To reblue or not to reblue
 

Hi Guys,
I just recently signed on to the forum and I am somewhat Luger ignorant. I am 68 YOA and a retired State Police criminal investigator. I have always wanted a Luger and I recently bought one. Probably paid a little more than I should. Bought a 1938 S/42 with all matching numbers except the magazine of course. The pistol has no pitting and has most of the blue. It is mechanically as tight as a new one and doesn't appear to have been shot much. I paid $1150 for it. I am contemplating finding a competent rebluer and getting a first class blue job and try to find some new walnut grips and a magazine that does not have the shiny aluminum looking tip.
I know this would devalue the gun but it is a great shooter and I have a concealed carry permit and was thinking about doing just that. Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated. What would the pistol be worth if I pulled this off?
Thanks for any help or suggestions.

A lot less than $1150. You will be reducing a collectors item to a common shooter worth maybe $500-$600. Also, Lugers are wonderful guns and fun to shoot, but not necessarily the ideal choice for concealed carry for self defense.

I feel confident that everyone here will urge you to NOT have the pistol re-blued or tinkered with in any manner. You'll ultimately end up with $1400 - $1500 or more in a pistol that won't bring more than $500 or $600. That's quite a loss in value. You can pick up a "shooter" Luger that will perform just as well for $600 and not ruin a collector piece.

The Luger is a fine pistol and quite accurate but, IMO, is NOT a pistol I'd carry for self defense. I don't consider it safe to carry with a loaded chamber and the time lost working the action to arm it may be critical. Just my opinion but when I take a pistol with me - I'm licensed - it's a Makarov or a .45 auto of the 1911 type.

If you cannot be convinced to leave your Luger as-is, no one will do a better job of refinishing it than a gentleman who posts here under the name "Thor". His work is truly beautiful.

Thanks, Ron for your opinion. I will definitely take you advice into consideration. I have lots to learn.

Joe Hill
Kaintucky

Doubs,
Thanks to you too for your opinion. I have been carrying a Browning HiPower for years. It's a fine pistol but I don't like the single action feature of it. In the summer, I slip my PPK/S in my hip pocket.
Thanks again for your input.

Joe

Hello Joe,

I agree with what everyone has said, it is hard to know if you paid to much for it, but hey, the money is gone, but you have a LUGER! :)

The aluminum magazines are the issued magazine after 1934 for Nazi era guns, and if you like the wood bottom ones, there are guys on the forum that hand make them, they look great. In addition, if you are going to continue to shoot this Luger, then replacing the original firing pin and grips is a good idea, it preserves items that are possible to break and you can put on some nice new ones.

Welcome to the forum Joe,

Ed
(retired US Army MP and still FOP)

Ed

Thanks for your timely advice and information on firing it. It sure helps to have someone that knows more than I do.

Thanks to all. I'm going to bed. Good night

Joe

Joe, knowledge is power and I make sure I have my books handy! :D

Ed

Ed Tinker,

I'm sure there are hundreds of books written on the Lugers. I have Michael Reese's "Luger Tips" (revised edition) and John Walter's "The Luger Story". I tried to buy a book on Amazon by Ralph Shattuck but haven't had any luck so far. Would appreciate any suggestions. Is there any one book that is considered the "bible" of Lugers?

Many thanks,

Joe Hill

Jan Still's books are the newest and I think the best for "each" era.

There are;

Imperial Lugers
Weimar Lugers
Third Reich Lugers and
Axis Lugers

Obviously getting one geared towards what you are interested in is important. I know that Jan Still, still has copies of his 3rd Reich Lugers, and also saw one on e-bay today for the same price.

Ed

Ed,

Thanks for your response. I searched Amazon and found the Third Reich book for $159.00. Then I took a look at the eBay site and found the book you referred to. It was offered by "fstill", a new eBayer with 0 feedback. I thought this was a coincidence that he had the same name so I went to Bellsouth People Find and came up with Jan Still in Douglas, Alaska. Apparently "fstill" is one of Jan Still's family or something. Anyway, I placed a bid on the book as no one else has bid but auction doesn't end until August 4 so who knows where it will go by then.

Regards,

Joe

Jan's wife is named Frances... and likely to be the 'fstill' selling his books on eBay...

colcolombo , Go to Jan Stills site and you can order everything but Weimar Pistols for $69.00 each including shipping. See the link below...You might have to sign onto the site to do this I don't know if you have to to order books. Jerry Burney
http://www.armscenter.com/forums/pistols/

When you go to the "http://www.armscenter.com/forums/pistols/" link that Jerry provided, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find "Jan C Still's Book Listings And Ordering Information". That is the link to order books. You don't have to log in to use the order link.