I posted this once before! It is the rear inner ring of a bakelite cover found on the "green" type 98 at NH&HC D.C. Naval Yards. That piece is designed to tightly fit the bakelite shell to the metal under-structure of the pistol grip. It is typically held in place by 3 resin pins. This cover lacked the pins, leaving this piece free floating and removable. Its color is also of interest. It is entirely red, and shows no sign of a cotton/wood pulp/paper additive like normal bakelite.
It is not what i would describe as normal!
And on top of that, it lacked any German markings.
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please ignore the "white out" i wanted to cover up someones information I unknowingly photographed
Again, I am posting this ony partially to make a point, but also as a collection of research. A dump file if you will.
My belief is still strong that even if German marking were found on every bakelite cover installed on these unknown type 98's( those guns not intended for shooting and withheld in museums that have no record of them ever being project guns needing parts) that they would still be original to the manufacture of the Japanese weapons. The reluctance of the German Military in releasing any information on new weapons to the Japanese until late war fits the notion that the trade of mundane or less essential war materials, which is actually documented, from Germany to Japan during the Mid War period makes all too logical the delivery of parts for weapons already considered outdated in the German military.
Photos of old and new suggest that!
I only hope that we can turn up a Japanese drum loader, to load all those millions of 8mm rounds sent to Japan for use in these drummed weapons.
-seth
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