Luger Help

[boltmopar]

I have this Luger and was trying to get some information about it. I really only know very little about it other than it appears the numbers match.

Sorry in advance about bad pics, i only have a cheap Gophone and no digital camera

[boltmopar]

more pics

[ojisan]

Mauser made Luger.
1938 manufacture.
Nazi marks.
Worth some bucks!

The WW1 Treaty of Versailles limited the manufacture by Germany of handguns with barrels longer than four inches.
There were also restrictions on how many could be made, to limit Germany's rearmament.
Once Hitler took power, guns were made in large numbers, but most barrels were kept below four inches to appear to be in compliance with the Treaty.
Looks like you have a four inch gun there.
Nice piece of history.

[81turbota]

Looks good so far. You need to tear it apart and check all the internals as well.

[dfletcher]

I have this Luger and was trying to get some information about it. I really only know very little about it other than it appears the numbers match.

Sorry in advance about bad pics, i only have a cheap Gophone and no digital camera

According to the (almost) latest Blue Book, an "S/42" dated Mauser made Luger with chamber date is not uncommon. Dated from 1936 to 1940. A 100% version values at $2,550.00 down to about $1,000.00 in 60% condition. If it happens to have police or Navy markings the value tops out @ $4,500.00. The "Nazi Eagle" markings are military markings, not police/Navy markings.

I'm not particularly up to speed on Luger magazines, but it's worth checking them separately.

It's great to have it all matching. I noticed initials on the grip panel. Interesting to imagine who did it & when.

[sonofeugene]

It appears that it MAY have been refinished at some point. There's a few rounded off edges. Numbers matching is a good thing, critical for a collector's piece, just a nice thing for shooter grade. Magazines rarely match, though. The marks on the left grip are unfortunate. But if you have the history of the pistol and who put the marks there, that might be of some intrinsic value.

To really learn everything about a Luger, you need to go here and post some quality pix. http://www.lugerforum.com

Friendly guys and extremely knowledgeable. And don't bother posting the pix you have, they'll ask for better.

Based on your pix, if the finish is original and it's otherwise in good shape, value in the 1400 to 1600 range. If it's been refinished, value in the 600 to 900 range. But that's a wild *** guess. Go to the Luger forum.

[zinfull]

Looks like it was not refinished and is in original condition. Nice find.

[Enfield47]

Nice looking Luger. Have you disassembled it yet?

[sonofeugene]

Looks like it was not refinished and is in original condition. Nice find.

Perhaps original, but there are corners here and there that look too rounded off. It may have been lightly polished and refinished years ago.

The experts at the Luger Forum will know.

[sonofeugene]

And I highly recommend finding out if it's original or refinished. It makes a world of difference regarding the value and if it's original, you may not want to shoot it because if you break an original numbered part, it loses it's collector value and becomes what's known as a "shooter".

For instance, the Luger in my avatar is a shooter. It used to be my father's gun and while it's all numbers matching, it had been polished and refinished before my father bought it in '48, thus destroying it's value as a collector grade Luger and now it's just a shooter. Shoots great, though. Very accurate. Not bad for a gun my father only paid 35 bucks for.

[boltmopar]

I'm really not sure if it's refinished. I want to say no, only because on the safety the word is straw colored.

[zinfull]

If you could take some pics in natural light it would help. It also looks like a little rust on the barrel.

[sonofeugene]

I'm really not sure if it's refinished. I want to say no, only because on the safety the word is straw colored.

The safety could be original and the frame and slide and toggle refinished. And there are so many variations on how Lugers were finished that your head will spin trying to figure them all out. Straw, no straw. Different kinds of bluing. Etc. There were multiple manufacturers and they were made over the course of roughly 3/4 of a century.

Seriously, have it looked at by a pro who really knows Lugers. If you've got good pix, go to the Luger forum. If you are anywhere near the SF bay area, go to San Mateo and see Mike Krause.

[sonofeugene]

Oh, and I wanted to say no, my Luger wasn't refinished, but it has been. Kinda nice, actually, since I really have no interest in collecting Lugers but have this one from my father and I can shoot it without worry of breaking an irreplaceable numbered part.

[dfletcher]

I'm really not sure if it's refinished. I want to say no, only because on the safety the word is straw colored.

I would agree, though not for that reason. All stampings are sharp, there's a fair amount of wear where there should be too. In person is the best way to judge of course. There's some disruption of the surface on the right side of the barrel, can't tell from the photo if it's genuine or been covered but would certainly be apparent in person.