VoPo Serial number question

[Schupo]

Without photos of the pistol in question I would suspect that the P.08 is possibly a "Frankenstein" that consists of one or two Volkspolizei marked parts. The VP Armory in Suhl was very careful when they refurbished firearms for the police. They forced matched parts, fitted new parts as needed, and gaged and fit the parts to proper tolerances. Some retailers, not Volkspolizei armorers, also put parts together to make pistols.

Proper VP pistols that I have seen have been well fitted mechanically with predictable force matching of old and new DDR manufactured parts. I hope this is helpful.