1939 S/42 Luger Matching From George Anderson
 

Hi Guys,

I have been in contact with George Anderson, About possibly purchasing a 1939 S/42 thats is 100% matching from him. I requested his permission to post his photos on this forum.

Everything looks great to me. The only thing is throwing me off is the grips as they are not serialized. Here is George's description of the grips:

"The right grip is marked with a large "S" and the left grip with a large "R"."

My questions is first off how does this luger look, bluing, 100% original? AND are nonserialized grips correct for a 1939 S/42? Or are they replacement ones?

Thanks everyone!
-Danny

(More photos to come)

More photos

Hi Danny,
Mauser grip numbering was somewhat erratic, sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. The 1939 S/42 you posted looks all correct to me.
Regards, Norm

And I agree with Norme.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Any reason why some grips are not serialized?

Question, what is the black line on the wooden grips on the outside? I have seen that on many Lugers. I would assume it's from the holster?

Are there any other parts I should request to see? (Serial number, condition, ext, ext,)

On the third picture, on the bottom of the side plate does it look like rust/pitting?

Thanks everyone,
-Danny

Dan, as stated above, the pistol looks correct to me also.
Grip numbering I have no answer, but others more knowledgeable with WWII mausers may have an answer for you. the line is grain in the wood.
If the bottom of the plate concerns you, ask for a few more shots of that area. To me it looks like just some honest wear from being holstered/used. It is 77 years old remember, and been thru a war.
Geo is a very honest man to deal with, and you can put stock in his opinion of any gun he describes to you.
I have purchased more than a few from him, and have always been very satisfied with the transaction. John

Danny, the "black line" on the grips is built-up grime and lubricant that can be easily cleaned off with Murphy's oil soap and a brush.

Thanks for chiming in George,

I forgot to ask, how is the bore?

Also in picture #3 on the bottom of the side plate is that pitting or rust? Or just bluing loss?

Thanks,
-Danny

George made a really nice Luger available to you. It looks right as can be.

I expect that there were process changes involved between Mauser and sub-component suppliers like the companies that made grips and stocks.

Only a few production process documents have survived. Therefore all that collectors can do is observe what is commonly found. There are several years where many Lugers made by Mauser don't have numbered grip panels.

Marc

I agree with all of the above. The erratic grip numbering shall remain an enigma to those of us expecting a verifiable explanation.
Overall the gun looks very nice.
dju

According to the Mauser P08 "bible), The Mauser Parabellum 1930-1946 by Hallock and Joop;
"Most pistols have the last two digits of the SN, 5mm high" from p-202

Danny, bore is very good and clean as a whistle. There is no rust or pitting anywhere on the pistol. What you see on the side plate is thinned bluing.

That may be true, but grip numbering is not always consistent on Mausers / same with later bakelite or wood grips - you never know ....

Ed,
I'm sure that is why they said "most" instead of all.

To me that means some may not be numbered; the authors do speculate elsewhere that the reason(s) for un-numbered grips could be that they are replacements or were never numbered in the first place.

Hence "most" grips have numbers.:rolleyes:

I showed this to a friend, here are his exact words.

"As for the bluing. I can't make a good evaluation with the photos you have. But it looks a little red. From a gunsmithing stand point this raises a red flag. No Pun intended. It makes me think some parts may have been touched up at some point in it's life."

Any reason/weight behind this?

Thanks,
-Danny

Danny,
1939 was a time when Mauser was having trouble with their "hot salt" bluing, having only switched in 1937 late from rust blue.

Many if not most of these dates exhibit reddish hues and loss of color on some parts that did not take as well.

I would agree with your guys assessment- if it were not a 1939 Mauser.

I'd say it is perfectly legit.

The Luger looks very good and is all correct in my opinion...

Gunsmith comments, right? That depends on what type of gun he handles frequently.

I am not a Luger collector. But 1939 Mauser Luger must be salt blued. Salt blued Mauser pistol shows reddish color tone on receiver, that is normal. If you don't like that, you should find a rust blued gun, those don't show overall reddish color tone.

The metal finish of this one looks original, no problem. The "less than desirable" point is still on the grip panels. But I bet that's already considered in price.

George has an impeccable reputation for honesty and for describing his guns accurately. He is one of the foremost Luger experts there is. If he days something about a gun, take it to the bank.

Thanks guys,

Not cornered what the color is. As long as it is original. Thanks for the feeback on the finish.

So the grips are the only odd ball...

-Danny

Look at Simpson's offering of '39 Mausers. Of the several he lists only one has numbered grips. I'd be more suspicious of that one than any of the others.

Gun looks good, including the reddish color. I would not worry a moment about the grips. Some were, some were not. You have a were not. No big deal. Bill

I'll second what Herman/abukafura said about George. I've bought severally Lugers from him, sight unseen and they've all been as-described. He's about as honest and as good a seller as you'll find. If he says the gun is righteous, it's righteous. Alvin's comment hold true too: your "gunsmith" questions it. How many Lugers has he personally handled? No offense intended against him, but I think it's a valid question to ask about his level of expertise. Ultimately though, if you're uncomfortable with the sale for any reason, stand down.
My .02

And I agree with Don. Typical Mauser.
The pistol looks excellent.

The number 86 inside the side plate is incorrect. From a different luger. TH

Tom:
Why is that? I would have expected 86 to be correct.
dju

The side plate is 100% correct. The inside number is always one higher that the first two digits: 86 versus 85.

The one digit higher is correct from my reaserch.

I forgot to ask George, is it import marked? Doubt it...

Thanks,
-Danny

No

George, I would give up - sounds like he has too many questions for me :)

And on too many forums...

Nothing wrong with being thorough :)

-Danny

I guess no ones time was 100% wasted, since I am
Going to be purchasing this one.

Thanks to George! And everyone else!

-Danny

We always tell guys to do their homework and ask questions before they buy, so I can't fault him for asking questions.:thumbup:

I wish I had asked as many on my first buy.

But I do agree with Ed, one forum is enough. Same guys, same pistol, = same answers. Just gets confusing.:eek:

I would love to have that one.
Bob

There is nothing wrong with the grips as far as I can see - unnumbered grips are not a big deal on these later Mausers. I would buy this gun.

Are you sure the " black line" isn't just the wood grain? Just about every gun I have with walnut grips has a mix of brown/red & black in the grips.

- Geo

That 1939 S/42 looks right as rain to me, it seems to be a honest war-horse and quite a nice collectible.

And Kudos to George-keoki, for being patient with this buyer and allowing this to be put on the board for scrutiny. A big thumbs up!

Got the Luger today and love it! Big shout out to everyone on this forum and especially George! Can't explain how excited I am and how grateful for everyone's help!

Thanks again everyone!