Am I imagining this?
 

I'm so new to the Luger game I still have a lot of questions. So, here are two.

1) Is the right grip panel thicker than the left on most of these? On the two I have before me, I seem to have more trouble reaching the trigger with a natural grip with my right hand than my left. I don't think my hands are mismatched, so I have to ask this. For comparison's sake I'll say that I can fire a Smith N frame DA pretty easily.

2) On a nickled gun what is a good way to temporarily blacken the sights without marring the nickle finish? It destroyed the collector value, but I love the way bright nickled guns look. I just don't know about being able to shoot it in the glare of the mid day desert sun.

1. The grips should be the same on both sides.

2. When I shot my nickeled Luger there was no problem from the sights themselves, but there was severe glare from the flat face of the toggle-tail just below them. Cut a piece of black cloth tape to size, no more glare.

--Dwight

The trick of lighting a match and using the "black" from the soot is something we used to use in the army, wouldn't harm the finish. They also sell stuff like this I beleive.

Ed

To blacken the front sight of my nickeled Colt Woodsman I found that a black felt tip marker works well. The ink can be washed off at any time with alcohol or gun bore solvent. I keep the felt tip marker in my shooting kit and also use it as needed on blued sights that glare back while shooting. Sometimes I have wanted to make the blade of a front sight white for better contrast in a low light situation. To make the sight white without any permanent damage I find that white appliance touch up paint works great. It comes in a small bottle with an attached brush. The paint can eaisly be chipped off with a fingernail when no longer needed. I have also thought that white correction fluid would also work, but I have never tried it.

Scott

As a member of an Air National Guard pistol team we used small carbide lamps to blacken the sights. Wipes off with no damage to the guns.
Available from Brownells catalog 57, page 302.

Regards Ken D

Well, thanks, gents. I knew about the match and felt tip tip :D , but I'd forgotten about the carbide lamp trick.

There used to be a product called "Sight Black", a spray on, but the one time I used it it seemed a little more permanent than I want. Haven't seen that in years.

I guess the match would be the cheapest solution over the more expensive pen or the vastly more expensive lamp. :rolleyes: ;)

Dwight, I hadn't considered that flat surface. I think you're onto something.

Again, the help is much appreciated.

Brownells sight-black :

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...le=SIGHT+BLACK

And carbine flame unit :

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/sto...IGHT+BLACKENER

Another cheap method and with a little more "working time" than the brief burning of a match is to use a candle. Cut back the wax so there is a half inch or more wick exposed. This will produce a sooty flame that should blacken your sights nicely. Cheap and easy to renew and clean off.

I've been camping, guys and just got back to see this.

Pete, thanks a lot for the links. I don't think Birchwood Casey marketed the Sight Black when I bought mine. The times they are achangin!

Ron, good tip about extra wick producing soot. I'd never have thought of that. I also never invented several things which are so simple in principle, like cruise control!

I shot the pistol a day ago. There was no problem seeing the sights as it was cloudy (pretty rare this summer). I don't expect that situation to prevail. :rolleyes:

Tac, I don't usually have any problem keeping warm here in the desert. It's been over 100 for well over a month. We did get a bit of brief relief the last day or so with a little bit of rain.

We share the same impression of the Sight Black product. I understand that it used to be emplioyed by 1911 shooters in matches as a quick fix. Hope it worked better for them than us.

And, BTW, cheap ain't necessarily bad.

Rod,
Are you from El Paso? The "edge of Texas" location and the weather description that is identical to what we have been experiencing here in Santa Teresa seems a bit beyond coincidence. We moved about 10 miles from where we were living in El Paso to Santa Teresa, NM, back in December. Still consider myself an El Pasoan.
If perchance you are from El Paso, we need to get together and swap lies about Lugers. We also need to lure Tac here to the sunny Southwest.

Ron, yes, I'm a fellow El Paso resident. I'm on the east side. I'd love to get together with you and listen and learn.

And, yes, tac needs to move here and tan his hide!

Rod,
Check your private messages.

Ron, message received. Will call Friday.