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mrerick · 09-05-2011, 10:57 AM

Vernon,

The "black widow" term was purely a marketing effort by Ralph Shattuck (now deceased) used it to sell what were at the time the less attractive Lugers with plastic grips and magazine bases.

In the 1941 / 1942 timeframe, the German arms industry had shifted to composite and plastic / bakelite parts where possible.

You can authenticate the grips by photographing their inside surfaces and posting here. If you remove them be very careful not to chip the left one near the safety and the right one where it slides into the receiver at the top.

I believe that the plum color involved both the alloy content of the steel, the chemical mix of the bluing salts and the temperature of the hot bluing baths. Some people like the color, others consider it evidence of sloppy process control during manufacture.

I have a beautiful M1 Carbine that saw service in Austria after WW-II. It had been re-blued by them with the trigger group turned to a beautiful deep plum color...

Marc

09-05-2011, 10:57 AM	#11
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,920 Thanks: 1,377 Thanked 3,135 Times in 1,518 Posts	Vernon, The "black widow" term was purely a marketing effort by Ralph Shattuck (now deceased) used it to sell what were at the time the less attractive Lugers with plastic grips and magazine bases. In the 1941 / 1942 timeframe, the German arms industry had shifted to composite and plastic / bakelite parts where possible. You can authenticate the grips by photographing their inside surfaces and posting here. If you remove them be very careful not to chip the left one near the safety and the right one where it slides into the receiver at the top. I believe that the plum color involved both the alloy content of the steel, the chemical mix of the bluing salts and the temperature of the hot bluing baths. Some people like the color, others consider it evidence of sloppy process control during manufacture. I have a beautiful M1 Carbine that saw service in Austria after WW-II. It had been re-blued by them with the trigger group turned to a beautiful deep plum color... Marc __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.