Any Info would be helpful
 

I have noticed a lot of posts for inherited Lugers. Well here is one more. I inherited a 1916 Luger artillery from my Uncle. This was purchesed by my grandfather (probably new, he would have been about 22). My question or questions are these. What is the rough value of this fine firearm? All the numbers match even the grips. I got it with a stock that has a small chip in the shoulder end. No numbers on the stock. I was told that it was probably purchased around the twenties for about $2.50 from Stoeger. The barrel of Luger looks new inside. I confess that I have cleaned the gun and have fired a couple of clips through it. The Luger worked perfectly and was extremely accurate. I was advised that the gun should not be shot. I understand it could devalue the weapon. I think this is a great gun but I keep wondering if it should not be in the hands of someone that could resist shooting this gun. I have heard that the artillery models were hard to come by.

Artillery lugers are appreciating in value rapidly, "nice" ones commanding prices in the $3K range. "Nice" means over 90% original rust blue, 90% original strawing, and matching serial numbers. Having fine tuned rear and front sights adds to it and a bonifide matching original magazine probably adds another $500 or so. Of course, having the original leather holster rig with the matching detachable stock sends the price over $6K. Having said all that, if I owned any or all of the above, I wouldn't be crazy enough to shoot it, for obvious reasons. It would be very instructive to see more photos of your artillery, especially the top and right side and also a view of the underside of the barrel and front of the frame. Some artillery lugers are rarer than others, such as 1912 dated DWM's and 1914 Erfurts.

I will try to post some more photos. Also, I am no longer shooting this gun. It has been cleaned and is safely tucked away. I do have a holster but it is in bad shape.

I have the hang of uploading pictures so here are some more.

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...8002_copy1.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...8003_copy1.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/luger4nd.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/luger3nd.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/luger2nd.jpg

Very nice looking Luger,
interesting appears to have been export marked, â??GERMANYâ?� is stamped on the right side frame, didnâ??t see any another commercial markings. Proofs look like military.

More close-up photos of this gun would be great !

Jim

Jim's assessment would be mine as well. The double zero end serials look familiar, I think I saw this piece on Jan Still's Forum as well. This is a very nice artillery!

You are correct I did post this on Jan's forum. When I get home from work I will try to get better pictures as well as some good close in pictures. Any ideas as what makes the best back ground to bring out the pictures?

Before worrying about the background, you have to know how your camera meters light. One way is to average the entire picture, another way is spot metering - only the brightness of a small area at the center (usually a visible circle or rectangle) is used for metering. (Some cameras allow you to choose.) If you have spot metering, point the metering shape at the GUN, press and hold the shutter release half-way, then frame the shot (possibly with the shape now on background!) and press the rest of the way. If you only have average metering, the background does become critical. To lighten the exposure of the GUN, darken the background. To darken the exposure of the gun, lighten the background. Another point - an even background allows maximum compression of the .jpg file, with the result that a photo with more pixels can be uploaded. A background that has "texture" - such as a carpet - will minimize the compression, resulting in a larger file for the same number of pixels. If anyone can explain how a uniform background is achieved, please jump in!!!