Hi, I just inherited my family's Luger collection
 

http://i4.tinypic.com/6ozzh49.jpg

..and I may have a few questions as I try to verify and sort through it.
I was raised with these guns, so I am not new to Lugers, but this is the first time I have had them hands on near a Net connection.

That pic is just the first 1/3 of them.

Thanks all, I look forward to your expertise.

Star Of The West - All I can say is that it is a fantastic collection.. The bottom Luger is the Model 1902 Carbine with the stock and the next up is the Model 1893 Borchardt in 7.63 caliber. These were manufactured by Ludwig Loewe & Co. and after serial # 2000 by DWM. This is the predecessor to the Luger pistol. A very rare pistol. The rest are the Model 1900 Lugers from 1900 until the last made in 1942. It's hard to tell without seeing them and the dates. Would be happy to identify them for you but would need pictures of the markings. Hope this helps a little. Again it is a fantastic collection. Bill

Holy mackeral! Are you related to Ralph Shatuck? Dang, that's a lot of Lugers if it's only the first third... :cheers:

And welcome to the forums... :D

Thanks for the kind words.
No, no relation to Shattuck the Hun.
*smile*

I do know what they all are *supposed* to be, but having perused your forum for a while, I will need some assist on how *correct* they all may be.
You folks have awesome eyes for details, and that is what I will need.

Most are matched of course, and of that first batch, very few refinishes.
Those are the best of the best of the collection, I think.

But as we dig down deeper, I may have some show and tell and some questions about holsters, mags and some very obscure marks.

Hello Anna,

Welcome to the forum. This looks to be a quality collection. I'm sure that many of the members will be happy to assist in any way we can. The compensation will be nice clear photos of these beautiful pistols.

Feel free to ask any questions...

BTW, I like your reply to Steve's question.;)

Ron

WOW very nice, welcome and you came to the right place for info.

Many thanks again for the kind welcome.

My last family member to own them was very elderly and in poor health, so it has been a while since some have been maintained.
I used to do them regularly when I still lived in the same city, but it has been quite some time since I moved to another state.
Luckily, it was a dry state that they came from.

I actually grew up hunting these guns at the shows with my folks, back in the 60s.
I started my own small collection of Lugers about 20 years ago, more or less to gain the expertise to handle this lot when it would become mine.

My business is in our high season right now for Christmas, so it might be a few weeks before I can start getting some detailed pics up.

I am just oiling, cleaning and trying to stabilize the collection right now.
Ackkk, some were even stored in holsters.
That has been corrected.
Not much damage though, as far as I can see.
A couple of tiny spots of rust under the grips on a couple, and one, (a re-blued lesser one, thank Dog!), that sat on a holster rivet and got a bit of finish eaten away.

Overall, they are in great shape, considering it might have been 10 years since they were last checked on.
Giving them a nice drink of Hoppe's Gun Oil, (keeping it off the grips of course), doing a field strip, pulling grips and firing pins to clean and look, and promising to get back to them in the New Year.

So if it takes a bit to get back to you all, please understand.
Thanks.

Welcome and don't be hard on folks who forget their lugers in holsters. I have a P38 in a holster, and at least two lugers in holsters, and, well, it is easy to do so...


Any Simson's there I could get info on ;)

Ed

Edward, there is one Simson, but it will take me a while to get back to it.
I will get you the #s when I do though.

omg... wow!

You planning on sharing those? lol

Anna,
You owe me a keyboard. I just got drool all over mine. ;)
This will be fun to watch. Should keep us all entertained (and jealous) for quite a while.
Mike C.

Anna,

Add my welcome to the Forum, you have a treasure trove there, an enviable collection which we are all anxious to see. We are interested in all the details of every gun.

There are several correspondents here (I am one, but not alone) who are collecting data for research and writing projects. Please be patient with our requests for gun and marking details (including serial numbers).

We will all be more than happy--overjoyed, more like it--to assist you in every way with your questions about your new collection.

--Dwight

All I can say is "CONGRATULATIONS' What a fine collection. Can't wait for you to share all the info.

Anna ,

Let me add my welcome to the lugerforum and say that we are all anxious to see the details of your family collection... If you require assistance in any way, please let us know. You haven't identified your geographical location, but rest assured that there are members of this forum all over the globe...

We shall wait for further 'eye candy' from you...

Hope your Christmas season is a blessed one.

Really nice!
Welcome to the lugerforum

It's only a THIRD of the collection!

<< Matt bangs his head on the desk and sobs like a 6 year old that just fell off his bicycle>>

Congratulations on a fantastic inheritance. =)

Hi, Nice collection. I"M UP FOR ADOPTION! Doug

Wow, what more can be said?

I'm jealous that you got to grow up with these and that you now own them! ;)

I can't wait for more details.

Anna,
Will you Marry Me????

Her husband might have a harsh word or two to say about your proposal!:)

Very nice collection & good to see someone who appreciates them.

Is this thrue, it's too mutch for me - SF. I will have night mare, I can't sleep.
EXELENT!
:cheers:

Thanks again to all who posted.

Yes, I DO appreciate these fine guns, and have waited all my life to own them.
They are not for sale at this time, but one never knows what the future brings, now, do we?

I appreciate that my family member lived on a shoestring, so that I could inherit this collection intact, when it would have been very easy for them to sell one or two off the top to ensure them a comfortable old age.

This kind of family loyalty is unheard of these days, and I respect it beyond words.

I look through these guns, and I see history....of my family, as each was brought home and rejoiced over...of Germany, as wars came and went and were lost... and of the makers and proof stampers, whose work is memorialized forever in these magnificent pieces of art and function.

Yes, Lugers are truly "history written in steel" for all those wise enough to read the steel.

Thanks to all for the kindness shown.

A post will be made to the appropriate area on that Simson for Mr. Tinker soon.
It is a honey.

:)


Thanks, will anxiously await the information, along with any other information you care to share :)



Ed

Anna, You are truly a "Star". Any woman who appreciates the "history in steel" and knows how to maintain them, get my vote as the perfect mate. You may want to get a formal written appraisal for insurance purposes on this wonderful collection. Those experienced enough to do that, can probably also tell you the meaning of markings, in which you are in doubt. I'm in the St.Louis, MO. area if I can be of assistance. Lugerdoc

Thanks, LugerDoc.

I have always been a Gun Girl.
I am an NRA Instructor in 4 fields, and love collecting as much as shooting.

Most of the proof marks read like a novel to me, tales of intrigue and travels of that particular gun.
But there are a few in this collection that are marked "one of a kind" in the list, which would normally raise a few red flags for me, but then checking the page references in Jones and Datig, it turns out that in at least one case, this is THE gun pictured in the book.

Like, say, an early Krieghoff marked on the *back* above the lanyard loop.
Never heard of such a thing, but it seems to have good provenance in 2 books.

Also a cased 1906 presentation with elaborate factory initials over the chamber of HPC or PHC or some combination of that... Hugo Panzer Co.??
No idea.

That kind of thing.

Going to have to work on photographic skills a bit, I can see.
Maybe just toss em into the scanner?

If I do that, the files with be huge and I will have to host off site though.

I may need to PM you for a few ideas on repair or install of stuff like grip safety return springs and such.
We are missing a few of those.

And I have a 1900 that no mag will fit smoothly into or out of...binds like a beast, so it is sitting magless for the moment.
Ya, I pulled the grips, tried several mags, mag release appears to be working smoothly...no dice.
Something is evil in there.

Thanks again.

Anna,

Photography will work better than scanning for some of the markings that people will be interested in (the back-frame Krieghoff, for me, for one). Also, it is best to upload pictures to the Forum, for any number of reasons.

When you get to it, you will find a number of people here willing an able to help you with file sizes and other photo posting matters.

--Dwight

Anna, ylou might want to try and buy newer books, Datig and Jones are nice, but they are 50 years out of date ;)

If you just have the one Kreighoff, you may not want to buy Gibson's book on Kreighoff or the Simson Luger book for the one Simson, but I'd look for either Imperial Lugers (out of print) by Jan Still or his new book coming out very soon Central Powers. he also wrote Weimar Lugers and Third Reich Lugers (seperate books).

Ed

PS: a scanner works "ok" but not wonderful. It can give an idea and sometimes fairly clear pictures. Resolution can be set to say 70 or a 100 and then crop down the photo.

I have 3 of Jan's books, and some more current ones by other authors as well.
The collection was referenced to Datig and Jones on this particular gun though, so I am glad to have the older ones too.
I have 3 Krieghoffs, so may look for that book.
Just the one Simson though.

Anna,
If your 1900 is a very low serial number (under 1000) there is an outside chance that it is one of the surviving early unrelieved frame Lugers that requires a special "flat button" magazine. Many of the unrelieved frames were later modified to accommodate the raised button magazine, so surviving unrelieved examples are scarce (there weren't too many to begin with!).
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/swiss_mag.jpg

Thanks Ron, I will go check that right now.

You were right, Ron.
Will post about this gun in the Early Lugers Forum.

Yahoo!

Well, oopsie...I looked at the pics from the wrong side.
Post is up on Early Lugers though.
Still a weirdie.

I retract my "Yahoo"...for now.;)

Ron,
I will never cease to be amazed at your knowledge and photograghic abilities. Here's a big 'YAHOO!' for you.
Big Norm

P.S.
Are you absolutely (fersure) sure that she's married? :(

Just an after thought. After straining my eye balls looking at this one picture, someone on this forum should make some effort to have this collection properly photographed and placed in an appropriate location on this website. It looks just too magnificent to be placed helter skelter in the various, although proper, locations here. :bowdown:
Big Norm :typing:

Thanks, Big Norm, I will attempt to do some good photos after the New Year...although it might even be a bit after that, as my business is in High Season, and residual biz continues through January.

You are very kind to suggest that my little collection deserves such a spot of honor, but I am sure there are folks here that have many more awesome pieces to display.
But we will do our best.

And a PS to ya Norm, yes, sorry, happily married for 36 years now, and Honey is a gun person too, but has wisely not strayed into my field of experience.
We like different guns, and that makes it all work.


:D

very piece has something to say! You just never know who will be able to read it!