Refinished Luger S/42 (Mauser 1997)
 

Greetings All,

This is my recently purchased S-42. It's a Mauser G stamped and factory refurbished back in 1997. It has no markings nor proof marks other than the mentioned G, the serial numbers and the Mauser - Werke grip laser stamp. I have replaced the original grips with a pair of Nill uncheckered walnut ones that IMHO look really nice. A good friend of mine and Luger expert classifies this gun as a "supernice shooter" with no collectible value since it´s a refurbished unit. My impression is that shooter or collectible they did a fine job with the restoring process. The gun´s edges look sharp and all the markings are clearly visible with the only exception of the s/n underneath the barrel which looks a little faded. Everything despite the intensive polishing needed to obtain that blue mirror finish...

This is as much as I know about this particular Luger. If anyone has additional info (date of manufacture, estimated value,etc...) I would appreciate any comment...

Thank you

Pablo G. Vigón

More pics...
 

More pics...

It looks very nice. :)

This is the first I've heard of the Mauser factory refinishing any Luger pistols.

Nice example of a very rare Mauser variation!

He's wrong :)

These guns were refinished by a subcontractor of Frankonia in Germany and intended for resale by Mauser itself. Mauser has them pictured in their 1997 and 1998 brochures. It is the final attempt of Mauser to try and do something commercially interesting with the P08 design.

As the 'final attempt' these pistols are collectible.

Interesting point. In any case, it is a beauty! Enjoy owning it. I sure would.

Thank you all for the comments. BTW I assured there were no markings present other than the G letter...I was wrong: the dropped wings are also there (left side of the breech lock). Railsplitter: I will follow your advice. It's a nice gun to own and shoot.

pgv, Interesting luger with a nice high polish refinish. I noticed that the WaAs have been "wiped" from the right receiver and that there is a "smug" on the left, forward of the serial. I wonder if this was a postwar reproof marking? Gracias, TH

Hello Pablo,
Also this variation is well described in the book "The Parabellum is back! 1945 - 2000".

So, in a few months also this variation will be described with all the details in a book.

Concerning the collectible value your friend is wrong; my suggestion is to keep this gun as it is.

Cheers,
Mauro

This thread goes to show you an old dog can learn new tricks! I never knew these existed!
Not something this military collector would necessarily look for but a very interesting variation.
Vlim, Thanks for the history lesson!

Jerry Burney

Markings found!
 

A bad habit not to look underneath the sideplate...

Thank you all for your replies...

Pablo

Nice, proofed in Cologne in 1997 (KH).

this one looks like another mauser 1997 example

http://www.egun.de/market/item.php?i...6bbd363b0b59d8

perhaps of interest to someone with easy access / not import restricted

price seems reasonable so far

I have no interest in it buying or selling

Bill

As Jerry stated never "knew these existed" same here. I was thinking it was a parts gun refinished.

very interesting

Jim

Technically speaking they are just that. But the fact that Mauser was the driving force behind it, and the fact that they offered them through their sales channels makes it special nonetheless :)

Excellent point Vlim. They do hold a spot in Luger history.

Yes Ifid. I've got the same green Mauser case...that Egun luger is a sister of mine...

Very interesting. I remember to have read something back then, but I lost track of this Mauser venture.
Thanks a lot for sharing.
Douglas

pgv:

A beauty of a Luger. The smooth walnut grip panels are outstanding. I looked up the Nill Griffe website and the only thing they listed was the Luger checkered panels at $104.00 U.S, Are the smoothies a special order? I did not see any place on the website to place a special order and since Nill Griffe is in Germany and I'm in the U.S, it makes for any awkward ordering and delivery situation. I see that you live in Northern Spain, probably making Nill Griffe more accessable to you.

Shouldn't be too problematic. They even have an English language version of their website.

And exporting grips to the US is unlikely to be an issue, on both sides of the big pond.

http://www.nill-grips.com/News_88.html

Vlim:

I E-mailed Nill griffe and received back from them the order number for smooth Luger grip panels and instructions. I promptly ordered a set and Nill Griffe said they will be on their next bulk shipment to the U.S. next week. Shipping rates are a bit high at $18.00 U.S., but not bad considering point of departure to point of arrival. Besides, I think the base price of $87.00 for the panels is a bargain. Thanks, Vlim, for your help

I used to have an old Franconia Catalog from the 1980's that had these WW2 Mauser refinished guns in it... I will see if I can find it.

John, the P08's shown were only available from Mauser in 1997 and 1998. But you are correct that Frankonia has offered small amounts of surplus guns, either in original or refurbished condition, for many years. Overall, these guns are technically excellent.

Nill grips
 

JRS

I'm glad you finally managed to order your set of smooth walnut grips from Nill. Sorry for this late reply but I have been really busy lately. Once you receive the grips you might have a hard time installing them (I did). They are BIG TIME tight! Take a deep breath and proceed with care: they will fit as a glove. Enjoy them!

Best to you

Pablo.

Same here. Although the Mauser markings and 97 date would have really thrown me.

I think I need one of these.

Look on eGun.de. I just bought one there. Importing guns is not rocket science.

That's quite a beauty. Great news to hear it might be/is collectible. On the other hand, I can't think of a nicer shooter.

Vlim, how do we know it was final attempt. What indications exist that would validate such statement. I am asking only because I am not expert in this matter nor I will ever be.

Thanks

Well, after 1998 they stopped their small arms division. In 1999 they scrapped whatever was left of machines and tools and they sold all remaining parts and reference guns to a German dealer. This was followed by the sale of the 'Mauser Jagdwaffen' name to a subsidiary of SIG.

These guns symbolize the end of an era. They were the last P08s to go through Mauser in Oberndorf.

Refinished in 1997 Mauser is still listed on eGun for $650 Euro. I find their site needlessly obtuse. How do you ask a seller a question? This gizmo pops up and it is unclear whether anything is sent.

Would anybody be willing/able to translate the gestalt of this listing?

http://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=2880850

Luger 08 Pistol limited model from 1997 calibre 9mm Luger.

- Reworked in 1997, original markings are still visible
-Original barrel with minor pitting

I was looking for an item the other day on eGun. Since I can't speak German(can recognize some words)I was looking for a good translator. Google Chrome seems to fit the bill, it will detect the other language and you have a choice of translating the page. The English conversion that eGun provides on their site just doesn't work very well. No matter what i search for, it still displays everything current at the time.

Hope this helps someone and Merry Christmas.

And it is impossible to send a seller a question. This stupid window opens with no way to send the message.