Can anyone help me out with the meanings of the four characters under the barrel? They look like a "Z, F, W" and something that doesn't look like a letter.

https://cache.nebula.phx3.secureserv...9-683b3b111edd

Thanks in advance!

Eddie

Eddie, Nebula is an outside site...LugerForum.com is the site you need to post to...Here's the official request for posting to LugerForum, by one of the Super Moderators...

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=20081

And here's a quick & dirty tutorial on posting pics *here*...

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=23172

I have broadband where I work...With firewalls...I only have dialup at home...So i can't view your pics at home; only at work...On LugerForum...

Now, I'm just a ragbag...But there are others here who actually know about Lugers...And they have the same (or similar) connection arrangements I do...

...Which is why you have not heard from them... ;)

But, you are of course free to do whatever you wish...Until this stops being a free country...Which looks probable, and soon... :(

OK, I'm over my wanna-be-moderator rant... :D

Thanks for the info! I'll try to get it done properly asap!

Very nice pick up! Original finish in outstanding condition! If it were mine, I would not shoot it!

What dose the holster look like?

Bob

Just seen the holster on your link. Didn't notice any markings? Interesting.

Bob

Hi Eddie, and welcome to the forum.

That Luger looks absolutely pristine. It is in very good shape.

I'll PM you about shooting something less valuable...

The small letters on the bottom of the receiver that you asked about are manufacturing marks made during the internal manufacturing and inspection steps at Mauser.

Marc

Eddie,

Listen to the others' advice: do not shoot. It is in pristine condition. Alhtough you do not intend to sell it, considere it as an investment. Lugers in such condition do not let you lose money in long term.

Get yourself a shooter - a nice excuse to start a collection!

And welcome to the forum!

Douglas

Yeah, this struck me as strange too. I eventually found a couple of example online with no stamps. The Luger had always been stored carefully, but the holster was pretty clearly tossed in a closet and left there for decades. It was dusty and green when I got it.

Fortunately, a friend of mine is a leather worker. He told me to simply wipe the mold off with a damp cloth and a couple drops of baby shampoo, then rinse the cloth in cold water and wipe it down again. Sure enough, the mold came right off with no scrubbing and hasn't come back.

If you read my rather long intro, you'll recall that I was negotiating on the gun and didn't even know about the holster, extra mag, or tool, until we had already agreed on a price.

BTW, 'bring back paperwork accompanied items brought back 'legally' / other items were shipped or smuggled home frequently, nothing was import marked.

Many tens of thousands (tens and tens of thousands) of guns were sold to dealers in the USA in the 1950's, 1960's and they were not required to be import marked until after the 1968 regulations.

Ed

Eddie, that's a beautiful pistol and I can only echo the comments of everyone else and suggest that you may not want to fire it (I tend to fire all of my pistols, not that I have any collector-grade Lugers, they're all shooters). She's a beauty, though, and this is an excuse for you to pick up a shooter now from any variety of sources (including here on the forum). Welcome and thank you for showing off your P-08.