What's the purpose?

[Edward Tinker]

yes, exactly

I don't have an issue with folks trying to 'match' up a part, as every yr they made anywhere from 10,000-180,000 lugers

However, to be correct and 'ok' in my eyes, it would have to be a 'period' piece, same condition, same font, etc. Harder to do than it seems.

I think technically you are making a matching gun, from a mismatch, at least in the luger world. In most gun collecting, M1 Carbine, M1 Garand, 1911's, etc, they were refurbished and parts swapped all the time and it is okay.

TO ME, whats not ok is to 'force match', ie. take a blank part or even worse, a numbered part, number it and call it good.

There is a fine line between trying to semi-restore and fakery.

Is it okay to clean the grips?
Is it ok to re-checker them?
Is it ok to re-straw the golden hue on the correct parts?
Is it ok to take the 'dip' off of a russian dipped luger?
Is it okay to spot reblue one bad spot on a gun?

I have done some of the above, many collectors have done all of the above.

Is it okay to tell the next buyer what you did, what about the next three buyers ? The next buyer after and especially the next will never know. I keep track of numbers of Simson's and it is amazing how a perfectly good gun will change hands in five years...

So, its a personal thing, there are people who are purists and anything messed with on a gun, taints it and it is a 'shooter'...