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G&K 1918 A.G. Holster


Rjdavis98

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Ok, I'm new here.  I do not collect military items or have any knowledge on military items, but I love guns.  I have a question, but there is a bit of a story that goes along with it so that you may be able to answer my question.  I am the only one in my family who has an appreciation for firearms.  With that being said, My uncle (Dad's half brother) gave me a gun.  The gun is a Colt Model 17, government issue.  My uncle inherited the gun from his uncle (no blood relation to me) some time ago.  His uncle was a Seebee in the Navy WWII.  My uncle gave this gun to a friend of his with a safe in the 70's.  This friend of his was getting older and felt that after 40 years or so, he should return the gun to my uncle.  My uncle immediately gave the gun to me.  I own quite a few guns, enjoy hunting and am a novice collector.  My uncle shipped the gun to me.  The gun came with 4 different holsters.  One was very worn.  Probably the one that he used to carry in the field.  2 were purchased aftermarket.  The other holster is a government issued holster for the Colt 1917.  This holster appears to be brand new.  It is so nice that I am questioning the authenticity.  The only marks inside the holster are from me testing the fit on the 1917.  The thing that I am stuck on is why would somebody make a perfect reproduction holster for a gun that has limited collector value?  I have searched the net high and low for information on this holster.  There are several authentic holsters that have been sold on ebay, and several forums where the holster is mentioned.  I have also searched the net for reproduction holsters.  The only reproduction that I found that almost matches what I have is from Pacific Canvas and Leather.  The difference is mine is stamped with the maker and inspector initials.  At least I think they are the inspector initials.  The Pacific Canvas holster says that it is an exact replica of the government issued holster.  It does look identical, except for the stamp.  I wish that I could talk to somebody who actually knows this gun and this holster, but they have been dead for decades.  I mainly want to know if I have a genuine piece of history.  In all of my looking, I have not seen a single holster that is in the condition that mine is in.  I am NOT trying to obtain a value to sell the holster.  If the holster is genuine, I do feel that should belong to a collector or museum.  It really is that nice, and It does not have the same personal value that the gun has to me.  To me, the worn black holster is more special because I can see the wear and can vision this gun and holster being carried in the field.  The black holster matches the condition of the gun.  My THEORY, is that the black worn holster was exactly that.  Worn out.  My uncle's uncle requested a new holster and was given one that he never used, and its just been stored.  I emailed a couple of guys who sell this kind stuff on ebay last night.  The response i received today was that it looks genuine, but pictures are not good enough to establish that without doubt.  He told me to smell it.  If it smells like new leather, then its more than likely a reproduction.  The holster does not smell like anything.  It smells like my gun safe, where its been stored.  I have attached pictures and could provide more if needed.  Any questions, comments or concerns would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for looking at this post. 

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Hello & Welcome,

 

I hope you find may good items on MCN and a lot of good advice.

Many years ago befor the UK ....Banned all guns.....I have an 8 3/8 Magnum .44 (Dirty Harry) superb and what a weapon to fire!!!

A  Saturday Night Special .38

An AMT .22 semi - auto 

And a 357 Smith & wesson....But the police in the UK took them all away under the new law....paid me compensation, and now I have nothing.

Only a part remains of an original WW2 (British Made) found in a farm house by builders a Sten gun (MK2).....Now just a display piece!!!

 

Such is Life!

 

Best Wishes to you and you family...Desert Rat/ Ian....UK

 

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Sound like nice guns. Shame the government took them. That’s great you still have something to display though. I’ve been poking around on the site a bit. Pretty neat stuff. Some of the collections are incredible. Very serious!  

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Hello,

Yes, I liked to shoot the .44 Magnum..at Stonelodge near Dartford Kent/ UK....but as I said the Police took them all away and all the ammo (over2, 000) rounds....threw them all in a box...then I got the payment £700 I Month later....that didn't even cover the .44 as it was new and the 357 Magnum.....Ca La Vie!

Yes, there are some great people on here who are very knowledgeable....With all respect to the others ........Davejb....has a great amount of informative material to share.

Good Luck in finding some info....Best Wishes for the Season.....Desert Rat / Ian

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Well thats very kind of Desert Rat to say this, but I have to admit I know very little about holsters , Its not something I collect mainly because we are not allowed to own live fire weapons in England, at least not the kind we would all like to own ie WW2 era. Saying that I took a look at the Holster in question, The workmanship that seems to have been done on this piece, is very good albeit fakes have got better over the years, but I would be inclined to say that there is a chance this could be the real deal seeing the age and where it was kept  over a long period of time.  I would also say that I think you need other opinions, certainly from people who actually collect, pistols and holsters, sorry I cant be of more help

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Thank you sir. I’ll keep searching. I actually found a different forum.  I’m waiting on approval to join. I would love to know if this holster is real. I’m thinking it’s going to require me to send it in to get looked at in person. Thanks again.

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I would strongly advise against sending it anywhere, If a member of a forum is familiar with the type of items that are posted, they will be able to give a reasonable opinion on authenticity even from photos. I would, however advise you to take other photos with a good camera and include all the details along with good close ups

 

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We are actually having a family photo shoot done next week by a photographer friend of mine. I will ask her to take better pictures and post them. I found another forum where this holster is mentioned. I’m about to post it there too. As I stated earlier, I’m not trying to value this for sale, but it’s of no real value to me, and if it’s authentic, could be very much needed by a collector. Thank you guys for the help. I certainly will not ship it to anybody unless I knew them personally. Thanks again!!

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I found another forum and joined. These guys know the Colt 1917 and associated leather very well. It turns out that this is in fact a reproduction. One of them sent me a link to a site that had MY holster with the G&K stamp. The only difference is that mine has a hole in the bottom and that particular one didn’t. Thanks for all your help, I’m pretty much satisfied that it’s a reproduction. There’s always a chance, but those guys know the Colt 1917 and Holsters very well. I do not. Gotta go with the experts. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and thank you very much!!

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