Russian captured Lugers
 

Is it true that the Russians captured Luger were disassembled and the parts put in different barrels for storage after the war?

Well, I don't know. But, that won't stop me from commenting.

What you are suggesting doesn't make any sense to me. Why would the Russians want to take the time to disassemble all the Lugers and end up with boxes of Luger parts. What's to be gained from doing that?

Wait, I know. I'm retired and get so bored at times that I find myself in my shop taking my guns apart and playing with them just for fun. Maybe the Russians got really bored or something.

I have not heard that story

The story I was told that the reason that they received the plastic bullseye grips was that most guns captured were put in barrels and filled with oil, kept them good, but destroyed the wood.

The battle cry of The LugerForum!!! :thumbup: :p :D

I'm going to have that engraved on my headstone!!! :cheers:

Somebody posted a pic not too terribly long ago that showed, IIRC, a G.I. (and maybe more) in front of some open crates full of Lugers. As I recall, the pic was hypothesized to have been the source of the rumor to which you refer. No sense in believing that rumor, either, though, I guess, though it's quite a feasible explanation.

Some good old-fashioned documentation or evidence of the practice would be convincing!

And yet a good majority of the DDR and Russian Captures that have hit our market are "mostly matchnig" to "all matching".
So no, I don't believe they would strip matching pistols and strew the parts around.
Ed's version is the one I have heard and the one that makes the most sense. Complete pistols were removed from the drums, function and fire tested, then repaired only as needed. This is usually sideplates, extractors or other small parts. A true mixmaster is the exception, rather than the rule with these pistols.