Black widow or fake
 

I thought black widow lugers started in 1942.

Here's a link to an auction that wasn't bid on too much.


http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=75538507


:confused:

Two statements:

1) There is no seperate black widow variation, so hard to say when it started...

2) There might be a considered black widow "type" by collectors, but I did not know there was a distinct date?


Ed

PS: In the FAq it states;
22) Black grips first came out when?

The black plastic grips did not come out until June of 1941 to the best of my knowledge, so anything before is a replacement. There were NO original black plastic grips issued with a 1940 Luger. No black plastic bases either, as they are all replacements when found with these models -- or have been added lately.

"Black Widow" is a marketing term which appeared years ago to describe what was then considered sort of "last ditch" non-collectable lugers.
It has been rumored to have been spawned in Arizona.
Many feel it described the BYF 41's with black grips and mag bottoms.

As has been mentioned above, some BP grips were used as replacements late in the war. I once picked up a WW1 Erfurt PO8 that was liberated by a WW2 vet with early brown plastic Kreighoff grips. TH