Halos~
 

Do all barrel base numbers need to have halos to be legit?

It depends on the variation of Luger.

The type of finish (rust bluing) and the order that the die is stamped (blued then die stamped) determines if you'll see a halo.

The halo is caused by the stress of stretching surface metal that occurs when the die pushes through the surface of the blued metal.

1906 French Contract~ Ultimate halo!

Hi Eric,
There is no way one can make out halos underneath all that white lacquer.
Regards, Norm

I agree but look at the 2 B U G and what caused the cloud on the bottom base of the barrel? Heres the top! TKS

Eric, the area of the barrel with finish loss in the photo you posted isn't what I'd refer to as a "halo".

The FAQ Document has a good example of what a "halo" looks like on page 58.

A number of things can reduce the blued finish (which is a magnetite state of iron oxide) back to steel, or physically remove the very thin layer of bluing. It can be done chemically or through abrasion or galling. There are common household chemicals that will reduce blued steel back to bare steel.

A fine discussion on this site in 2008, https://www.lugerforums.com/threads/...l-markings.45/