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Durofols with Walthers - your thoughts?

R

Rogerbutthead

Well-known member
I have been told that Durofols on Walthers is not correct. They were only issued with BLM versions. So to make a rifle as near factory as possible, Durofols should only be on BLMs.

Do you guys remove Durofols from your newly acquired Walthers or not? (I mean on the best examples of your collection, not on shooters.)
 
The only source that I have heard that from is from "Hitler's Garands". I'm not sure if there is any other material out there that shows that or not. I don't know why Walther wouldn't have had any of the Durofol handguards. From what I understand, these handguards weren't the strongest out there and broke a lot. In P.38's, Walther used Durofol grips, why not K.43's?

What is meant by, "do you remove them?" As in, remove them for cleaning, getting to the piston system or remove them to replace them?
 
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The Durofol handguards weren't used by Walther. But it's a problem to find a wooden handguard that matches the stock.
Claus
 
nahpatronen said:
The Durofol handguards weren't used by Walther. But it's a problem to find a wooden handguard that matches the stock.
Claus
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Sorry but I don't believe this to be a hard and fast rule, not in late wartime Germany.

No I don't remove the one I have to make it "more" correct, I like just as I found it.





AC44 with Durofol.
 
I think there's a chance Durofols were used on Walthers. My ac 44 k block had one. Darrin Weaver (who mine was reported to) had reports that 4 people with k blocks had durofol. Knowing only a relatively small number of k blocks in total are known, this seems a significant number to me from the examples studied. Perhaps some around this time of manufacture found there way to Zella mehlis (or perhaps these Walthers were assembled at Neuengamme, which was near BLM?). Just my thoughts.
 
I had a ac44 p block that looked just like the one above. It had a Durofol on it. I think, just my opinion, that some of these Walthers had 'em originally issued. Or, replaced in the field from broken wood ones.
 
I took a look at Claus's list for "k" series ac 44's and there are 20 listed there, 2 with durofols - one being a VOPO. The percentage of durofols in that sample size doesn't seem very significant. The comments in Hitler's Garands at pages 166-168 seem pretty definitive.

Is there a number on the total "k" series reported to Weaver that were not durofols?
 
I think that it is possible that some were added to Walter rifles in the field. But I believe that the fast majority seen today are added by collectors because they like the look and as stated above, it is hard to find a matching hand guard. I do not desire to own a Walter rifle with one until we find German documentation stated that Walter was supplied with them.
 
Also, wasn't the factory that made Durofol hand guards destroyed in late 1944? So a late war K43 should not have one whether it is a BLM or Walter? I am sure some can still show up but I would not imagine in great numbers.
 
Well, how did the ac45 P.38's get the Durofol grips? Some late ac45 P.38's were issued and had factory installed Durofol grips. And, there was not that many of them that had them installed because collectors know the P.38 Durofol grips are rare.

So, like the P.38's, maybe some K.43's had Durofol handguards installed just here and there?
 
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mdarnell19 said:
I think that it is possible that some were added to Walter rifles in the field. But I believe that the fast majority seen today are added by collectors because they like the look and as stated above, it is hard to find a matching hand guard. I do not desire to own a Walter rifle with one until we find German documentation stated that Walter was supplied with them.
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This. There was a small cadre of G/K collectors back in the 80s and early 90s. It seemed I was constantly running across G/K.43s at the local shows we set up at, like 3 to 1 G/K to matching K98ks. I was picking up matching G/Ks in the $450-550 range and selling them in the $600-750 range. So, they weren't tough to find and I know firsthand (I didn't do it) that guys would look for those Durofol handguards to swap around on rifles, regardless of whether it was an ac or duv. Guys would buy a lesser or mismatched duv or qve for $350 for the Durofol handguard on it and that would go on their nice ac to jazz it up and the mm duv would be flipped for $350-450 at the show, now with an ac handguard. Those guys just didn't know better. Same with the ones who loved "blonde stocks" and would make them that way.
 
mdarnell19 said:
Also, wasn't the factory that made Durofol hand guards destroyed in late 1944? So a late war K43 should not have one whether it is a BLM or Walter? I am sure some can still show up but I would not imagine in great numbers.
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BLM used Durofol up to mid February, 1945 + some of the last (April, May) had it too.
Claus
 
I was collecting back then, and remember the same thing going on with the G/K43 rifles, all the time. People just did not know or care that much..they were just "junky German cast rifles". :laugh: Which always makes me wonder today when I see a bakelite handguard on an ac rifle.

Now, in reality, I see no reason why Walther would not have used during production, when they were available and I am sure they were at some times. That certainly makes sense and I suspect that may be the case.

Until we see some hard evidence on this, it is just somebodies opinion.

Statistically, we have only seen a very very small fraction of what was actually produced.

Never say never in this field though.
 
Brian Kowalski said:
I was collecting back then, and remember the same thing going on with the G/K43 rifles, all the time. People just did not know or care that much..they were just "junky German cast rifles". :laugh: Which always makes me wonder today when I see a bakelite handguard on an ac rifle.

Now, in reality, I see no reason why Walther would not have used during production, when they were available and I am sure they were at some times. That certainly makes sense and I suspect that may be the case.

Until we see some hard evidence on this, it is just somebodies opinion.

Statistically, we have only seen a very very small fraction of what was actually produced.

Never say never in this field though.
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This ;) Most guys didn't have nearly as much interest in G/Ks as K98ks and they were just a curiosity really, to mess with. I would say that based upon such observations, including my own, first hand, and observations and study of known originals and research, that the chances of a Durofol handguard being OEM to an ac G/K43 are quite slim. I would say further that the vast majority of Durofol handguards got on ac rifles as a result of "collector"/bubba friggery. Just MHO and observations.
 
my AC G-43 came with a durafoll handguard, mine was a vet purchase, no mag and cobwebs in the receiver. circa 1983-85 I purchased a wood handguard at the forks of the Delaware show ( I was a member then ) I still have the durafol handguard.

there is a great thread on the P-38/PPk site about the durafol factorys and the different manufacturers and the chemical process in the manufacturing of durafol, mostly revolving around the P-38/PPK pistol

Jack
 
To explain my thinking of why I thought 4 was a significant number of those k blocks seen was based on an idea biologists use to measure populations. Mark and recapture. You capture and mark a number of the animals, release them and then do a recapture. The marked ones will be recaught in proportion to their number in the total. 2 in 20 for instance is 10%, perhaps this means that 1000 in the 10,000 k block had durofol. It doesn't account for what people have done since, but I thought it was interesting that Darrin Weaver mentioned there were a number in this block range. I suppose we will never know for sure unless documents come to light.
 
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