It took a while, but....
 

....my Mauser Parabellum, model 06/73 (or rather 06/72 and a half) is finally up and running again.

For those who don't remember:

I purchased this pistol last year with a busted barrel. Previous owner had done some reloading experiments and managed to get two round stuck in the barrel, deforming it (bulge) beyond repair.

As I happened to know the guy who bought the Mauser parts and leftovers when Mauser quit producing the Parabellum, I sent him a message and he was able to dig up a perfectly correct, new in the white, uninstalled 15cm 7.65mm barrel.

A German gunsmith friend placed the barrel, had it testfired in Cologne / Koeln and reblued the upper cannon. The Koln test resulted in an extra Eagle-N proof on the left side of the receiver.

Can't wait to take it to the range and test it myself.

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/0672half_small.jpg

Well done Gerben!!
Ciao

Very nice!

grips
 

Tell me about the grips. They look different.

Hi,

The grips have been coated with a clear varnish by the previous owner. That makes them look pretty shiny, especially with flashlight photography.

Let's just say the guy was full of not too good ideas :)

Congratulationd Gerben you sure waited a long time for this one . Im sure you will enjoy it.
Going to be the envy of the club.

Hi Richie,

Thanks. And if I don't hit anything, I can at least poke holes in the target without moving, barrel is long enough... :D

What was this chambered for before the rebarrel? I am thinking there may be a difference in the 9mm and 7.65mm recoil springs as in the vintage Lugers.

Hi,

This was a 7.65mm para or .30 luger version and still is.

I believe the Mauser Parabellum can be used with the same spring. Some German companies sell loose 7.65 and 9mm barrel/receiver combo's so that people may fire both calibers with the same pistol.

Personally I'd expect a slightly stronger spring in a 9mm outfit. But the Wolff replacement spring I got a while ago, also mentioned both 7.65 and 9mm support.... I guess it's not an exact science :)

Gerben,

Congratulations! It's always nice to put one back to original. NICE pistol.
Ron

Hi Ron,

Thanks. I figured that with original factory parts and a German proofing session this is about as close to original as I could get :)

I'm still fondling it :D

recoil springs
 

The DWM drawings for the vintage Lugers show the same spring for both calibers in the "Old Model" (flat recoil spring) and two different springs for the New Model (Coiled spring). I suspect that with the change in recoil springs the 9 mm load was perked up a bit.

I've sometimes thought the 9 mm Glisenti cartridge was just the 9 mm Parabellum as loaded pre spring change. Apparently the Glisenti pistol was first chambered for the 7.65 mm parabellum.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by G. van Vlimmeren
Hi Ron,

Thanks. I figured that with original factory parts and a German proofing session this is about as close to original as I could get :)

Quote:

[i]I'm still fondling it :D

The clear varnish can be removed without any damage to the grips.

Hi Wes,

Sounds interesting.
What would you suggest?

Go down to your local hardware store and ask for varnish remover. There should be several spirits that will safely remove the varnish but leave the stain unchanged. Be sure that it is not varnish & stain remover. Whatever you purchase, use it on a test piece of varnished & stained wood prior to using it on your grips.

I would not be afraid to use acetone but will not immediately recommend it without experimentation on a stained & varnished piece of wood first.

I used acetone to remove brown paint from set of grips, and it did not change the color of the underlying wood. They were 1906 grips, so the dark color of the wood was from age and oil (and probably 80-odd years of accumulated hand grime) rather than a stain.

Gerben,
nice work.
Was it done by Werle ?
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Juergen

Hi Juergen,

It was done by Stabe company in Bochum, Germany. With the barrel kindly supplied by Holger Veh of 'Teuto-Arms'.