Replica Grip Suggestions (Ideally Black Widows)
 

Hey guys,

I'm a new Luger owner and new to the forum here. I hope I'm posting this question in the right section of the forum.

I have a quick question: The Luger I bought (1938 S/42) came with original grips. I'd like to purchase a set of replica grips to use when I shoot the Luger.

Any suggestions as to where I can buy a decent (good materials, fit and finish) set of replica grips. I'd especially enjoy a set of Black Widows.

Thanks for your time,

Jeff

I have no experience with these people but they say they have Bakelite grips for the Luger...

http://www.historyarms.com/index.html

HIGHLY ACCURATE REPRODUCTION BAKELITE PISTOL GRIPS FOR THE LUGER P08 "BLACK WIDOW " .
IT IS MADE FROM CAST PHENOLIC RESIN - JUST LIKE ORIGINAL . IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE FROM ORIGINAL.
100% ACCURATE IN EVERY DETAIL AND WITH THE DETAILS ON THE BACK. THEY BLACK IN COLOR .

Price $39.00 S&H in USA $6.00
International shipping is extra.

http://www.historyarms.com/sitebuild...p1-600x450.jpg

If you buy a pair, please post back here and tell us how they look, fit, and feel... :)

sheepherder, thanks for the suggestion. It looks like the company (History Arms) has a reasonable refund policy as well.

If the grips look like the photo that Sheepherder posted, the price is reasonable... as long as they FIT.

I hope I'm not out of line in making the offer, but I have a couple of pairs of wooden grips, both original shooter-grade and reproduction that would be more appropriate for a Luger with your markings than plastic "black widow" grips.

Hey Bill, I'm willing to explore any options for a pair of shooting grips. Feel free to post/email me pics and prices for your grips.

Thanks,

Jeff

Is the frame of my 1938 Mauser and the "Black Widow" Luger the same? In other words, If I were to purchase Black Widow grips, can I expect that they would fit my Mauser?

Thanks,

Jeff

Well, since there is no such thing as a black widow frame, the answer would be yes, both are Mauser frames

I do not believe the Mauser hump changed the way grips fit - that said, early DWM grips seem to fit lousy on mauser frames...

That said, the reverse is also true...

There is some minor individuality in the frame grips from the different manufacturers... I experienced the same thing between Erfurt and Mauser grips. Hence the requirement for some fitting is necessary for most grip changes. :cheers:

John and Edward, I had always assumed that the frames on the Lugers, especially the ones made by the same manufacturer, would generally be the same.

Although, I just received a pair of black plastic grip panels (resembling Black Widow Grips) made by N.C. Ordinance yesterday and the fit was very poor. The edges of the grips, where they met the barrel extension and and the Magazine receiver area. Additionally, the angel of the grips were off slightly. So, I wasn't sure if maybe there were minor changes in the Luger frames that I wasn't aware of, or if these were poor replicas of Luger grips.

Thanks for the insight,

Jeff

Most replica grips are not made the best - its a fairly complicated design, compared say to 1911 grips, which even I can make :)

Please post photos of the N.C. Ordinance grips you purchased.

NC Ordnance grips are known to be poor fitting/poor quality castings. Do a Search here for pics.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GERMAN-ARMY-...item35acd7f3bd

I saw these on eBay. I am not involved with this sale.

jussi,

Thanks for the ebay posting. I'll check those out as well.

Jeff

My Recommendation is to spend your money in the USA instead of the Czech Republic. It will be much easier to exchange your purchase if something is not right when they arrive if you source them from this ebay seller.

Here is his own caveat:

Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
Last updated on May 09, 2014 01:47:06 PDT View all revisions
This is a pair of German WWII reproduction pistol grips for the P 08 LUGER pistol. They are made of a hard resin and just need the two screws to attach it the two pieces in place. It is only $6.50 to ship this item anywhere in the US and outside Europe, within the EU it is only $5.50 for postage.



PLEASE READ THIS >>>>>

The grips were made from a resin casting of an original set of grips. This does not mean that all grips from every Luger are 100% fully interchangeable and that any grips will fit on an Luger without some fitting. The weapons were each hand machined and not fully identical from one to another. Each weapon had to have each part hand fitted to each after it was made. A gunsmith had to take each part and assemble the weapon, grinding, filling away so that the parts fit. So the parts do no get mixed up when being vat blued. Yes that is what the numbers on the parts are for. The same had to be done with the grips. On top of it all different productions runs from then again different makers will produce further variations in the pistols. So in short universally fitting grips without maybe needing some adjustments are not that probable.

Pictures of the N.C. Ordinance Grips
 

First a bit of a paranoid disclaimer: All opinions expressed expressed about the N. C. Ordinance grips are my honest opinions based on my personal experiences. I am not a fire arms professional. I am just someone who enjoys guns.

Here's a few thoughts about the N.C. Ordinance "Black Widow" Luger grips:

First problem: the grips are actually more of a dark purple color, rather than black.

The poorest fit of these grips are on the magazine release side of the gun, where there is a considerable gap between the grip and the barrel extension.

For some reason, the grips are rounded at the corners at the bottom of the grip, while the angles on the Luger's frame at the bottom of the handle are 90 degrees.

Finally, the plastic feels a bit flimsy, as though If I squeezed too hard they would break.

Even with the above problems, I'm keeping these grips to use for shooting, until I find a decent pair of replica grips to replace them with.

Thanks,

Jeff

I can attest to the above ebay ad placed by "vit-zemanek" as to the fit and looks as I did place photos of these grips on both a Swiss Bern and an Erfurt Artillery. Easy fit with only a small of filing on the inside lower part of the grips.

Here's the thread with pics of NC Ordnance grips...

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=32155

In the case of mine, the grips won't lie flat...They're warped...And they were cast from a set of very worn grips... :soapbox:

I ended up going with the Czech ebay seller: vit-zemanek, who's grips jussi posted the link to

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GERMAN-ARMY-...item35acd7f3bd

I read the thread sheepherder posted http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=32155 regarding the N.C. Ordinance grips. Among these postings, vit-zemanek grips were reviewed as being exceptional.

I'll keep you guys up to date with my impressions of vit's "black widow" grips once I receive them.

Thanks,

Jeff