All cleaned up and ready for the ball, gents for your viewing pleasure!
It's an 1887 Spandau. From what I was told the markings on the buttplate mean it was issued to the King Franz guards 3rd Ersatz battalion, weapon 8. (Please correct me if I'm wrong, my knowledge is limited on markings.) When I got this the stock was dry as a bone and very pale, likely stored in an attic for a few decades. It soaked up numerous coats of ballistol and the acceptance marks on the wood seemed to popped out again. I was very pleased to say the least.
There was evidence of pitting that has been cleaned up in the past under the patina. The solid patina over the metal is artificial as far as I can tell. It is uniform in tone and covers every single part. It is under the wood line, on all the screws and in places it seems it wouldn't get to unless put there intentionally. Probably a Japaneseicon brown solution and a heat gun treatment some time in the past but that is not a big deal to me.
The bore is excellent and shiny and every thing else seems tight. Other than having to fix the magazine tube, it was a pretty straight forward. My Gras on the other hand took a month and a half to fix but im pretty sure it was under water for a few years. The Gras was pretty crunchy
Enjoy!
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