ERFURT 1913 7.65mm in Holster
 

I recently inherited holstered luger that was hand carried back from Germany at the end of WWII. It is a 1913 ERFURT 7.65mm with a short barrel( about 4 inches) My novice eyes see "fair" condition. Numbers match except the trigger plate. There is an aluminum based clip and a wood based clip. Here is my question: Is this configuration rare enough to be considered collectable? Or can I take it to a gunsmith, get it checked and cleaned, and use it as "a shooter" and still sleep at night?

If it is in 7.65 and not the original 9MM, then it has be rebarreled and would be in the shooter range and not really a collectable. Mis-matched trigger plate will again decrease the value of the gun. After having it checked by a gun smith, it sounds like a shooter to me.

Thanks policeluger! Since I could not find any reference to a 7.65mm by ERFURT in 1913, I figured that my research was flawed, or that the barrel had been changed. I am 99% certain that the gun has not been touched since it landed here just after WWII, so I will conclude that the barrel change was made in Germany sometime between 1913 and 1945. That is probably when the trigger plate was replaced. Thanks again.

Another question: How should I go about finding a gunsmith that has knows Lugers (I live in southern California)?

I have sent you a PM....please read it