a difficult process. As Orv stated, comming up with the plating metal was the key.

 

[herve1861]

Cease fire Gents !!! LOL
I am ok with you about the vet practise (well, I don't like nickel finish but we are in 2004 and I presume it was very different in the 45 area with an war trophy !!!)
The only thing (and the major point) is than the gun was found in 1944 just after the german retreat...so no time to do the work !
I try to have some more pics and details about the gun and holster.
Thanks for your help !
Hervé