Luger trade
 

Gentlemen,

I've been offered to trade one of my all matching and original finish byf 42 "Black Widow" for a 1940 code 42. I have not seen the gun yet, but the description of finish and overall condition sounds comparable to mine. Am I correct in assuming that a black widow is more worth/rarer than a 1940 code 42? I will not make a decision until I have inspected the gun and heard your opinions.

Regards,

Balder

For some reason, the black plastic gripped byf 42's seem to command a premium, maybe from the "Black Widow" moniker. Apparently the grips are much rarer than the wood grips. If you like the 40 date better, then its up to you if you want to trade.

Balder,

Your byf 42 is more desirable than the somewhat more common 1940 / 42. The German Army procured nearly 136,000 1940 / 42s. And 113,000 byf 42s. Also as Mark says. The "Black Widow" mystique is with it.

Ron

The Black Widow mystique is interesting. I must say before I discovered the term Black Widow here I always felt like apologizing for those cheap ugly black grips on my 41 byf. When I bought this Luger ten years ago I saw them as a negative and even thought about replacing them, now I like them! Thanks to you guys...

When I was a kid I always replaced the plastic grips with walnut when I got such a gun...including the brown plastic grips on some of them.

Think you should ask for some kr in between on that deal Balder, only the grips are worth quite a bit..

George, you are probably not alone! I think most people 'deep inside' prefer wood grips instead of bakelite. So it's quite natural that many bakelite grips where thrown away back in the good ol days :rolleyes:

Steiner-

I plead guilty.

Tom A

I would keep the widow.

Actually, I prefer the bakelite grips myself - I consider them more practical.

Personally I like the combination of wood and metal better than plastic/bakelite and metal. Rare or not..
Btw. sorry for sliding off topic.. I remember a russian officer telling me that they preferred wood on their AK's, so that they would not break if hitting us norwegians in our heads during the winter. Not the most friendly thing to start a conversation with :D

How much should original plastic grips cost in todays obscenely expensive retail market. I have an all original 1942 BYF with original wood numbered grips but think it might be nice to have a convertible.

Bakelite grips run $200-250,

Tom A

Balder, keep the 42 byf!! While I like wooden grips better, sometimes it's nice to have a unique pistol! :)

Wow! Like the girl in the bar after you've had a few too many, the black widow is looking better and better!

Better keep her!

redbear,

Put your original bakelite grips away... and mount some newer grips... VOPO grips are good shooter grips, or get yourself some modern wooden ones... you will cry very large tears when one of your original bakelite grips cracks while shooting.... remember they are older than I am... :D

Excellent tip, John! I'm going to do the same - wood grips (that I like better anyway) on the pistol and keep the black ones in a safe place.

Probably some truth in ths, I had not considered it... I'll look into it, thanks! Now to find a cheap source for modern replacements to conserve my originals...

Gentlemen,

Thanks for all the input. Since I have two 1942 widows I can easily part with one of them. Besides - I never liked the ugly plastic grips in the first place. The pic shows my current Lugers; top to bottom:

US-test
1911 DWM
1918 Erfurt
1938 S/42
1942 byf
1942 byf

Regards,

Balder


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...rs/6xLuger.jpg