Some new finds

[Vlim]

V10, carries a Mauser R&D inventory number, showing it spent its time there.
Apart from the V10 number and any lack of normal serial numbers (or proofs), the alterations to the frame ears show what it was used for:

When Mauser obtained the plans from Switzerland, they found they had issues with the Swiss opening curve / frame ear placement, which led to an unreliable functioning of the 4 inch .30 luger version of the pistol. Mauser started investigating the problem and found that the Swiss had tuned their opening curve / ears to the combination of their own barrels and .30 luger ammunition, causing issues with other calibers and barrel lenghts. Mauser cured the problem by shifting the curve some 2mm to the rear, which is visible in this pistol. The 'wrong' Swiss style frames, of which a number had already been produced, were marked with a small heart shaped stamp and were no longer used in series production of the Mauser Parabellum.

So V10 is a test bed for testing the new opening curve / modified frame ears, using one of those 'wrong' frames. The pistol currently has an early unblued barrel/receiver combo in 9mm luger and some other components that were not used in final series production, including the bordered grips.

The other pistol is one of a handful of Swiss 06/29 pistols that were sold to Mauser together with the jigs and drawings. Several of these pistols (documented are 10, 11 and 12), were 'transformed' to look like the Mauser Parabellum, late 1968, early 1969. They were made as promotional items for presentation on USA gun shows, while the Mauser Parabellum pistols were not yet ready for production.

This particular gun, number 10.0011, was sold to Interarms in January, 1969.

(Photographs are property of Hermann-Historica)