Luger grip safety profiles and sizes?
 

Most photos of Lugers with grip safeties I found only show the side view of the Luger as a whole. My 1900 AE grip safety looks to come about 2/3 thirds across the back strap. I have notices others the full width of the back starp. Is there a standard for this? Or do the just vari to the model of Luger? I notice the 'Swiss' had a rather long grip strap. From what I gather almost all 1900-1906 Models had a grip safety. After that was it mostly various commercial that had a grip safety? I take the military requested the grip safety removed to be accepted. I take one exception was the 1934/06 dated Mauser that had a grip safety, again for commerical sales.
Any rear pictures of grip safeties?
Thanks,Bill

What is a 1934/06??? What book is that from?



All 1900's had grip safeties; all 1906 had them; then there were contract pieces that required them, i.e. the Dutch, and the portuguesse; made in the 1906 "style" but not named 1906.


Bill, not trying to be difficult, but a few luger books in your collection might help you; although old, Kenyon has many pictures, but also some inaccuracies; then Still's books, then Walters books and you can easily pick up Datig and then Jones for some older, outdated, but still lots of pertinenet info.



Ed

The "1934/06" is just a designation indicating the year of manufacture/configuration. The 1934 Mauser Commercial fits this designation being a Mauser "banner" commercial with a 1906 style frame and grip safety. The Portuguese GNR could be considered a 1935/06. Keynyon's "Lugers at Random" is a book reference. Although outdated, it remains a primary reference.

The Swiss, Bulgarian, German Navy, Dutch, US Test, Portuguese and Brazilian Lugers are military examples with a grip safety. The remainder of the grip safety models are by and large Commercial models and can be found on Model 1900, 1906, 1908, 1914, 1920 and 1930s-era Commercial Lugers. Whether the "Russian" Lugers are military or commercial is still part of the controversy! :)

Early Model 1900 grip safeties extended only about half-way across the grip. According to data collected by Dwight Gruber, around serial number 10010 the grip safety was widened to the full width of the grip strap and remained that way througout the rest of Luger production. With the introduction of the Model 1929 Swiss, the grip safety was made into a "wrap-around" configuration that enclosed both sides of the grip strap and was significantly longer top to bottom than previous models. This type of wrap-arouind safety configuration was continued on the 1970s Mauser replicas.

Sorry, I have never seen a Mauser with a grip safety.

Thanks Ed & Ron. Yes there are a couple of Luger books on my Christmas list!! And yes, the 1934/06 Mauser is in the Kenyon book. I take they must be quite rare.

Third Reich Lugers page 199 had a picture of a Portuguese GNR by Mauser in the 06/34 configuration with Mauser Banner toggle code.