[Herb]

I have two of these Russian capture Lugers, both have the X and both have import marks, and all German marks are present. I would like to see more of the grips to be sure but on the little that is visible the checkering appears a bit too big. There might be numbers or acceptance stamping marks of the back of the grips but their absence does not necessarily mean they are not original. Please post some photos of them. A black widow Luger is a byf 41 or 42 Luger with black plastic grips and a magazine with the black plastic bottom. Actually there is no such thing. The term was coined by one of the top Luger collectors and dealer, Ralph Shattuck as a marketing ploy. Prior to his naming them that they did not exist other than as another Luger with those features. These are often faked. It sure worked as they do bring a premium dollar for some reason.