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  #1  
Old 08-06-2017, 12:33 AM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Default Bought a Manurhin revolver today, updates!

So today I purchased a Manurhin MR 73 revolver 3". I have been looking for a 3" revolver for some time now and came acrossed this beauty while surfing calguns.net one evening and just had to have it. Apparently these French guns are both very strong and very high quality. One of the features I look forward to trying out is the adjustable trigger weight, apparently it is designed in such a way that an extra screw turn is all it takes to adjust the pull and over travel without affecting the hammer strike capability.

After looking it over today (since I live in Cali I can't Take it home for another ten days) I can say that it is the tightest revolver I've ever held. Whether or not it's accuracy is as good as what I've read remains to be seen but I will be reporting it here when I do finally take her out to the range. It has a parkerized finish with some characteristic holster wear that I love. The man I bought it from, purchased it from a collector who got it from a French fighter pilot supposedly, who knows but it's a cool story anyway.

As I said I've been searching for the coveted 3" k frame revolver for a long time and was going to just pick up S&W's new 2.75" model 66 but then I found this one and after holding it can already tell I'm going to love it just as much as my 4" model 19... probably even more, if I'm allowed to say that here.

The only thing is I'm having a very difficult time finding any wood grips for this thing, besides Nill grips which are beautiful but pricey and not exactly the style I'm looking for, I'd really like something compact that balances out the pistol in terms of length and ergonomics, something like a boot grip. I did find some surplus original grips for the Manurhin model f1/88 but I'm not sure if these will fit the MR 73. If anyone has any suggestions or knows if these would work for me please let me know. Regardless I am very excited about my new purchase and am eager to hear your thoughts and experiences with this rare wheelgun.

Updates***

So I took it apart last night and broke it down to the bare frame, cleaned everything, oiled it up and put it back together. I have to say that I was impressed by the detail of the work as well as how tight everything was fitted. The cleaning felt like it took a little off the trigger and slicked up the action a bit as well. I adjusted the trigger to my liking, not too light but enough to make it fun at the range, which I hope to visit sometime this weekend. I will post some pics of the internals in a little bit.

The gun is worn but functions flawlessly and is very tight, tighter than my model 19, and it hasn't been fired nearly as much. It is actually tighter than my 686+ was and I had purchased it brand new!

When in lock up the cylinder does not move at all. For it's age and heavy use over all the years I am quite surprised that this is the case.

The hand uses a coil spring so it must be a first generation, meaning from the mid seventies. It is clear from the wear of the parkerized finish that the gun was used a lot. As well as from the wear on the cylinder release, as the grooves have been smoothed out over the years.

The hand was a little bit marred on the end but to be expected. There are some dings and scratches indicating the gun was probably dropped more than once over the years. I managed to find the original wood grips factory new from Manurhin through a supplier/importer stateside. Well worth the price!

There is much more to include in my description that I will have to add later along with some pics of the internals for you guys.
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Last edited by Toblerra; 08-18-2017 at 08:49 PM.
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Old 08-06-2017, 02:12 AM
JayFramer JayFramer is offline
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Congrats on what some consider the finest combat revolver ever made.

Have to admit, I'm a little jelly.
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Old 08-06-2017, 03:42 AM
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I think the grips on it now are rubber Nills. Kinda big on the three-inch bbl. version, but should help you to shoot well.
Probably no US-made grips. Ask Manurhin about round butt originals. Address the Export Director. He should speak English.

The Commercial Counselor at the French Embassy should have their address and phone number.

Expect a high price, plus shipping, of course. But you may get lucky.
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Old 08-06-2017, 04:42 AM
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For the price you may have to pay to get the French made grips, one of the custom grip makers here could make exactly what you are seeking.
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Old 08-06-2017, 05:43 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Star View Post
I think the grips on it now are rubber Nills. Kinda big on the three-inch bbl. version, but should help you to shoot well.
Probably no US-made grips. Ask Manurhin about round butt originals. Address the Export Director. He should speak English.

The Commercial Counselor at the French Embassy should have their address and phone number.

Expect a high price, plus shipping, of course. But you may get lucky.
Nill does not make rubber grips, these are Trausch grips.
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Old 08-06-2017, 06:22 AM
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Does it have an import stamp?

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Old 08-06-2017, 07:33 AM
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Default Manurhin

Now I'm really green with envy Been trying to justify the investment in Manurhin or Korth for a few years. Now you've done and did it.
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Old 08-06-2017, 07:48 AM
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I don't know much about Manurhin, but they also make (made?) ammunition, as I have several boxes of it in different calibers. They are famous principally for the manufacture of high speed commercial ammunition loading machinery. I have seen it in operation at both Winchester and Federal ammunition plants.
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Old 08-06-2017, 10:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DWalt View Post
I don't know much about Manurhin, but they also make (made?) ammunition, as I have several boxes of it in different calibers. They are famous principally for the manufacture of high speed commercial ammunition loading machinery. I have seen it in operation at both Winchester and Federal ammunition plants.
Ammunition and ammunition manufacturing machinery were (and are still) actually Manurhin's primary business pretty much since its founding in the early 20th century, although there have been some changes in terms of corporate identity and exactly what entity the name Manurhin applies to.

They are known for producing the Walther pistols under license after WW II; most people have seen the PP's with Manurhin-marked slides, but what most people don't know is that until the 1980s ALL Walther PP and PPK pistols, including the "Made in West Germany"-marked ones, were manufactured by Manurhin and just the end-finishing done at Walther in Ulm.

The reverse happened to the Manurhin-marked Walther P 1's by the way. Made in Germany, shipped to France in the white and finished, and voila, "Made in France"; this was required particularly for the Berlin police which under its special occupation status could not carry German-made guns. Pretty silly.
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Old 08-06-2017, 10:56 AM
squidsix squidsix is offline
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The GIGN fellas i got to know in europe had a very nice version of the 73 with 5 inch barrels in their holsters. All had wood grips that i assumed were factory. They were aggressively checkered rosewood (it appeared) and round butt profile. No medalion. These might be had on ebay international.
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Old 08-06-2017, 11:21 AM
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Default MR 73

Hello
The trips are a Trausch model
Mr Trausch were an policeman who make this néoprčne trips more confortable to
Shoot for the shooters,at this Time all the police and gendarmerie forces were equiped
With MR 73
In France Chappuis armes have taken all the machines from Manurhin and built
Revolvers MR73 and MR 88
hope i can help
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Old 08-06-2017, 03:13 PM
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Looking forward to your shooting report.
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Old 08-06-2017, 03:54 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Does it have an import stamp?

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Yes, it's C.A.I. Which I believe is century arms.
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Old 08-06-2017, 03:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Toblerra View Post
Yes, it's C.A.I. Which I believe is century arms.
No French fighter pilots. Just surplused by the government and sold to arms dealer Century Arms who imported it into the US. They import millions of guns a year

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Last edited by Arik; 08-06-2017 at 03:57 PM.
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Old 08-06-2017, 03:57 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Originally Posted by Jdavis View Post
For the price you may have to pay to get the French made grips, one of the custom grip makers here could make exactly what you are seeking.
Awesome, point me in their direction if you have any contact info.,

I'm looking for something like the Ahrends Retro Combat Round butt grips I have on my S&W. I'll pay the price if it's quality and what I'm looking for.

Last edited by Toblerra; 08-06-2017 at 04:10 PM.
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Old 08-06-2017, 03:59 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arik View Post
No French fighter pilots. Just surplused by the government and sold to arms dealer Century Arms who imported it into the US. They import millions of guns a year

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Not surprising, without provenance it's anybody's guess really.
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Old 08-06-2017, 05:00 PM
bc1023 bc1023 is offline
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Very nice sir.

I did a short summary of the MR 73 not that long ago here:

Manurhin MR 73...simply the best 357 Mag of all time | The Leading Glock Forum and Community - GlockTalk.com




When it comes to revolvers, the MR 73 is in my top three as far as quality is concerned, along with the Korth Combat and Freedom Arms.

My MR's are both commercial guns though.


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Old 08-06-2017, 05:07 PM
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This blog article has got some nice background info on the MR73, also in relation to S&W, and its use by the French including the GIGN. Though I can't vouch for anything, the author seems to know what he is talking about:

manurhin mr73 – Larvatus Prodeo
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Old 08-06-2017, 05:23 PM
bc1023 bc1023 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Absalom View Post
This blog article has got some nice background info on the MR73, also in relation to S&W, and its use by the French including the GIGN. Though I can't vouch for anything, the author seems to know what he is talking about:

manurhin mr73 – Larvatus Prodeo
Yes, Michael Zeleny is very knowledgeable. In fact, I bought both of my MR's from him.
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Old 08-06-2017, 07:30 PM
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New grips can be bought here, not cheap.

Manurhin MR 73 Parts
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Old 08-06-2017, 07:38 PM
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New grips can be bought here, not cheap.

Manurhin MR 73 Parts
Nothing about the MR73 is cheap...
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Old 08-07-2017, 12:01 AM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Quote:
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New grips can be bought here, not cheap.

Manurhin MR 73 Parts
Thank you, I literally bought them 30 minutes before reading your post from the same website.
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Old 08-07-2017, 12:05 AM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Yes, Michael Zeleny is very knowledgeable. In fact, I bought both of my MR's from him.
If he lives in L.A. I believe I spoke with him yesterday, got his contact info via Facebook and gave him a call looking for o.g. grips but he didn't know where to find them. Eventually I contacted Adam.s armory online and he directed me to the Hastings website, definitely not easy to find parts for these guns very few people know where to look and even fewer sell them. The next pics I post will be with the wood grips on it.
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Old 08-07-2017, 12:07 AM
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Btw I am always impressed by the wealth of knowledge and help I find here. Thanks all!
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Old 08-07-2017, 05:05 PM
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Was lucky to find a 4" with target sights at Allens Armory years ago. Had it reblued to take it back to the way it looked new. Nice guns, shoot great. Yours is the best fighting revolver out there. Being about the same size as the model 19 makes it easy to conseal. Enjoy your MR73 and head to the range to give us a report. Wood grips come up for the gun on eBay, there were 2 sets recently. Larry
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Old 08-08-2017, 05:52 AM
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Hello
3 inches was for inspector first production were blue After due thé cost they were
Parkerised, After 1997 aller the municipal police aren't allowed tout carry weapon
More than 38
Ŕ lot or 357mag were un the market,same now with the 38,due the islamic attentats
The municipal police have now ŕ 9mm Glock or sig 2022
Never manuhrin was regular weapon in army or Navy
Pearhaps ŕ gendarme pilot of chopper?
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Old 08-08-2017, 09:34 AM
gnystrom gnystrom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bc1023 View Post
Very nice sir.

I did a short summary of the MR 73 not that long ago here:

Manurhin MR 73...simply the best 357 Mag of all time | The Leading Glock Forum and Community - GlockTalk.com




When it comes to revolvers, the MR 73 is in my top three as far as quality is concerned, along with the Korth Combat and Freedom Arms.

My MR's are both commercial guns though.


You sir, ooze excellent taste.
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Old 08-10-2017, 05:07 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Checked out that link on glocktalk, very informative, thanks!
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Old 08-10-2017, 05:12 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by primersp View Post
Hello
3 inches was for inspector first production were blue After due thé cost they were
Parkerised, After 1997 aller the municipal police aren't allowed tout carry weapon
More than 38
Ŕ lot or 357mag were un the market,same now with the 38,due the islamic attentats
The municipal police have now ŕ 9mm Glock or sig 2022
Never manuhrin was regular weapon in army or Navy
Pearhaps ŕ gendarme pilot of chopper?
Due to the fact that the pistol has import marks referring to century arms on the barrel, I doubt the story about the French pilot is true. More than likely it was part of an imported lot of Manurhin revolvers that were surplus police? Once I pick up the revolver I will look up the serial number and see if it's possible to find date of mfg. maybe that will help piece together its history.

Last edited by Toblerra; 08-10-2017 at 05:14 PM.
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Old 08-10-2017, 06:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toblerra View Post
Due to the fact that the pistol has import marks referring to century arms on the barrel,....

More than likely it was part of an imported lot of Manurhin revolvers that were surplus police?.....
Your assumption is almost certainly correct. Century Arms' modus operandi has been for decades to purchase large batches of surplus foreign service weapons and import (or re-import) them to the US civilian market.

Their business model has been built on the fact that most other countries, due to restrictions on private gun rights, have no profitable market for their own no longer needed issue guns, and are willing to give them cheaply to someone offering to take them off their hands.

So Century has always been a volume buyer and generally wouldn't deal in private used guns, making your MR 73 most likely a former service gun and part of a batch buy.
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Old 08-10-2017, 06:21 PM
cjwils cjwils is offline
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Interesting article on Wikipedia, including the statement that every MR73 is match grade accurate.
Manurhin MR 73 - Wikipedia
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Old 08-11-2017, 02:33 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Your assumption is almost certainly correct. Century Arms' modus operandi has been for decades to purchase large batches of surplus foreign service weapons and import (or re-import) them to the US civilian market.

Their business model has been built on the fact that most other countries, due to restrictions on private gun rights, have no profitable market for their own no longer needed issue guns, and are willing to give them cheaply to someone offering to take them off their hands.

So Century has always been a volume buyer and generally wouldn't deal in private used guns, making your MR 73 most likely a former service gun and part of a batch buy.
If it was it didn't look to be abused, it was in pretty good shape, but I'll examine it more closely when I pick it up and post some pics.
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  #33  
Old 08-18-2017, 08:50 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Updates to original post above as well as new pics of internals.
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  #34  
Old 08-23-2017, 03:37 PM
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Jebus35745 Jebus35745 is offline
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The new grips look great on the gun. It looks more concealable now. What did the grips set you back? Any range report yet? Larry

Last edited by Jebus35745; 08-23-2017 at 03:38 PM.
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  #35  
Old 08-23-2017, 11:04 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jebus35745 View Post
The new grips look great on the gun. It looks more concealable now. What did the grips set you back? Any range report yet? Larry
The grips weren't cheap $150 plus almost $20 in shipping. Yes, that is more than I would normally pay, my default is ahrends...but there is only one importer of the original Manurhin grips I could find in the U.S. and I was lucky to find any at all. I will say that they are very good quality, but they had better be for the price.

I apologize for the delay in the range report but it is coming. I had to reload more .357 this weekend as I was out (I rarely buy factory ammo anymore) and it was too hot to reload in my garage, so I ended up spending the weekend moving my reloading bench into the spare room lol. That turned into a trip to harbor freight for a grinding stand to mount my turret press on and then Goodwill to find a cabinet to store my stuff in.

By the time I got it all set up I only had enough time to reload one box of ammo and it was too late to head out, the range I use is about an hour drive.

To make a short story long, my goal is to get out this weekend and will post details as soon as I get back.
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  #36  
Old 08-24-2017, 10:42 AM
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It's a shame that S&W or Colt grips don't match close enough to modify and look nice on the Manurhin. Someone on eBay had a few sets that I think he made. Not bad looking. I would like a nice set of grips on mine with some figure. The 3" guns look good and your new grips set it off nicely. What distance will you shoot it at? Have fun, Larry
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  #37  
Old 08-27-2017, 11:30 AM
bulletslap bulletslap is offline
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I own a MR-73 and the Trausch Rubber stocks I purchased from Hastings were pristine and NIB. Unfortunately Mr. Trausch died a few years back and his Company is no longer in buiness.

Also the F1/MR-88 stocks will not fit the MR-73.
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  #38  
Old 08-27-2017, 05:19 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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Hastings still has some for sale I think.

Last edited by Toblerra; 08-27-2017 at 05:26 PM.
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  #39  
Old 09-13-2017, 05:02 PM
ricky_45 ricky_45 is offline
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I had an MR73, new production, but I sold it after marking it up quite a bit. I ordered another one, 5 1/4 barrel, etc, that is due in within a few months. It was ordered about a year ago. The company that is making them only produces about 400 per year.
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Old 09-19-2017, 10:41 PM
Toblerra Toblerra is offline
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I decided to have my Manurhin restored and refinished/blued. When I get it back I will be sure to share before and after photos. If anyone else has any experience with these revolvers feel free to share it along with some pics.
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  #41  
Old 10-05-2017, 04:23 PM
Arlo Arlo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toblerra View Post
If he lives in L.A. I believe I spoke with him yesterday, got his contact info via Facebook and gave him a call looking for o.g. grips but he didn't know where to find them. Eventually I contacted Adam.s armory online and he directed me to the Hastings website, definitely not easy to find parts for these guns very few people know where to look and even fewer sell them. The next pics I post will be with the wood grips on it.
Hello.....
I make grips for MR 73,, If I can figure out how to post pictures on here I can show you some that I have made. Or send me your email.. my email [email protected]
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Old 10-05-2017, 06:01 PM
fkd713 fkd713 is offline
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Looks like you got your woods grips for your Manurhin but if you are interested in exotics like elk, giraffe, or musk ox, you might want to contact MD Grips located in Springfield TN. He has been recently contacted by Manurhin distributor about making some grips. Mike makes quality grips and I feel sure he could fit something for you. I have some that he has made for me and have been well pleased.
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  #43  
Old 10-07-2017, 02:28 PM
Arlo Arlo is offline
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These are the unfinished sets available. Tx
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Old 10-07-2017, 09:03 PM
triggerfish triggerfish is offline
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This site has been extremely helpful to me, as my husband died in Dec. of last year and I have quite an assortment of guns which I will not be keeping. I’ve already got a lot of help with 4 S&W’s chiefs. here. I believe this to be one the saner more helpful places to post and I think perhaps to sell although I have some real LULUs….
I have 2 Manurhins I know that my husband won them on a bid from an auction house in Germany, because I found an old “notice” saing he won the bid on a 4” barrel. But not for how much, nor do I know what that one sold for. What I do kknow is that he liked them so much he took off the wood grips and put Trauch grips on them, sadly, he never got to fire them. I also found email back and forth with a Mr. Ford in Fl., who apparently refinished them. I’m going to try to attach some pics.
I have seen some go for 500. And some go for 2200. Help!!ANY directions on value +/- or what you think would be the best avenue would be much appreciated. PS I posted this just before but I think I did not put it in the right place. If it come up twice, apologies.
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  #45  
Old 10-08-2017, 10:20 AM
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Quote:
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... PS I posted this just before but I think I did not put it in the right place. If it come up twice, apologies.
Hi TF. While you may get the answers you seek here on someone else's thread, but the best and proper way to ask would be starting your own new thread here in the "Other Brands" section. I checked all your other posts, and you did not post this question anywhere else on this forum yet.

Your late husband had good taste in firearms and I think the FL refinisher is one of the best at what he does.

Good luck accomplishing the tasks before you at this difficult time in your life.
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Old 10-10-2017, 03:36 PM
triggerfish triggerfish is offline
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Default Thanks so much for the information!

I really appreciated your taking the time to respond; NOW If i can just find the other brands part... I'll definitely give it a shot. Excuse the pun.
Claudia
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  #47  
Old 10-10-2017, 03:38 PM
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bigwheelzip bigwheelzip is offline
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Quote:
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...NOW If i can just find the other brands part... I'll definitely give it a shot.
It's this section (Firearms & Knives - Other Brands). Just make a new thread.
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  #48  
Old 11-11-2017, 12:18 AM
ricky_45 ricky_45 is offline
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My mr73 gets here in a few days. I’ll make a new post and put in some pics.
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