Received a post that my name was being tossed aobut in reference to russian maxims. here's the scoop as I know it.
There have never been any original registered sideplates for the 1910s for a very simple reason: there are only 7 verified orignal 1910s in the registry, and one 1905. I know where 6of them are from having tracked them over many years, and two are in my collection. One was acquired many years ago and the other recently as a DEWAT. The seventh is still unverified.
ATF gave me an approval many years ago to alter MG08 sideplates to fit the receiver dimensions of the 1910, which is fairly close, but the 08 plates require quite a bit of alteration to fit. I also asked for the same variance with 08/15 sideplates but was denied. 08/15 plates are half the length of an 08, and 1mm thinner, which really doesn't matter, but requiring almost half of the plate to be added, which in ATF's eyes constituted making a new machine gun. Be aware that there are at least six registerd 1910s that have been built using 08/15 serial numbers, or plates, all of which are contraband due to ATF's denial of a variance. I know of these 08/15 1910s, having talked with the makers who went ahead and made them anyway after asking if it was legal, and being told NO!
In the last ten years or so I have built about 30 transferable 1910s using registered 08 sideplates. There are at least a half dozen 1910s built on 08 plates by others. Many of the 08s I used for these plates were in very poor condition. I've been thrashed for using 08s to build 1910s, but IMO, there are so few 1910s registered, that the loss of the 08s, of which there are hundreds in the NFRTR, is outweighed significantly by the addition of the 1910s to the available pool of transferables. IMO it is a valuable net benefit.
At the moment I have the plates to build a few more registered 1910s, but I want to keep some plates for unusual Maxims that might show up as parts kits. As an example I've built one complete 1905 brass Maxim and have the parts for a second. There is a possibility of getting an early 1892 Enfield Maxim parts kit, so I need to save a plate for that if I can get it. I have most of a Finnish 32/33 parts kit and will build that as a transferable, and well as most of the parts for a 1904 US maxim which will be transferable as well.
I have built seven, IIRC, 1910s on customer's sideplates. And then there are post-samples of which I have built about 50 plus.
There are some aftermarket 08 sideplates in the woodwork still. I don't know if there are any Erb plates, or any plates made by the other few makers, but about a year ago I was offered 10 aftermarket 08 sideplates, not Erb's, for $20k apiece, and my counteroffer was refused. I believe the plates actually do exist, so they are a remainaing resource.
The plate on Sturm was an 08/15 Erb plate, not an 08 plate, at least the one I saw, for which I made an offer for a customer. I did not see a registered '08 plate offered anywhere, and if there was one, I am sure I'd have heard about it, and it would go for high money as the options for its use are many.
all I can think of for the moment.
Bob Naess
Black River Militaria CII
