1937 Nickel Luger S/42
 

Just was given the above. Did Mauser make any with nickel, or do I have one that was nickel plated by a previous owner and thus is a "Shooter", and not a "Collectable" (sob!). It's got the three military proof marks and all the parts are matching numbers, exc ept the mag., which was made in Hong Kong! Is this nickel gun valuable, or just a shooter? Many thanks for any info I can get.

Welcome to the forum.

Yes you have shooter but we would luv to see pics.

I'm curious about the nature of the 'Hong Kong' made magazine.

1937 Nickel Luger S/42
 

I took a friends word re the Hong Kong mag.! Silly me; on the narrow side of the mag it shows "Made In Switzerland". It has what looks like a styalized "P" at the bottom under the "Made In...". Does that mean anything to anybody? Thanks for your interest here.
Is there a way to tell if a gun has been nickel plated or is original? I'm a novice, as you may be able to tell (grin!!). I saw on one of the Forums someone refer, in passing, to a nickel WW2 luger. Since it's marked S/42, can I contact Mauser to see if they did make a few? If there's No Way that this is original I might as well stop using up you nice folks time.
Again, thanks guys.
Dave M

1937 Nickel Luger S/42
 

Also, how do I send pics please.

when you click on new collectors tab in menu. once inside there are "sticky threads" one is labeled posting pictures. Or when you are typing in your words you can click go advanced and use the manage attachment button at the bottom. I can tell you there were no factory nickeled lugers for the same reason current military doesnt use stainless steel weapons. they are easily visible and draw attention to the user. ( unless a presentation or two were built like that but...) my guess is its another all matching sweet late mauser gi bringback ....that got nickeled.

The short answer is no, plating is not original. But there is growing interest in nickel plated Lugers, P-38's, Nambu's, etc.
So yes, post pictures.

Here's a short, quick & dirty link to a pic-posting thread -

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=23172

Do the edges on the Luger look sharp and distinct, or do they have a kind of rounded/melted look??? Can you see tool marks on the 'ears' at the rear of the frame??? A lot of refinishers buff the snot out of a Luger in an attempt to make it smooth and pretty...It's not supposed to look pretty...It's supposed to have tool marks...

Dave, The luger was probably nickel plated in Europe after WW2 in trade for some cigs or C rations. THe mag that you describe was originally made for the M29 Swiss, but many of this type were available on the commerical market here in the USA in the 1950s & 60s. TH

The stylized P is the trademark for 'Paillard', a company located in St.Croix, Switzerland.
As Jerry said, made for the Swiss 06/29 pistols. Well made magazines.

Military contract P08 pistols were NEVER chrome or nickle plated. It is much more likely that nickle plating was done in the US. The US had enough plating shops in the 40s and 50s with the abundance of chrome ornamented cars on the roads in those days. It was probably cheaper and faster to get a gun plated at the corner plating shop, than to have it reblued by a gun smith.