Butt Plate Changes in Sauer Drillings

[Blackfly]

I've owned a number of Sauer drillings. One I currently own was proofed in 1939. This one wears a resin/bakelite/plastic type butt plate and grip cap which is marked with Sauer S's. One of my previous Sauer's was proofed in 1942. It had a horn butt and grip cap. These two guns are remarkably similar, except the '42 was a 12 gauge frame and the '39 is a 16 gauge, and the '39 has longer barrels. There are no reproof marks on the '39 that would indicate that it went back to Sauer for reworking. They are both what I call field grade with only a little scroll work. I always assumed the transition to plastic occurred after WWII, but have no basis for that. Were there Sauers in the thirties and forties with plastic butt plates or might this be a replacement, or maybe just a less expensive option?
Thanks
Bfly

[Axel E]

They simply used what was on hand at the moment. Maybe, in 1942, with WW2 going on, they simply could not resupply with their S&S Bakelite butt plates, so they used noname horn ones still in stock in the Suhl guntrade.

[Jim Cate]

The Bakelite buttplates were made by RWS, Rheinisch-Westfalische-Sprengstoff-Actien-Gesellschaft, which was a division of Dynamit Nobel. This is the same company that made the grips for Sauer's Model 30, Behörden, and Model 38/h pistols. By 1943 Bakelite was regulated to only military usage, whereas in the past years it had been a 'main-stay' in many German industries. It is my opinion that your (Blackfly) buttplate is a period replacement. I have a near mint Model 30 Drilling made in November, 1944 that has the Bakelite SuS buttplate on it. I believe that Sauer had a very good supply of these before 1943. There was a time period immediately before the SuS stylized buttplates were the norm that Sauer buttplates had no marking or logo on it, but are original to the Sauers. Regards, Jim Cate