bluing
 

Recently purchased a 1906 Swiss Bern Luger in 7.65 MM. I am unsure if the bluing by the Swiss encompassed the entire receiver and the interior of the frame. Can any of the experts on the Swiss Luger enlighten me on this subject?

Craig,
Your 1906 Swiss Bern was rust blued, and so should have a polished "in the white" interior on the receiver and frame. Depending on storage conditions and oxidation a gun this old may have darkened somewhat on the interior but still should look much different than the blued exterior.

I don't have the book by Rutsch with me but maybe another LF member could confirm this. If I remember well (but I'm really not sure now), Rutsch reported that the lugers of the end of the 1906 W+F series (transition version around s/n 30000) were fully blued, including the interior, and had a 06/29-like side plate.

Craig,
I'm asking because in the past the issue came up on this forum: is your luger a privatised army luger (P-free s/n) and, if so, is there a "hallow" around the stamped privatisation "P"?

Panda; The Luger has no P, it looks like a military, according to Datigs Swiss variations. The serial # is 28740. The manufacturing list dates it as a 1928 pistol. The grips are in nice shape with the border around the edges. All the serial #'s match including the grips. The pistol has the old style side plate, numbered to the gun. Ron; The interior of the frame and receiver is blued so I don't know what to think.
Thanks for the info, Craig

Well, I'm not sure, but I think Rutsch showed in his book a late all-blued 06/24, the side plate of which had its ridge running along the entire outer face like the 06/29.

Hello Craig,

In V. Bobba's book on Swiss lugers on page 126, he mentions that at or around pistol # 26205, the rust bluing technique with frame interiors "in the whilte" gave way to immersion-blued pistols with their interiors blued.

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

I should have asked the serial number before jumping in with an answer. Thank goodness we have Panda and Pete to help keep me straight.

Hello again, Craig...

The more recent date-list in the Bobba book on page 207 list your serial # 28740 as being made in 1929 and not 1928. 1,401 pistols were made in 1929. 870 were made in 1928. Serial number 28340-28341 was the cut over from Year 1928 to 1929.

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Thank you for the information and the update Pete. I am grateful to have you and the other experts to fall back on. I will start posting pictures of my Lugers as soon as I can. The photos will make it easier to answer some of my questions.
Thanks again, Craig