[Darwin]

I recently acquired a third waffenamt-marked FN 1922 and only today realized it had the second variation of slide legend which can be found on FN model 1922's. I've also discovered that a lot of people don't know that there are three different possible Waffenamt numbers that can appear on FN pistols produced under German occupation. There is a shop advertising a "waffenamted" FN 1922 on-line that, when I ask them which waffenamt it is marked with, they have no idea. So I listed all three WaA613, WaA103 and WaA140 and asked which one appears on the pistol. They claim the pistol has no such markings. I suppose it might be a commercial pistol with an Eagle/N. Anyway, for the fun of it, because I bought a digital camera over the weekend, I thought I'd share pics of the two different legends found on my two pistols.

This is the legend found on most models of the FN 1922.

This legend is found on some later war models and some immedeate post-war models. Notice the font is larger and that the G looks more like a C.

 

[aaron]

Wouldn't the composition grips on the second example identify it as early war production?

 

[aaron]

Wouldn't the composition grips on the second example identify it as early war production?

 

[Darwin]

Grips made of compressed animal horn (often mistakenly called "hard rubber") would be correct on very early war models. Bakelite grip panels, as these are, were made throughout the war but the wood grip panels appear to be the most common. I have seen another kind of grip panel of black man-made materials (plastic, I think) that, if my understanding is correct, are only correct on post-war models but have often been used to replace broken or chipped bakelite panels. In fact, interestingly enough, when I received this particular pistol, it had a broken grip panel and, incidentally, was also missing the magazine safey and a couple of pins. I found that the broken grip panel was plastic and the other was bakelite. I replaced the broken plastic grip panel with a bakelite grip panel.

 

[Darwin]

Grips made of compressed animal horn (often mistakenly called "hard rubber") would be correct on very early war models. Bakelite grip panels, as these are, were made throughout the war but the wood grip panels appear to be the most common. I have seen another kind of grip panel of black man-made materials (plastic, I think) that, if my understanding is correct, are only correct on post-war models but have often been used to replace broken or chipped bakelite panels. In fact, interestingly enough, when I received this particular pistol, it had a broken grip panel and, incidentally, was also missing the magazine safey and a couple of pins. I found that the broken grip panel was plastic and the other was bakelite. I replaced the broken plastic grip panel with a bakelite grip panel.

 

[Darwin]

I was doing some more comparisons and am fairly confident that this pistol left the factory with bakelite grip panels instead of wood ones. If you look at the location of the markings, you will see that the proof mark (eagle/swastikca) would not have cleared a wood grip panel. I have another FN 1922, not one of those pictured above, whose frame is marked with two different waffenamt stamps - WaA613 and WaA140. It is fairly obvious that when it was initially marked with the WaA613 stamp, that the pistol had grip panels that were rounded at the top. The WaA140 stamp was later stamped to clear the wood grip panel that is now on the pistol, which panel almost obscures the WaA613 stamp. Based on the serial number alone, that pistol was likely issued with grip panels made of horn (rounded at the top). The pistol was maybe later returned for repair or rework and was reissued with wood grip panels and was then re-inspected, receiving the WaA140 stamp. The point is that grip panels with the rounded top, like the horn and bakelite grip panels, allow more room for the stamps and therefore the stamps are often stamped in locations that would be covered by the squared wooden grip panels if wood ones were later used to replace the original grip panels. So, getting back to the pistol pictured above with the black bakelite grip panel, the proof mark is in a location that would not entirely be obscured by a wood grip panel but is far enough to the right that wood grip panels would clip the very right end of the wing meaning that it could not have been stamped in that location had it had wood grip panels on it when stamped. Therefore, the pistol had bakelite grip panels when it was stamped.

Having just typed all of that, I must admit that I am assuming that the markings were typically applied AFTER the grip panels were added to the pistol. My observations of the pistols leads me to so believe but I don't know for certain that is the case. Maybe somebody else here can state whether that is the case or not.

 

[Darwin]

I was doing some more comparisons and am fairly confident that this pistol left the factory with bakelite grip panels instead of wood ones. If you look at the location of the markings, you will see that the proof mark (eagle/swastikca) would not have cleared a wood grip panel. I have another FN 1922, not one of those pictured above, whose frame is marked with two different waffenamt stamps - WaA613 and WaA140. It is fairly obvious that when it was initially marked with the WaA613 stamp, that the pistol had grip panels that were rounded at the top. The WaA140 stamp was later stamped to clear the wood grip panel that is now on the pistol, which panel almost obscures the WaA613 stamp. Based on the serial number alone, that pistol was likely issued with grip panels made of horn (rounded at the top). The pistol was maybe later returned for repair or rework and was reissued with wood grip panels and was then re-inspected, receiving the WaA140 stamp. The point is that grip panels with the rounded top, like the horn and bakelite grip panels, allow more room for the stamps and therefore the stamps are often stamped in locations that would be covered by the squared wooden grip panels if wood ones were later used to replace the original grip panels. So, getting back to the pistol pictured above with the black bakelite grip panel, the proof mark is in a location that would not entirely be obscured by a wood grip panel but is far enough to the right that wood grip panels would clip the very right end of the wing meaning that it could not have been stamped in that location had it had wood grip panels on it when stamped. Therefore, the pistol had bakelite grip panels when it was stamped.

Having just typed all of that, I must admit that I am assuming that the markings were typically applied AFTER the grip panels were added to the pistol. My observations of the pistols leads me to so believe but I don't know for certain that is the case. Maybe somebody else here can state whether that is the case or not.