A few recent purchases.

[IMBLITZVT]

Well I got a few new items I thought you guys might like to see.

First was the most expensive MG accessory I have ever bought!!! A M.G.K. unit marked Luger. This was my first Luger. I have wanted one for a while but the prices are all over the place and I could not decide what I wanted. However a MG company marked 1916 DWM is perfect. Its mostly matching, except trigger and mag. Barrel is pretty good and its a nice shooter. I got a soda can at 50+ yards so I am happy there. Something is odd about the mag and its really tight. It does not feed well from this mag as I get a lot of stove pipes. When I pull the bolt back, it flips the round completely out of the gun about a 1ft forward! So I think I will be looking for a new mag at some point. Also a serial number 01 marked trigger for a force match. Grips are a bit loose but I love that unit marking. 2 other guns from the unit are owned by the big time luger collector Jan Still. My gun is a 1916 DWM #6901k marked M.G.K. 1 R.25 35

Jan C Still's set of M.G.K.1 R.25 Guns Number 56 and 75. One is a 1916 DWM, serial number 6245k
Link to Mr Still's Guns:

http://luger.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=8334
http://luger.gunboards.com/showthread.p ... r+reunited

Next on the list, I finally got a good price on a belt loader and picked one up. With my transfer coming up, I needed one but did not want to spend a ton on it. This one is complete in the box but I am missing the handle. Can anyone help? Anyone have an extra handle? If not I will try IMA and then just have one made for me. It is really a lot more interesting then I thought it would be! I had a good time loading up a cut belt and figuing it out!

Finally I got a nice rare version of the ZF optics. Not in the best shape but I am happy to have an example of this kind in my collection. I probably need to take a picture of the of the whole collection but I think this is my 5th ZF. Hope to add more soon.

[42rocker]

Glad to see money well spent. Enjoy the toys.
Wish they were mine..

Later 42rocker

[dwmmg08]

Really cool! Nice Job on the loader, Luger, and optics... now with that transfer coming, you will really need.... Ammo!

Seriously, really cool stuff Matt, I like all of it, you find some neat stuff!


Glen

[CaptMax]

IMBLITZVT, I saw you bidding on that gurtfuller, I thought it was a great find. As for that MGK Luger.... boy would I love to have that in my collection! It is so nice when you see someone with a passion for collecting and they don't buy just anything, but they stick to a common theme. Your collection has really grown is the last couple years and I bet it looks awesome. You really are cornering the market with the Maxims and accessories, please post some eye candy pictures for us to drool over, I love seeing what you find and add to your collection.
Regards, CaptMax

[IMBLITZVT]

CaptMax,

Thats very nice of you.

Thats not the loader I was bidding. That loader when for over $1200 if I recall and I did not win it. I have less than half of that amount in mine. I was bidding it to get the handle and have a cheap one for a friend. As I have built my collection, a friend has been buying my second best of things. He bought my first parts kit that I replaced. When I got another 95% condition kit, I upgraded him for free. Then I sold him my Erb sideplate cheaper then what I bought it for. So I was hoping to get two belt loaders and hook him up. For now we will have to share. I figure its all worth it to have a shooting buddy! Two MG08/15s firing on the line will be awesome!!!

Yeah its been a lot of fun collecting. Buying large groups of parts and reselling them has allowed me to increase my collection without a lot of cost. In so doing, I guess I have become the Maxim parts dealer with the most parts for sale. I don't tend to sell barrels, locks (or lock Parts) or fusee springs. I also keep a large inventory of at least one extra part of the MG08 and MG08/15. I think I have about enough parts to last the rest of my life and I am 28. I do not sell these so I know I will be able to keep my guns running.

Ohh... I knew I forgot something. I picked up a late war MG08 Feedblock that is different (simpler design) than common MG08 Feedblock. I will try and post picture tonight!

Glen, Did you ever get those ammo boxes from the UK?

[Bil]

Very nice! Pics of the whole setup will be nice,not a lot of the early stuff around.Really nice Luger,too.You might have better luck shooting at something other than soda cans-I don't think they were made for that! ---bil

[IMBLITZVT]

You might have better luck shooting at something other than soda cans-I don't think they were made for that! ---bil

Sorry I did not see any Russians, English, French or Italians around that wanted to dress up in WWI uniforms for me to shoot

No man, cheap full soda cans are great! You get the cheap walmart brand and shake them up. One hit and you blow the crap out of them! With all the snow, I painted the whole area orange!

Yeah when I get my MG08/15, I will do some real nice pictures. For now I will do some small collections.

[IMBLITZVT]

Here is my small collection of ZF optical sights. Note one on top right is post WWI and SA marked. Bottom left is very early small base version. Looking for any you don't see here!

Here are the two different MG08 feedblock designs. Top is late 1918, bottom is standard 1915. See how they made the area below where the belt goes in more simple?

[CaptMax]

Thanks for the pictures, I love seeing this stuff and especially when it's in private hands and not a museum.
CaptMax

[bmg17a1]

From my Devil's advocate perspective, how do you know that the center part of the lower pawl release is original to the feedblock? What configuration does it have on the side that is not visible and what style of pin holds it to the axle? Have you disassembled it to see what it looks like at the ends? Interesting variation, but would like some indication that it is orignal to the feedblock.......

Bob

[IMBLITZVT]

Bob, I have not had more then 5 mins to really look at it and I have not taken it apart. The bluing is good enough and constant that I am pretty sure its not replaced, at least not since WWI. Then after looking at it, I think its machined as part of the main feedblock body. I will try and spend some more time looking at it tomorrow but I am so tired my head hurts! So here are some quick pictures. Note the lack of a slope on the feedramp further in the feedslot.

[bmg17a1]

The new pictures tell much more aobut it. the firs tpics looked like it was some sort of cylinder that replaced the usual 'waisted' central piece.
That is very unusual.
Any unusual arsenal markings, stamps, serial or other impressions on the block, aside fomr the usual, that might indiacte that it was made for some foreign contract or by a foreign arsenal?

Bob

[jmann]

Are these rare? Every one of my mg08 feedblocks is like the late one. Granted I only have 2 but they are both dwm and look like the one Matt has shown. To be honest I had never paid attention and I thought they were all like the two I have.

[IMBLITZVT]

I think its just one of those things that not many people have bothered looking at. I think its just late war 1918 DWM mod done to speed up produciton. This came off a 46K+ number DWM gun. Its got all the typical DWM markings and nothing odd.

There are two different MG08/15 feedblocks too. I think the early spandau 08/15 feedblocks look like the 08 feedblocks, just smaller. Then they added the spring/plunger for the rain cover and turned the edge of the top of the feedslot up. I have been looking for one of these feedblocks for a while.

I love all these slight changes for some reason. I am currently looking for marked 08/15 fusee cover, unmarked 08/15 top cover and early 08/15 feedblock.

[bmg17a1]

Had a good laugh at my expense! Years ago I bought a feedblock that had the center retainer for the lower pawls on the lower lip of the feed side replaced with a fabricated, cylindrical part. It semed to work OK, but I didn't pay much attention to it except to note that it wasn't numbered, looked home made and had a split pin holding it in place. When Matt posted his first picture of the "odd" feedblock I thought I was seeing another one. However, the other pictures showed that his feedblock had a solid lip. I thought I'd look and see if I had any like it, since 08 feedblocks seem to just be "feedblocks" to me with no especially unique features for the most part. Well, to my surprise, I have four guns with the same style feedblocks! Solid lips. I had to laugh.....unless I have to disassemble a feedblock for some reason, I just don't pay much attention to them. Some sort of psychosis here, or sleepwalking, or ??? Guess we should start listing the serial numbers with the solid lips and see where the change occurred and if it was both DWM and Spandau or just one or the other.

Bob Naess

[IMBLITZVT]

Haha... Yeah I did not think it could be that rare once I started thinking about it. I have a 466xx number dwm feedblock.

I can remember parts better then the back of my hand! If I have taken it apart or looked at it a while or had any reason to run into a part... I will remember it for a very long time. I probably handle about as many maxim parts as anyone today. I have been looking for the other version of the MG08/15 feedblock, so I have been keeping an eye on them. I think the reason it stuck out to me is I don't understand why so much work was done to the early model? Why not just a solid bar? Seems like a lot of work put into that part for no real reason?

[Bil]

What don't you understand?? It was made by Germans,remember! ---bil

[IMBLITZVT]

What don't you understand?? It was made by Germans,remember! ---bil

Germans never do anything without using their "all knowing" knowledge and purpose. Its just a matter of figuring it out and then you will understand.

[Bil]

There is 'doing' and there is 'overdoing'-it seems the germans would rather do the latter.Not a bad trait,especially with the junk we get from just 'doing'! I am glad there is so much interest here with these older guns.It is keeping things lively! ---bil

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

My recent purchase....

1995 Ford F150 Eddie Bauer Edition with power everything and 5.8L V8.
MY new SportsToy, Bil!