1st post with 1st Luger
 

Just picked this up today can you guys tell me a little about it I know nothing about Lugers .
All numbers match even grips but the mag does not

no import marks low numbered
didnt even clean it yet
holster has no stamps and looks like the name inside is
( Carl Lottmann ARNSTALT ) The last 3 letters are hard to make out.
Thanks for the help hope I picked up a good one

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_0660.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_0659.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_0654.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_0644.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_0661.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_0663.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_0666.jpg

Nice looking piece. Decent holster too.

Junk

You have a dated 1918 Erfurt made military Luger. It was the last year that the goverment arsenal in Erfurt made weapons. Those are Imperal proof/acceptance stamps on the right side of the frame.

The "low serial" number is somewhat misleading, as these military Luger's serial numbers were repeated when they reached 9999. The numbers would start over again at 1, but then with a letter suffix. If you check the full serial number on the front of the frame, below the barrel, you may see the suffix letter, (often hard to decipher).

Nice Luger
Joe

Hey Joe, it looks like a 1916 to me. :D

Theres no letters before the ser #

The letter would be below the number on the front of the frame.

Shes a real piece of history... A nice erfurt! Clean Her gently, Lube her generously (but not the wood-don't get any oil on the wood!) and preserve her for posterity... she deserves it!

Don't store her in the holster... it draws moisture and will cause her to rust.

Maintain the shape of the holster with a wooden magazine in the mag holder and bubble wrap in the main part. Don't buckle it unless you have to... wears out the belt.

The unrelieved sear bar suggests earlier 1916 production, also note the unusual lack of a relief cut for the LP08 sight. KFS

Looked at the photo too fast, it is a 1916 issue. Still a nice pistol.

Joe

Junkmanted, the holster marker should be Carl Lattmann (in) ARNSTADT. What´s about the magazine, did it have the same number? Is there a tool in the holster?
Regards Klaus

mag is non matching and no tool
heres a picture of the front of the frame no letters

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...d/100_0673.jpg

I found a date stamped inside the holster 1918

Nice brown military Luger holster.

Joe

That is a nice Erfurt. It looks 100% correct, but the puzzle, as Karl observed, is why a 1916 Erfurt receiver is not cut for the arty sight and why it has an unrelieved sear bar (it is an Erfurt proofed receiver). I'm not putting the gun down, it is just that it is an enigma.

According to Still, Imperial Lugers, the relieved sear bar and receiver cut were both implemented during 1916 Erfurt production. There is a photo of 1916 Erfurt 743d with an uncut receiver but a relieved sear bar.

If Junkmanted is correct about the lack of a serial # suffix he has has an early example. KFS

Thanks for the information and I need to shoot it at least 1 time .
She cleaned up nice the crud on the grips came off I took a new soft brass brush and went with the grooves and all the crap came off .
Now its in the safe wrapped in 2 silicone cloths

I believe that some 1916 production was a finish-up of pistols/parts begun in 1914 and never finished that year before the plant went into full Kar98 production in 1915.

A nice Luger. You did nice for your first Luger purchase.
Welcome to the hobby.

Douglas

thanks

I finaly shot it last week end i just put a box through her every thing was great .

I first loaded it up and said to my self god for bid if something breaks just because of the numbers !

I never did ask what do you guys think its worth I did some work for the seller about 12 hours + 100.00 in suplies + 600.00 cash out of my pocket.

Junkmanted,

I only have a vague sense of values but I would guess something in the neighborhood of $1500., perhaps more if the holster is especially valuable. However, the important thing is that the gun is too nice to shoot. You now need to invest another $700. or so for a decent shooter. You might find one cheaper but it will probably be ugly or seriously flawed. KFS

If you get paid $20/hr, that's $240 + $100 + $600 = $940...That don't sound too bad... :thumbup:

Junkmanted,
If your a brain surgeon, you didn't do that well. ;)

If, as he said, he spent 100.00 in supplies + 600.00 cash out of his pocket, in ADDITION to the 12 hours of labor, add another $700.00 to that, for a grand total of $1640.00.....

That must be the new math????? Bill

well it was a side job i spent 2 saturdays working for it .
I figure if i had no other side work the 2 days I did well because I couldnt pay the 1500.00 he was asking .

Not at $20/hr...

12 x $20 = $240...+ $100...+ $600...still equals $940...not $1640... :thumbup:

For him to get a total of $1640, he'd have to charge $78.33/hr for his labor...that's a pretty hefty sum...I sure wouldn't pay anyone $78/hr for labor for anything!!! :p

(Except my divorce lawyer...he was worth every penny!!!) :D

I have been selling things off and on this year and $900-$1200 for the gun and another $200 for the holster (is there a tool in the inside pouch or a 2nd magazine?) Is the holster altered in any way?


Prices on guns in general are about 20% less than 2 yrs ago in my opinion for most models.


Ed

Note to self...
 

Note to self:

Never argue math with a divorced machinist! :nono:

Jack :cheers:

I was under the impression that 1916's with an uncut receiver were not too uncommon. Is this not the case? If the gun is all correct 1500-1800 $ but difficult to be sure from the pix. Be careful about shooting it, if you do, no stronger loads than the Win 115 gr. white box. (90+ yr. old steel and parts) Have fun finding all the inspection marks and proofs. The more you look the more you find! I'm a big Erfurt fan and this one looks to be a very nice! Take care of this beauty! Cheers...

That's why I am starting to buy!

:)

- WOT

Jack -

IIRC, ~$20/hr was the national average, a year or so ago (when I read it)...Thor might charge $78/hr...I still charge ~$20/hr for most of my work...

Right now I make brown Delrin 601 style grips for M7 bayonets...and lose money on each one... :mad:

I think junkmanted did all right on this Luger... :thumbup:

Did a little price research on "Japanese sword polishing". They charge $100-$110 per inch. So it's by length, not by time. My stuff does not worth much so it can skip polishing.

Average garage charges $80 per hour for car repairing. But I noticed they do not have business for every hour, so average down. How much went to mechnist's pocket? Back a few years ago, I saw people investing in big city buying apartments using borrowed money from banks, refurbishing it, then resell or for rental. Construction contractors had lots of business then (that business was probably better than reworking guns). Not anymore.