Rupe's .45???

[KaosDad]

Mentioned previously - down in Charlotte...sister in law...gunz. In addition to the Mauser, I was handed this gem:



A close up of the engraving:


According to the serial number it was made betweeen 1938 & 1942 under contract to the British Government. So, my theory is that it was given to MGEN Rupertus while in Australia. There are two patches of light surface rust and from what I can see down the barrel, it too is lightly rusted. Why the grips are gone baffles me. They were issued with plain, plastic grips.

So, the question before the court is - can this be restored to firing condition? SHOULD it be restored? I am going to cross post this to U.S. Militaria to get a broader view.

[OakRidgeStars]

I say restore it. Parts are readily available and the surface rust can be dealt with before re-blueing. Just keep the original parts in case the you decide to sell it in the future.

[KaosDad]

Happy to report that the .45 fired well at the range yesterday. However, "elegent" is not a word I'd use here. The thing kicked like no "modern" .45 I've seen and the shells seemed to eject in very random directions. Also - the grips seemed to come loose as I fired.

Ah, well.... a good cleaning and it goes on display.