restoring Navy Luger
 

I am new to this forum and a fairly inexperienced Luger collector.

I have a 1916 (1917 date) Luger. It is Imperial Navy marked and has Belgium proofs on it also. It matches throughtout except the grips, and I think the holdopen is a replaced part.

The side plate has what appears to be blood pitting as does the left side on the butt of the gun. The matching magazine also has the same kind of pitting.

My question: would this gun make a good candidate for a complete restoration or is it just not worth the time and effort and leave it be?

If it is worthwhile, does anyone have someone to

recommend?

,
Thanks, Steve

Steve,

If possible please post some pictures. It will help us to evaluate if the gun should be restored or not. Sometime what appears to be a great issue would not harm the value as much as a restoration.

Welcome to the board!

Douglas

Douglas:

I have tried three times to get the photos to upload, but I get an internal service error every time. I reduced the file size so it should fit, but no luck.

Not sure what is going wrong.

any suggestions?

Steve

Steve -

When you click the "Manage Attachments" button, and select/navigate to the pics on your HDD, do you click the "Upload" button and then wait until the window shows them as being attached, and then just close the window and click "Submit" to post the text + pics???

BTW: I get that error, too...Ed says there is no timeout, but if you wait too long to click "Submit" after getting the pics uploaded, it sure does time out...

Since the Navy is the most boosted, copied, messed-with version within Luger collecting, I'd keep it as original as possible (i.e. no restoration). Originals, even in less than good condition should hold their value much better.

Yes, I did go to manage attachments, then navigate & select my pics, I hit upload and it indicates that it is uploading just fine. After what initially seems to be a succesful upload (the little bar on the screen shows 100%) I get the internal service error and no pics.

I just noticed that John says he is doing some work on the server, I wonder if that could have anything to do with it.

I'll try again later and hope for the best.

I'm kind of inclined to leave it alone and if I want a better one, do some trading up later.

Steve

Hi Steve.........LEAVE IT ALONE. This is honest opinion and only my opinion !

Leo

It seems to be a common problem lately...I'm on a dial-up connection, and I can usually only upload two pics at a time...

If you'd like, email me a pic or two and I'll see if I can upload them to this thread...

Hi Postino:

Yes, that would be nice. If you'r give me your e-mail address I''ll send a few pictures along.

It seems that the opinion even without pics is to leave it alone.

Thanks, Steve

Steve sent some pics...

A couple more...

Some more...

Three more...AOL is cropping the pics to 480 x 360; bear with us...

oh, I hate AOL...


Well, restore would make it pretty, but if me, I'd leave it alone and be glad to own a real navy again :)


....................................be quicker grasshopper :D

I would keep it as it is.
As stated above, even in this condition is an original Navy Luger:something not often seem lately. And a restortation is ALWAYS a restoration no mater how good the work was done, and it will decrease its value.


Douglas

This gun is PERFECT just the way it is... don't mess with the restoration. This is a GENUINE NAVY.

How would it have gotten the Belgium proofs??? Is that flaming bomb, the proof???

As far as I remember, some uncertain number of Gemran Lugers was left behind in Belgium after the Armistice and withdrawn to Germany in November, 1918. These guns were later issued in the civil market but not before being proofed by the local government.

Douglas.

Steve sent me a big pic of the side views...I've crunched them to the Forum limits...let's see if I can get them up...

Hmmmm....

ARGH!!! Not enough detail!!!

I've seen sites with pics that look like they were taken with electron microscopes!!! So, for you unrestricted viewers, here's the left side full size (just cropped the greenery a little)... :thumbup:

http://www.wzrd.com/~rbrennan/misc/navyl.jpg

Now, THAT"S a pic!!! You can read the initials in the flaming bomb proof!!!

Here's the other side -

http://www.wzrd.com/~rbrennan/misc/navyr.jpg

The site resizes the pics, so just click on them and let your browser display them...

My understanding is the belgium proofs would have been applied somewhere between 1917 (mfg of gun) and 1937 (when European nations agreed to accept another nations proof)

A special thanks to Postino for all of his patience in helping me get some pictures posted.

With the opinions here, I think I will definitely leave it alone. If I want a better one I can trade up.

Steve

Just don't trade up this original example for a boosted, faked or restored example that may seem better on the surface but will hold much less value.

Check with the experts on this board before buying a Navy. As has been pointed out here, it is one of the most faked or altered Luger variations out there.

Wow! Its got a matching mag too. :eek:
Big Norm

Am I correct to say that the mag is wrong type for a 1917 Navy luger. which should be without rings and the number should be horizontal. vertical stamping was used by DWM well before 1917.
Of course, I am subject to correction by the Navy Experts.:cheers:
Alf.