[Firebolt1176]

Just picked a Manurhin PP from Gunbroker, an NdS marked (Lower Saxony) police trade-in.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/800663816

My question is - I see that the left grip is Manurhin marked, whereas the right grip is Walther marked. Was this likely a police armorer repair (perhaps replacing a broken right grip he happened to have on inventory), or something done stateside? Have you guys encountered other PPs with similarly mismatched grips?

 

[matthanne]

No way to tell, as far as I know. Since you can order replacement grips on line, the world may never know. I too would suspect the missing Manhurin grip was broken and who did the replacement, could have been the gun shop.

 

[mixologist]

Very nice. My first Walther was a PP with NDS stamp. It is far and above my favorite pistol. Good luck.

 

[Absalom]

Very nice piece. It has both the old LPN ( Landespolizei Niedersachsen) and the new ca. 1970 Nds re-stamp.

MGMike has pretty much convinced me that most PPs in police service were factory-refinished at some point; Manurhin PPs sent to Ulm for that purpose appear to usually have come back with a new set of Walther grip panels.

But the condition of your gun may indicate no such refinish. As Matthanne says, it‘s impossible to determine for sure who switched the panel. If the officer cracked a panel, a local Waffenkammer of a Polizeipräsidium could have just decided to give the officer a replacement panel they had in a drawer. Who cares about beauty at that point? Interarms on the other hand had enough experience to know that mismatched grips hurt resale attractiveness, and had enough inventory not to need to mis-match parts, so the importer is a less likely culprit. Of course it could have been anyone after that. But original PP grip panels isn‘t something local shops just have around.

 

[Firebolt1176]

Thanks all! Little bit bummed about the mismatched grips and no lanyard ring (were NdS police pistols ever issued with those?) but the extra magazines and overall honest wear should make this a great shooter.

 

[matthanne]

No need to get bummed, you now have new goals, including looking for the correct grip! This gets addictive.

 

[Absalom]

....Little bit bummed about the mismatched grips and no lanyard ring (were NdS police pistols ever issued with those?).

German police PPs in general tend to not have the lanyard attachment. No post-war West German state used lanyards that I’m aware of. If you would like a PP with ring, that would be a good excuse to look for a Swedish police PP to add to your collection.

 

[Firebolt1176]

Thanks! I see on eBay that there are some Walther left grip panels - would it be "correct" for me to just pop off the Manurhin grip panel, and replace it with a Walther?

 

[Absalom]

Thanks! I see on eBay that there are some Walther left grip panels - would it be "correct" for me to just pop off the Manurhin grip panel, and replace it with a Walther?

That’s what I would do. In general, most West German police PPs with the early Manurhin markings seem to have ended up with replacement Walther panels. Only the surplus PPs of the Austrians, who continued to get their PPs directly from France after the Germans switched to German-finished guns, consistently have original Manurhin grips.

 

[Firebolt1176]

Much appreciated! Suppose I'll order one soon; good thing I need a left Walther grip panel and not a right one. (Wonder how Numrich ended up with so many left grip panels...)

 

[saemetric]

My Manurhin PP is one of my favorite pistols. I have the original plastic grips but it has Eagle Rosewood panels for show. Mine has the same markings as the OP has, but mine was made in 1954.

 

[Vandal320]

Looking at pic #17 & 18 what is up with the rear site? Looks really big.

 

[jackm]

Looking at pic #17 & 18 what is up with the rear site? Looks really big.

The one I have was made a year or two later--sight appears to be the same width, with the same amount of overhang on either side. They really are beautiful guns.