1917 Artillery Luger
 

I just bought my first luger the other day. its a 1917 artillery with all matching serial numbers except for the clip and stock( which i dont believe to be a original stock although it has a serial number on it as well). It is in really good shape and i got a great deal on it. Im hoping to make this gun last for generations as it has some sentimental value. My great grandfather fought in WW1 and one night spotted a candle light in no mans land. He went to check it out and found a German man reading the bible in his fox hole alone. he spoke to the man and said hed spare his life if he handed over his luger. Thanking my great g-pa he greatfully handed over the gun. Unfortunately that gun got lost over the years but this is the same year and model and it means a great deal to me. My main question is how should i care for the gun in order to make it last forever. I know how to clean guns and such but im concerned about the wood and also wondering what i should put on the metal to protect it.
Thanks a million

Looks like a very nice example. The stock is beautiful, but unfortunately does not go with the gun and is illegal to use with it. You should try to find someone that has an original artillery stock for sale (sometimes see them on eBay) that has had the stock attacment iron removed and use the iron from this stock to make a correct, and legal, stock.
More photos of the gun showing some of the detail would be appreciated.

these are some more pictures
 

what do the symbols on the right side of the gun mean?

also i was aware the stock wasnt correct and basically got it for free however i didnt know it was illegal. Why is this?

The symbols are individual inspector's marks and were applied as the gun went through the production process.
The stock is illegal because under BATFE rules only the proper stock may be attached to this Luger, i.e. an original or reproduction stock of the proper dimensions and configuration. Otherwise it is considered a "short barreled rifle" and subject to restrictions and licensing.
Free is good:). Take the iron off and store it away until you come up with the appropriate wood.

cool thanks for the info, i'm real new to this hope i made a decent choice!

From what I can see (the photos have a lot of glare so it is hard to tell) it looks like you did well (depending upon what you paid :))

I got it for 1400 i wasnt positive it was a good price, the guy inherited over 1000 guns and had over 53 lugers by the time i got there when 3/4s of his collection was already sold. He was selling them for good prices as far as i know because of the amount of guns he had and how they had become somewhat of a burden to him. I bought it with admittedly little knowledge. The pieces with the most glare (which i believe are supposed to be a brown color) are almost silver with wear but the blue is in good shape in comparison to all the others i saw there except 2 beautiful 1902 carbines. if you could help guide me to what i might put on the metal to preserve it i would greatly appreciate it

Taylor..a frequent application of oil will do nicely to preserve your pistol. I use a shaving brush to lightly coat my pistols every time they are handled. I just use a common household/sewing machine type oil. It's not the fancy gun oils that do the trick, it's using any type of oil fairly often. Storage is key..keep it in a safe dry area and check it often. Look under the grips for corrosion and get rust off whereever you see it.
You can search the Forum for commonly asked questions..There is a ton of information on here.
Now you can find all the accessories that go along with your pistol! There are a lot of them for an Artillery!

PM sent.

Harry

Very good solid recommendations especially the sewing machine oil. I have sccrewed up using WD-40 until you corrected me!