Mauser Grips

Frank · 06-17-2012, 07:41 PM

Norm, nice Luger. It's very difficult to know for sure. There are many instances of replacement grips on Lugers. Who knows for sure where and when any grips were replaced and by whom.

There are groups of Lugers that had MOSTLY numbered grips and the rest had MOSTLY unnumbered grips. That is from the present data.

Most, if not all, 1940 Lugers had numbered grips when they left the factory IMHO

Regards, Frank

dsk · 06-17-2012, 10:00 PM

The ones on my 1940 S42 are not numbered either:

Frank · 06-18-2012, 09:21 AM

dsk, thanks for the pictures! Your grips have Waffenamt Marks (E/655). This means they are most likely armorer replacement grips. These are quite common.

Norme · 06-18-2012, 09:40 AM

Hi Frank, I don't follow your reasoning. My 1940 42 has SE/655 Waffenamt marks as does Mike's, does this mean that they are armorer's replacement guns? My gun has seen little if an use, it appears to be unfired, why would the grips have to be replaced? I stand by what I wrote in post #2. Regards, Norm

dsk · 06-18-2012, 01:32 PM

I'm not a Luger expert by any means so I have no bones in this fight, but an experienced collector told me he's seen way too many otherwise original Mausers with grips like these to believe that they were all armorer replacements. I guess the debate continues.....

Frank · 06-19-2012, 07:49 AM

Okay Norm, It appears we are just going to agree to disagree!!

Norme · 06-19-2012, 09:00 AM

Hi Frank, The topic of grip numbering has interested me for a while, but on Imperial Navy Lugers, and I included it in the Navy List survey (which now has 1,200 guns listed). I have found that almost exactly 50% had unnumbered grips over all. However, only 32% of the 1906 and 1908 models, that were made before the war, had unnumbered grips while the figure for 1916 and 1917 dated guns is 84%. This leads me to conclude that grip numbering was not a priority at DWM and became even less so once hostilities started. Perhaps it was the same at Mauser? While I have not formally surveyed Erfurts (where numbering was a priority), I have examined a number of them over the years, and almost all of them had numbered grips. This leads me to believe that instances of armorers actually having to replace grips were quite rare.
Best regards, Norm

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

06-17-2012, 07:41 PM	#1
Frank RIP Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hot & Dry PHX, AZ Posts: 2,078 Thanks: 24 Thanked 166 Times in 87 Posts	Norm, nice Luger. It's very difficult to know for sure. There are many instances of replacement grips on Lugers. Who knows for sure where and when any grips were replaced and by whom. There are groups of Lugers that had MOSTLY numbered grips and the rest had MOSTLY unnumbered grips. That is from the present data. Most, if not all, 1940 Lugers had numbered grips when they left the factory IMHO Regards, Frank

06-17-2012, 10:00 PM	#2
dsk User Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 5 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	The ones on my 1940 S42 are not numbered either:

06-18-2012, 09:21 AM	#3
Frank RIP Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hot & Dry PHX, AZ Posts: 2,078 Thanks: 24 Thanked 166 Times in 87 Posts	dsk, thanks for the pictures! Your grips have Waffenamt Marks (E/655). This means they are most likely armorer replacement grips. These are quite common.

06-18-2012, 09:40 AM	#4
Norme Always A Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,417 Thanks: 226 Thanked 2,607 Times in 933 Posts	Hi Frank, I don't follow your reasoning. My 1940 42 has SE/655 Waffenamt marks as does Mike's, does this mean that they are armorer's replacement guns? My gun has seen little if an use, it appears to be unfired, why would the grips have to be replaced? I stand by what I wrote in post #2. Regards, Norm

06-18-2012, 01:32 PM	#5
dsk User Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 5 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm not a Luger expert by any means so I have no bones in this fight, but an experienced collector told me he's seen way too many otherwise original Mausers with grips like these to believe that they were all armorer replacements. I guess the debate continues.....

06-19-2012, 07:49 AM	#6
Frank RIP Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hot & Dry PHX, AZ Posts: 2,078 Thanks: 24 Thanked 166 Times in 87 Posts	Okay Norm, It appears we are just going to agree to disagree!!

06-19-2012, 09:00 AM	#7
Norme Always A Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,417 Thanks: 226 Thanked 2,607 Times in 933 Posts	Hi Frank, The topic of grip numbering has interested me for a while, but on Imperial Navy Lugers, and I included it in the Navy List survey (which now has 1,200 guns listed). I have found that almost exactly 50% had unnumbered grips over all. However, only 32% of the 1906 and 1908 models, that were made before the war, had unnumbered grips while the figure for 1916 and 1917 dated guns is 84%. This leads me to conclude that grip numbering was not a priority at DWM and became even less so once hostilities started. Perhaps it was the same at Mauser? While I have not formally surveyed Erfurts (where numbering was a priority), I have examined a number of them over the years, and almost all of them had numbered grips. This leads me to believe that instances of armorers actually having to replace grips were quite rare. Best regards, Norm